Head of Geography Dates: Location: Contract type: Contract term: Salary:

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1 Head of Geography Dates: Required for 26 th August 2016 Location: Bradford Contract type: Full time Contract term: Permanent Salary: MPS/UPS + TLR 2b ( 4527) Dixons City Academy is a much sought after centre of excellence serving the whole community of Bradford. We currently offer 825 places for year old students plus 280 at Post 16 and can offer you: Positive and polite students. Ofsted graded us outstanding for Behaviour and Safety in 2014 The opportunity to join a high performing Academy focused on learning An excellent weekly CPD programme and opportunities for all staff to develop continually The chance to be part of a successful and highly committed Humanities Department Professional and friendly colleagues with a can do attitude A Senior Leadership Team who believe in support and challenge in equal measure and see staff wellbeing as vital for all to be the best they can be This is a fantastic opportunity for an excellent teacher of Geography with great leadership qualities/potential and has arisen as a result of the external promotion of the current post-holder. The suitable candidate will have experience of teaching exam classes. A full mentoring support program will be put in place for an exceptional candidate with potential and the desire to lead but with less experience. As a growing Multi-Academy Trust and Teaching School with a national reputation for excellence, there are always opportunities for career development and further career progression for ambitious and committed leaders. Our Vision Our vision is that every child will be equally able to secure outstanding educational outcomes and reach their full potential. All children will be instilled with the desire to learn, the knowledge to think critically and creatively and the power to determine their future and change the world for the better. Students will achieve this through becoming resilient, confident and independent learners and appreciating our 5 PRIDE values (Purpose, Respect, Integrity, Determination and Excellence), modelled by all staff at all times. We are ambitious for our students, our staff and our Academy and invest in strong professional relationships in order to be the best we all can be. Dixons City Academy values its reputation as a top-performing school, with student learning at its heart. The successful candidate will be: committed to the vision and ethos of this Academy an excellent teacher of Geography someone who can show measurable impact as an individual teacher inspirational to colleagues and students and good at sharing best practice able to motivate and inspire students to achieve their full potential and have the belief that all children can make outstanding progress fully committed to working in a comprehensive and diverse community committed to developing the Academy as part of the wider Dixons group of schools We positively welcome applications from all sections of the community. The Academy is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Successful applicants will need to provide a current DBS certificate and check via the Update Service or undertake a DBS enhanced clearance for the academy.

2 More information about the post and a downloadable application form can be found on our website: All potential applicants are welcome to attend the Academy for an opportunity to learn more about the academy and the role. Please contact the P.A to the Principal on with any queries. Closing date for applications: 8.00am on Monday 9th May 2016 Interviews / selection will be on: Friday 13th May

3 Head of Department The Head of Department is responsible for the development of teaching and learning and quality assurance in their subject, ensuring that each member of staff and student is positively encouraged to develop her or his potential to the full. The HOD will maintain an overview of the quality of all aspects of teaching and learning and ensure an overview of progress, target and actual levels at all key stages. They will meet regularly with their link member of SMT in order to focus on self evaluation and the improvement agenda. Within these functions and responsibilities, the Head of Department is expected to maintain the health of the department for the benefit of both students and colleagues, keeping aspirations high for all. Leading Learning and teaching plan, implement and review the department s curriculum within the framework of the National Curriculum, and oversee departmental schemes of work; ensure that assessment is both regular and thorough and that full records of assessment and intervention strategies are kept, evaluating their impact to inform future strategy carry out regular moderation and standardisation to ensure the validity of predictions organise grouping arrangements of students within the department, according to a clear and fair departmental rationale; encourage and promote cross curricular developments; support department members in dealing with the management of student behaviour and progress ensure all teachers are developed as classroom practitioners in order to maximise their potential through formal and informal appraisal improve teaching and learning identified through observations, monitoring, reviews, Appraisal and staff development Strategic Direction and Development establish the philosophy and priorities for the department, ensuring that they reflect those of the whole Academy; ensure effective 2 way communication between the department and SMT. ensure that whole Academy policies are incorporated into departmental documentation and implemented; ensure that the department is represented in all curricular matters at meetings; see self evaluation and development planning as a core driver for improvement and owned by all Leading and Managing Staff promote the development and training of departmental staff, including participation in appraisal, and the supervision of newly qualified or appointed teachers;

