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Jobs at Aberdeenshire Council
Westhill Academy
Westhill Academy is a six-year non-denominational secondary school serving a catchment area which includes the commuter town of Westhill with a population of approximately 11,000 and the immediate surrounding rural area. The Academy’s associated primary schools are Crombie Primary, Elrick Primary and Westhill Primary schools all in Westhill and Skene Primary which serves the rural area around the village of Kirkton of Skene. Some pupils who live beyond the catchment area also attend the school. These pupils mainly live in the Kingswells area of Aberdeen City.
The school roll is currently approximately 750, but this is projected to rise to over 860 in the next few years.
Westhill Academy is a high attaining and achieving school with a committed, effective and involved group of staff. It has a supportive parent body represented by a positive and active Parent Council and an engaged, informed and hardworking pupil body represented by the Pupil Council. The school has a deserved, positive reputation within the local community and regularly outperforms other schools in the Authority and Nationally in most performance-related measures. Annual figures showing attainment in SQA exams is published in the School Handbook which is available on the school’s website.
The school day is structured in 80 minute periods, with 4 periods per day.
Recent extensive consultation across the school community showed overwhelming support for school uniform, and so this will be introduced for all pupils from the beginning of session 2018/19.
Westhill Academy has positive, creative, flexible and productive links with our partners in supporting all our pupils, and in working with individual pupils to develop flexible pathways both within and post-school. Westhill Academy has excellent figures for securing sustained positive destinations for our pupils.
The school has strong links with local businesses and the community. Under the banner of Developing the Young Workforce the Academy has developed formal links with 2 major high street companies and further more informal links with several others. The school’s charity committee builds an ethos of social conscience, develops an understanding of, and empathy for, local and national issues and helps raise thousands of pounds for good causes each year.
There is a long-standing, and very successful, 2-way relationship with the Rotary organisation in which they provide support and challenge for the school and our pupils are very willing supporters of their events.
Teachers at Westhill Academy are supported and encouraged in their Career-Long Professional Learning and personal development through leadership opportunities within and beyond school. Staff are also encouraged to think beyond curricular areas and join the wide range of activities which already exist or to bring their own skills and enthusiasm to begin clubs and activities of their own. Westhill Academy supports and encourages staff to be creative and proactive in all aspects of school life.
If you are fortunate in being selected as the preferred candidate for this position, you would be joining a team with a collaborative approach to all aspects of their work – a school whose teachers work as well together as they do as individuals. This is a great opportunity to join, and contribute to, a vibrant, successful and forward thinking secondary school.
Current opportunities at Westhill Academy
We seek an enthusiastic and dedicated professional, with drive and ambition, to join our experienced and effective leadership team. As Depute Head Teacher, you will work with the Head Teacher and the wider school community to support colleagues in providing pupils with a school experience in line with Aberdeenshire’s commitment to excellence.
Why Aberdeenshire?
Just a 20 minute drive will take you to the vibrant city centre of Aberdeen, bustling with shops, restaurants, His Majesty’s Theatre and so much more. 20 minutes in the other direction and you are on the doorstep of Royal Deeside and the Cairngorm national park.
At Westhill Academy we recognise that in order to recruit and retain high quality Teachers it is necessary to have a competitive relocation and resettlement scheme. The purpose of the scheme is to compensate employees for reasonable expenses directly incurred as a result of a change in primary residence. The change must be wholly or mainly to bring their residence within a reasonable daily travelling distance. Under the terms of this procedure relocation expenses of up to £8,000 (including vat) will be reimbursed.
For more information on living in Aberdeenshire
More information and annual attainment figures can be found on our School Website
Find out more about how to become a Teacher in Aberdeenshire