The Perse School is looking to appoint a high achieving Geographer to join this popular, dynamic and successful department. Full details about the School, its locality, teacher benefits and current teaching staff profiles can be viewed and downloaded from the school website: http://www.perse.co.uk/job-vacancies/
The Department
Geography is an energetic, supportive and collegiate department which is led by Mr James Riley. The successful candidate will have a genuine enthusiasm for Geography and be well placed to generate and sustain a high degree of motivation in all pupils, who are mainly of a high ability.
The Geography department is composed of eight teachers who are genuinely excited about their subject and committed to using pioneering methods and contemporary material to bring Geography to life for all our pupils. This is a very harmonious department where the active sharing of ideas and resources is the norm, ensuring the best teaching and learning occurs in lessons. The teachers seek to engage pupils in learning Geography by encouraging them to work and think independently and by ensuring our teaching is stimulating, varied and creative. In addition, we strongly believe that fieldwork is an essential component of the subject and pupils have an opportunity to take part in a fieldwork activity in almost every year at The Perse, including a regular residential visit to Iceland.
In Years 7 and 8 we seek to capture and nurture the enthusiasm for learning of our younger pupils with a range of classic and contemporary topics drawing from all corners of the subject. In the Year 9 pupils focus on an innovative and creative course titled ‘Geography in the News’ which develops their research skills and contemporary knowledge. In Years 10 and 11 pupils study the AQA ‘A’ GCSE course which we believe is exciting, rigorous and challenging and provides an excellent platform for A level study. Typically over two-thirds of the year group opts to take Geography for GCSE.
Geography is a popular and successful subject at A Level (OCR syllabus) with over 70 students studying the subject and around a third of our students deciding each year to continue with the subject at university. We also have a strong history of Oxbridge entrance for Geography.
The department enters a team of Year 9 and Year 10 pupils into the Geographical Association’s Worldwise Quiz where they compete against students from other local schools. Within the department we run an annual Geography Photography Competition and in the sixth form there are national and school essay competitions that students are encouraged to enter. There is an annual Geography Debating Competition, Geography house competitions and sixth form Geography Ambassadors who help with lower school Geography teaching.
The department occupies its own suite of classrooms, with its own set of iPads and a departmental office in the school’s 2010 New Building.
Further information about the department’s curricular and extra-curricular activities (and public examination results) can be found on the school’s website and twitter @PerseGeography:
Geography Department: http://www.perse.co.uk/upper/subjects/
GCSE: http://www.perse.co.uk/upper/curriculum/exam-results/
A Level: http://www.perse.co.uk/sixth-form/academic-success/exam-results/
Timetable
The School operates to a ten-day timetable cycle, consisting of 80 periods. Most members of staff teach about 59 periods per cycle including games and enrichment sessions. Newly qualified teachers receive period remission in their first year for training and induction.
Applicants without formal teaching qualifications or experience
Applicants without formal teaching qualifications or experience will be considered for this position. The Perse has a long record of training and developing teachers in situ, and many highly successful teachers started with no formal teaching qualifications. For applicants without a teaching qualification we are looking for: a high level of subject knowledge, enthusiasm, good communication skills, patience, an empathy with young people and a desire to get involved in the extra-curricular life of the school.
Newly Qualified Teachers
The School is fully accredited to participate in the ISC NQT Induction Programme in order to provide qualified teacher status.
2010 ISI Inspection Report The Pelican, Prep and Upper were inspected during the spring of 2010. The inspection report can be viewed at http://www.perse.co.uk/about-us/our-approach/inspection-reports/
Applications
The Application Form can be downloaded from the school website http://www.perse.co.uk/job-vacancies/ .Applications must be made using the school’s Application Form. Any queries regarding the application process should be directed to the HR Co-ordinator, Ms Jane Gregory, recruitment@perse.co.uk .Please send completed application forms to HR.
The Perse School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post including: references from previous employers, a Disclosure and Barring Service check at the enhanced level, as well as eligibility to work in the UK (in compliance with Sections 15-25 of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006).
Interviews will be conducted in person, and they will explore candidates’ suitability to work with children.
Recruitment Policy
The School’s Recruitment, Selection and Disclosure Policy and Procedure is available for your information on the School website, or by request from the HR Department. Further details about the school may be found at www.perse.co.uk .
Interviews
Candidates will be invited to spend a day at the School and to meet the Head and Deputy Heads as well as the Head of Geography and the department. Candidates will be asked to teach a lesson as part of the selection process and further details will be available from the Head of Geography.
The closing date for applications is Tuesday 1st December at 2.00pm and interviews will be on Tuesday 8th December.