Teacher of English
- Organisation: St Mary's School, Gerrards Cross
- Location: Buckinghamshire
- Tenure: Full-time
- Closing Date: Saturday 25 May 2024
This is an exciting new role at St Mary’s School for an enthusiastic full-time English Teacher.
English is taught throughout Senior House from Year 7 to Year 13, some in mixed ability classes, and some in ability sets. At GCSE, we teach the Language specification from Edexcel iGCSE. For Literature we follow the AQA specification. For the very few students who require additional support we run a Functional Skills course. Examination results at GCSE are consistently high. At A level, Edexcel Literature is studied through units exploring ‘Comedy’ and ‘Science and Society’. Our A level results are again consistently high – 100% pass rate in the last few years, with pupils choosing to read English at university in most years.
The Department has seven (full and part time), teachers some of whom have other responsibilities within the school. We are a collaborative department, and value the creation and sharing of resources. There is an ongoing discussion of good practice, and a standing item in our department meetings is a reflection about what has gone well in a particular lesson each week, or an opportunity for a micro CPD event. We all teach the same topic or text to the same classes at the same time within a year group which facilitates constructive discussion about teaching strategies, and means that department staff can collaborate on the creation of resources. This debate and exchange of ideas is constantly feeding into our lesson planning ensuring that we respond to the needs of particular classes at a particular time. We have developed booklets for teaching some aspects of the curriculum and are gradually resourcing other units with similar booklets to mitigate staff planning and preparation. We have made some exciting changes to our curriculum at KS3 and are in the process of developing an innovative thematic curriculum that blends canonical and non-canonical texts. The department is well resourced, and much is available to facilitate the teaching of Literature and Language.
There are two specialist teaching rooms in a modern building, both of which have interactive whiteboards. We also work closely with the Learning Support Department to identify and support those with specific learning needs.
Reading lessons are an integral part of the teaching of English at St Mary’s, and students are expected to read widely in their spare time, preparing them for the challenges of textual study at GCSE and A level. Staff actively promote reading and communicate, through example, that reading is an essential part of helping students learn effectively in English. We work closely with the Librarian and share events to promote a love of reading. Students are also encouraged to enter writing competitions, and we have had success here both at a local and at a national level.
The appointment of a full time English teacher is an opportunity for an enthusiastic, able graduate to join a strong department which places emphasis on active, academic learning and on challenging each girl to be ambitious learners. We welcome applications from ECTs who will be fully supported in the role. What is important to us is enthusiasm, a willingness to embrace challenge and a desire for continuing professional development.
Staff play a crucial part in the marketing of the school and attend all Open events, as well as our annual evening Carol Service and Prize Giving in July. Staff participation in the co-curricular life of the school is a requirement, developing relationships with students and their parents and ensuring a breadth of opportunities for our girls.
This is an exciting new role at St Mary’s School for an enthusiastic full-time English Teacher.
Description
English is taught throughout Senior House from Year 7 to Year 13, some in mixed ability classes, and some in ability sets. At GCSE, we teach the Language specification from Edexcel iGCSE. For Literature we follow the AQA specification. For the very few students who require additional support we run a Functional Skills course. Examination results at GCSE are consistently high. At A level, Edexcel Literature is studied through units exploring ‘Comedy’ and ‘Science and Society’. Our A level results are again consistently high – 100% pass rate in the last few years, with pupils choosing to read English at university in most years.
The Department has seven (full and part time), teachers some of whom have other responsibilities within the school. We are a collaborative department, and value the creation and sharing of resources. There is an ongoing discussion of good practice, and a standing item in our department meetings is a reflection about what has gone well in a particular lesson each week, or an opportunity for a micro CPD event. We all teach the same topic or text to the same classes at the same time within a year group which facilitates constructive discussion about teaching strategies, and means that department staff can collaborate on the creation of resources. This debate and exchange of ideas is constantly feeding into our lesson planning ensuring that we respond to the needs of particular classes at a particular time. We have developed booklets for teaching some aspects of the curriculum and are gradually resourcing other units with similar booklets to mitigate staff planning and preparation. We have made some exciting changes to our curriculum at KS3 and are in the process of developing an innovative thematic curriculum that blends canonical and non-canonical texts. The department is well resourced, and much is available to facilitate the teaching of Literature and Language.
There are two specialist teaching rooms in a modern building, both of which have interactive whiteboards. We also work closely with the Learning Support Department to identify and support those with specific learning needs.
Reading lessons are an integral part of the teaching of English at St Mary’s, and students are expected to read widely in their spare time, preparing them for the challenges of textual study at GCSE and A level. Staff actively promote reading and communicate, through example, that reading is an essential part of helping students learn effectively in English. We work closely with the Librarian and share events to promote a love of reading. Students are also encouraged to enter writing competitions, and we have had success here both at a local and at a national level.
The appointment of a full time English teacher is an opportunity for an enthusiastic, able graduate to join a strong department which places emphasis on active, academic learning and on challenging each girl to be ambitious learners. We welcome applications from ECTs who will be fully supported in the role. What is important to us is enthusiasm, a willingness to embrace challenge and a desire for continuing professional development.
Staff play a crucial part in the marketing of the school and attend all Open events, as well as our annual evening Carol Service and Prize Giving in July. Staff participation in the co-curricular life of the school is a requirement, developing relationships with students and their parents and ensuring a breadth of opportunities for our girls.
