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Teacher of Design Technology

Teacher of Design Technology

Whickham School

Whickham School

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  • Expired
Salary:
£22,467-£38,250
Job type:
Full Time, Permanent
Start date:
September 2018
Apply by:
30 January 2018

Job overview

Student achievement and well-being is at the heart of everything we do at Whickham School. We combine outstanding teaching with a rewarding, enriching curriculum which broadens students’ horizons and encourages them to believe in their abilities. 

We are seeking to appoint an outstanding Design Technology teacher or NQT who has the ability to teach BTEC Engineering and GCSE Product Design at KS4. You should be passionate about the teaching and learning of the subject, and have the vision, commitment and determination to continue raising standards across all levels and abilities. 

This is an excellent opportunity to join our over-subscribed 11 – 18 school with a vibrant, forward thinking philosophy and a positive, friendly atmosphere. We can offer an exciting opportunity to make a real impact. 

In return, we can offer:

  • A  school that will allow you to be inspirational, creative and play an active role in our journey to become outstanding
  • Professional development programmes, with a commitment to support your career ambitions
  • An academy which welcomes new ideas with energy and enthusiasm
  • State-of-the-art, technology rooms in August 2019 following our significant building programme 

At Whickham School we understand that schools are about people and that staff who are happy and enjoy their work are more productive. Therefore, we are committed to ensuring we provide outstanding CPD and an environment that enables exceptional staff well-being. We will support you in your personal and professional development, enabling you to contribute fully to the creative and dedicated teams of dynamic and ambitious staff you will be joining.

Whickham School is a large and successful school in Gateshead with around 1600 students including approximately 300 in the sixth form, which is one of the most successful in the region with 58% of grades being A* or A grade in the 2017 exams. Technology is a high performing subject, which is continuing to improve year on year. Last year 75% of students achieved Distinction or Distinction* in BTEC Engineering (Edexcel), and 90% of students achieved an A*-C grade in GCSE Product Design (AQA). Excitingly we are due to move into brand new, state-of-the-art, technology rooms in August 2019.

Behaviour is good at Whickham School and we have eager students who also engage in our wide range of extra-curricular enrichment opportunities. Many of our students progress into our 6th form and performance in academic and vocational qualifications in KS5 is a real strength.

If you think you have the passion, energy and drive to help us become even better, please apply. Informal visits are welcome and encouraged. Please contact Nicola Graham, HR & Administration Manager on (0191 4960026 ext 205) to arrange this.

Attached documents

About Whickham School

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  • Whickham School
  • Burnthouse Lane, Whickham, Newcastle upon Tyne
  • Gateshead
  • NE16 5AR
  • United Kingdom
+44 191 4960026

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The School

Whickham School is a large and successful school in Gateshead with over 1700 students including approximately 350 in our high performing sixth form.

Ofsted

Following our recent Ofsted inspection in May, Whickham School continues to be a good school with enough evidence of improved performance to suggest that the school could be judged outstanding if Ofsted were to carry out a graded (section 5) inspection now. The school’s next inspection will be a graded inspection.

“Staff have very high expectations of pupils. Through the school’s values, pupils are encouraged to have empathy and respect for others. They are also encouraged to aspire and to be resilient.”

“The support available for pupils with SEND is exceptional.”

“Pupils behave exceptionally well at Whickham school. They feel safe and well looked after in the school.”

School Organisation

Demand for student places is strong and the school is regularly oversubscribed. Students are organised into year groups whilst eight faculties deliver the school curriculum. The Sixth Form, which has its own dedicated facility, is an increasingly popular choice of students from all over the local area.

In January 2020 many faculties moved into a brand new, state of the art, STEAMS themed building. The stunning four storey building houses Science, Technology (plus Business and IT), Engineering, Art, Maths and Sport.

The Leadership Team meet weekly and share responsibility for policy generation, decision making, planning and the general wellbeing of the school. The relevant governing body committee is involved in strategic planning and policies from the onset. Faculty and Year groups meet every two weeks to discuss strategic issues.

Vision and Values

“Whickham, a school to be proud of at the heart of the community. Where learning is cherished in a safe, caring and supportive environment. A school where everyone is valued and inspired to be the best they can be.”

CPDL & Well Being

Staff development and wellbeing is something that is very important at Whickham - we recognise that the physical and mental health of our staff are crucial aspects of sustaining a motivated, dedicated and high performing workforce. Please see the attachment which mentions some of the steps we actively take to support our staff.

We are committed to ensuring we provide outstanding CPDL and an environment that enables exceptional staff well-being. We will support you in your personal and professional development, enabling you to contribute fully to the creative and dedicated teams of dynamic and ambitious staff you will be joining.

In addition to our School Improvement hour every other week, we have a series of working groups dedicated to Teaching and Learning as well as other opportunities to become involved in driving forward best practice. All of our teachers benefit from dedicated collaborative planning time, and we run a very successful NQT programme which offers comprehensive support and guidance from dedicated mentors.

We are accredited with the Bronze level of the Better Health at Work award and we are committed to supporting staff not only through the dedicated campaigns that we have run, but also in proactively encouraging healthy practice in a range of meaningful ways.

Curriculum

At Whickham School, we aim to provide a broad and engaging curriculum that enables students to fulfil their talents and interests, whilst gaining the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in your further studies, training and employment. High quality information and guidance is provided to help students navigate their pathways through the courses on offer.

A strong foundation is provided at Key Stage 3 where students follow a broad and balanced curriculum comprising the following subjects: Mathematics, English, Science, Modern Languages, Geography, History, RE, Technology, ICT, Art and Design, Music, Religious Studies and Citizenship.

Pupils are allocated to mixed ability tutor groups and are taught in those groups for most lessons. Pupils are taught in smaller groups for Technology and Physical Education. Pupils are taught in setted classes for Mathematics and, from Year 9, English.

At KS4, students follow a two-year programme to provide more time to study key GCSE and Btec subjects in more creative and supportive ways, accelerating progress and achievement.

The curriculum at Key Stage 4 is more varied with students choosing programmes of study from a wide range of curriculum areas. Our new curriculum enables the vast majority of students to follow an academic pathway that enables them to achieve a set of qualifications that would contribute towards the EBAC.  In addition, we have an extensive range of creative and vocational courses delivered on and off-site that enable all our students to follow courses that ensure high levels of engagement and success. We continue to collaborate with external partners to ensure that learning in areas such as engineering takes place in real – work contexts.

The school has strong AEN department that provides additional support to encourage academic progress at all key stages.

The breadth of choice continues into the Sixth Form, with large numbers of students selecting from over 35 different A Level and BTEC National courses.

Whickham School is alive with activities that offer students the opportunity to broaden their interests and experience.

Physical education and Sport are highly prominent with a wide range of interests catered for. Music and Drama are also strengths in the school. The school puts on a number of productions each year including an annual musical which plays to packed houses for a week. The school band and drama groups perform at various prestige events. Educational visits and exchanges are organised for students of all ages. Sports Leadership is particularly strong.

The Governing Body

The governing body is enthusiastic and active and they bring a wide range of experiences and skills derived from their diverse employment in commerce, industry and education.

The relationship between the senior management team and the governing body has evolved into one which enables open and frank discussion to take place on school issues. The introduction of more linked governors to specific school subject areas has improved governor involvement and awareness of issues and priorities. Strengths and weaknesses are discussed freely.

The relationship between the governing body and staff is one of mutual trust and openness. The governing body endeavours to provide support as well as challenge and to become actively involved in all school matters. We consider the governing body to be part of the school management team and to support the school in its quest to maximise all student achievements in a happy interesting and safe environment.

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Applications closed