Head of Geography

What skills and experience we're looking for

Are you a passionate teacher looking for your next step? We are looking for a qualified, experienced teacher to join Harris Academy Morden as Head of Geography.

We would like to hear from you if you:

• Hold QTS (or equivalent) and a relevant undergraduate degree, and, ideally, management training
• Demonstrate successful teaching of GCSE at good or better level
• Have experience of initiation and effective management of change
• Show evidence of raising achievement in present post and showing good value added for groups
• Have knowledge of current curriculum developments in subject and their implications
• Have good knowledge and understanding of current educational thinking
• Show good understanding of how children learn and how to raise standards of achievement
• Have good communication skills in speech and writing
• Display excellent organisational skills
• Are able to build and sustain professional standards and relationships with students
• Are able to contribute towards creating a safe and protective environment

For a full job description and person specification, please download the Job Pack.

What the school offers its staff

At Harris Academy Morden we pride ourselves on the inclusive approach and caring environment we have developed. Ofsted 2018 ‘A very strong sense of community is evident throughout the school'.

Staff well-being is at the heart of our academy. We have a sensible marking policy, organised marking sessions to give staff time to mark and a two week October half term holiday

Ofsted 2018 ‘There is a low turnover of staff and their morale is high'

The Academy is traditional in our approach to discipline and has very high expectations for student behaviour.Ofsted 2018 ‘The behaviour of pupils is outstanding'

Year 11 GCSE results consistently place the Academy in the highest percentile in the country.Ofsted ‘Pupils achieve exceptional outcomes in public examinations. Current pupils are making outstanding progress'.

Harris Academy Morden is located favourably for public transport with good local access to bus, tram and train links to mainline rail and the underground network.

Teacher Development

At Harris, we have curated professional development pathways that will guide you towards achieving your career ambitions. We have developed a strong culture of collaboration and best practice, with professional development and career planning at its centre. With a strong network of passionate educators, expert development initiatives and a multitude of opportunities for career progression, your journey with Harris could be the most rewarding one yet.

We offer a wide range of high quality teacher professional development programmes via the Harris Institute of Teaching and Leadership.

Benefits

In addition to the opportunities for career development and progression, we also offer a competitive rewards and benefits package which includes our Harris Allowance (usually £2,000 for Inner London and £1,500 for Outer London), a Performance and Loyalty Bonus, Teachers Pension Scheme, a Wellbeing Cash Plan, Employee Assistance Programme, and many other benefits. Learn more about our benefits on our website.

Further details about the role

The purpose of your role will be:

• To be accountable for leading, managing and developing the subject area.
• To raise standards of student attainment and achievement within the whole subject/curriculum area and to monitor and support student progress.
• To ensure the provision of an appropriately broad, balanced, relevant and differentiated curriculum for students studying in the department, in accordance with the aims of the academy and the curricular policies determined by the Governing Body and Principal.
• To teach the relevant subject across the age and ability range.
• To facilitate and encourage a learning experience which provides students with the opportunity to achieve their individual potential.
• To effectively manage and deploy staff, financial and physical resources within the department.
• To share and support the school’s responsibility to provide and monitor opportunities for personal and academic growth.

Your main areas of responsibility will fall under the areas of:

• Operational and strategic planning (includingformulating the subject and faculty improvement plans, and leading the development of appropriate syllabuses, resources, schemes of work, marking policies, assessment and teaching strategies)
• Ensuring the delivery of an appropriate, comprehensive, high quality and cost effective curriculumand leading development of the subject and its delivery
• Staff development (including recruiting, building and managingan effective team of motivated staff)
• Student outcomes (includingensuring the effective operation of target setting, monitoring and evaluation systemsand the input and maintenance of accurate student data)
• Pastoral system (includingbeing a form tutor to a selected group of students)
• Teaching, including acting as an outstanding role model

Commitment to safeguarding

The Harris Federation and all our academies are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, references, an online search, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed.