Early Years & Foundation Stage Teacher

Role Overview

Early Years & Foundation Stage Teacher at Aspen Heights British School, an International Schools Partnership school located on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi.

Company Overview

Aspen Heights British School (AHBS) is an ambitious and high-achieving British International School focused on three core aims: positive relationships and respectful communication as the building blocks of the school; purposeful, engaging, and meaningful learning at the heart of the work; and supporting all children to make remarkable progress by personalising their learning opportunities. The school is committed to staff development, growth, and retention, with many opportunities for professional development and high staff retention rates.

Role Purpose

Lead teaching and learning in the Early Years & Foundation Stage, ensuring excellent classroom practice, robust assessment and progress tracking, strategic curriculum development, and community partnerships that support all children to achieve and thrive in a safe, inclusive environment.

Key Responsibilities

Teaching and Learning

• Lead and support the teaching and learning of all children within the school through promoting models of excellent classroom practice, coaching, mentoring, and supported self-evaluation for teaching staff.
• Ensure that learning is at the centre of strategic planning and resource allocation.
• Manage and monitor the design, development, and implementation of processes for the collection of useful, timely, and accurate assessment data to track the progress of individual children and groups.
• Use assessment data to inform planning, evaluate performance, track progress, and secure raised achievement across all key stages.
• Agree and articulate high expectations and set stretching targets for the whole community.
• Monitor the effectiveness of teaching and learning through teachers' planning, work sampling and scrutiny, and lesson observations.
• Support auditing and reporting of outcomes, both successful and otherwise, and plan next steps and future actions.
• Take a strategic role in the development of new and emerging technologies to enhance and extend the learning experience of pupils.
• Lead curriculum development throughout the EYFS phase to ensure delivery of an appropriate, challenging, and interesting academic and ECA programme that complements the philosophy of the school.
• Keep up to date with national and international developments in all curriculum areas and with advances in teaching practice and methodology.
• Monitor and respond to all curriculum initiatives at international and local levels.

Strengthening Community

• Promote and model good relationships with parents and carers based on partnerships to support and improve pupils' learning and achievement.
• Contribute to the development of the school as a community within the community, strengthening partnerships with families, neighbours, and the local and wider community.
• Partner with other schools, services, and the local authority to strengthen community engagement.
• Contribute to the development of the education system by sharing effective and best practice and working in partnership with other schools.
• Promote innovation in education.
• Liaise with partner schools in the ISP group and other service providers, including extended service providers and community resources, to enrich and expand provision.
• Secure partnerships, collaborations, enrichment opportunities, and expertise that bring benefits to all children and the school community.
• Contribute to policies and practices which promote equality of opportunity and tackle prejudice and discrimination.
• Support staff well-being and work-life balance.
• Help ensure access to opportunities for growth, achievement, and success for all adults and children in school.
• Champion the school's ethos of promoting health, wellbeing, and a lifelong love for physical activity and swimming among pupils.

Health and Safety

• Emphasise the importance of safety in all areas of the curriculum.
• Communicate to pupils the importance of a responsible attitude towards personal safety, the safety of others, and respect for Aspen Heights British School's property and equipment.
• Perform all playground duties on time and with due diligence to safeguard Aspen pupils.
• Take all necessary and reasonable precautions to protect pupils, equipment, materials, and facilities.
• Assist in implementing all policies and rules governing pupil life and conduct.
• Ensure that all necessary health and safety rules and procedures are being followed.
• Maintain an awareness of all health and safety measures to be taken when in school.

Qualifications & Experience

• PGCE or equivalent.
• Minimum of two years of school experience as an EYFS Class Teacher.

Skills & Competencies

• Good oral and written communication skills.
• Excellent communication skills and command of the English language in spoken and written form.
• Willing attitude to be a part of the school team.
• Strong sense of professionalism.
• Safeguarding and welfare of children.
• A collaborative team-player with excellent interpersonal skills.
• Behaviour management.
• Empathetic listener.
• Integrity and confidentiality.
• Internationally minded.
• Emotional intelligence.
• Intercultural awareness and creativity.
• Flexible and a can-do attitude.

Additional Information

ISP is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All post holders are subject to appropriate vetting procedures, including an online due diligence search, references, and satisfactory Criminal Background Checks or equivalent covering the previous 10 years' employment history.

ISP is committed to strengthening its inclusive culture by identifying, hiring, developing, and retaining high-performing teammates regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender expression, age, disability status, neurodivergence, socio-economic background, or other demographic characteristics. Candidates who share ISP's vision and principles and are interested in contributing to the success of ISP through this role are strongly encouraged to apply.