4 monitor the effectiveness of members of the department with regards to all aspects of professionalism (incl attendance), negotiating and implementing an individual action plan where appropriate ensure that effective formal and informal communication channels are maintained work with others to create a positive climate and shared culture of mutual support; hold regular departmental meetings where the improvement agenda is made a reality; build an effective team through effective delegation of appropriate tasks, department responsibilities and duties; treat team members with equity and respect and be proactive in supporting all team members regardless of their need take time to listen to the views of team members celebrate successes of team members both work related achievements and life events model professionalism and high standards in own practice, ensuring a commitment to personal continuous development manage own workload and that of others to allow an appropriate work / life balance Efficient and Effective Deployment of Resources keep the department s spending within budget and ensuring that stock and equipment are well cared for and economically used; supervise the work of support staff, delegating administrative tasks where appropriate; ensure that departmental rooms and corridors present a stimulating environment; Accountability oversee the health and safety of students and staff; co ordinate, GCSE, A Level, courses and other appropriate examination entries for the Planning Department; liaise with the link Vice Principal, Progress and Achievement, in all matters concerned with the timetable, curriculum, staffing, assessment and student achievement; accept responsibility for problems that may arise and actively seek solutions be honest and open in all dialogues with senior managers and engage in a positive relationship with the SMT link to raise standards. Additional Specific Responsibilities To be a Tutor to an assigned Tutor Group if required, and to carry out related duties in accordance with the general job description of Tutor; and General Duties To carry out a share of supervisory duties in accordance with published rotas; and To participate in appropriate meetings with colleagues and parents relative to the above duties To carry out any other reasonable duty that is directed by the Principal.

5 PERSON SPECIFICATION: Head of Geography Attributes Essential Desirable How identified Qualifications Teaching quality and experience Subject specific Personal attributes Qualified Teacher status. Degree in relevant subject Excellent and teaching skills. Competency and desire to teach Geography Leading and developing field trips to support learning & teaching Willingness where necessary, to teach another Humanities subject where necessary Good subject knowledge. Experience of assessing at GCSE and Key Stage 3 Growth mind set and resilience Commitment to developing own practical and pedagogical skills. Excellent team player. Good communication skills. Good organisational skills. Ability to work under pressure and on own initiative. Desire to contribute to extra-curricular and to promote the reputation of the subject. Good sense of humour Degree in Geography Other professional development. Experience of A Level teaching Experience of additional responsibilities/management Experience of assessing at Post 16 Desire for further career advancement in the future Application. Application and Interview Application References and Interview Application References and Interview Where the applicant / post holder has a disability, every effort will be made to make reasonable adjustments to enable them to carry out the duties of the post 1. Prior to appointment, successful candidates will be required to complete a medical questionnaire for assessment, by Occupational Health if required 2. Prior to taking up post, successful candidates will be required to produce a legal entitlement to work in the UK All adults employed by the Academy are responsible for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children she/he is responsible for, or come into contact with.

6 The Humanities Faculty The Humanities Faculty consists of the subjects Geography, History, Religious Education, Law, General Studies, Sociology and Extended Project. Geography, History and Religious Education have their own Heads of Department and are each staffed with two or more subject specialists. Sociology, Law and General Studies are taught at Post-16. General Studies is compulsory for most students at AS. Sociology, like History, Geography and RE, is a very popular A Level option. In addition to teaching their subject specialism, several members of the Humanities Faculty teach another Humanities subject or contribute to the teaching of General Studies or Extended Project. The Faculty is based in a suite of attractive, well-resourced classrooms with access to a network of over 350 computers within the Academy. The Faculty has been using whiteboard technology in an interactive way for several years. Much subject ICT delivery is via the interactive whiteboard but we have access to a bank of wireless networked laptops, enabling more flexible use of ICT resources. We are currently embedding the use of Podcasting, Voting and Blogging to develop lessons and learning further. Students are taught in mixed ability form groups in all three Humanities subjects taught at KS3. Groups at KS4 are either broadly set or mixed ability in nature. There is strong uptake of both Geography and History at KS4 and all students follow at least a Short Course GCSE in RE. GCSE results for all subjects are excellent in terms of raw score and value added data. Results and popularity at Post-16 are also strong. OCR SHP History and Edexcel Geography and Religious Education are taught at GCSE level. Edexcel History and Geography and AQA Religious Education and Sociology are offered at Advanced level. We strongly support the development of personalised learning and inclusion is integral to our curriculum provision. We have also been involved in projects to develop students independent learning skills, working closely with the excellent library to develop student confidence in sorting and evaluating information. We run annual field trips for each year group in each subject at KS3 and 4 and a foreign residential at Post 16. We work directly with at least 6 ITT students per year in Humanities and value this opportunity greatly. The Faculty houses a team of strong classroom teachers with much expertise who will happily support a new member of the team. Several Humanities teachers have pastoral or whole school responsibilities. The Faculty is a well-respected and popular one, with particular emphasis on high quality teaching and learning. The Faculty and the Academy offer a programme of Professional Development that is second to none. All adults employed by the Academy are responsible for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children she/he is responsible for, or come into contact with.