Teacher of Geography

Greenshaw High School is a highly over-subscribed 11 to 19 mixed comprehensive secondary school and sixth form situated in Sutton, South West London. Greenshaw High School is at the heart of a group of over twenty other schools in the Greenshaw Learning Trust. It was designated as a Research School in 2020, so we have access to some of the best research and evidence about how learning can happen most effectively.

With these supportive connections it is no surprise that Greenshaw has been popular with parents of children of all abilities and there continues to be a large demand for places.

Our Vision

We have an established reputation of nurturing high levels of attainment in our students alongside excellent pastoral support. We strive for high outcomes and also value high welfare, for both pupils and staff. Education should not be a choice between one or the other, and we hold both in equal esteem.

Our Learning

As a comprehensive school, our curriculum breadth is incredibly important for us. We want all of our students to experience a wide range of subjects including maths, English, sciences, humanities and languages, and proudly make a space for the performing and creative arts.

We also relish our social responsibility to educate our students about important areas that do not fall neatly into subject categories, but that are critical to young people so they can be empowered citizens and intellectually capable. This includes the books we read in tutor time each morning, and a homework scheme we call The Big Ideas that Shaped the World.

Examination Results

A level results

Reviewing exam outcomes over the last few years of educational disruption presents challenges, but in the previous nine years of public exams our post-16 results were always significantly above national average rates of progress. In the most recent year of public examinations (2019), more than one in five of every A Level grade at Greenshaw High School was at grade A or A* with 73% of students achieving a pass at A*-C.

Over the last two years our students continued to progress well onto their next stage. The majority of our Year 13 students progressed to undergraduate courses (including medicine and law) at prestigious Russell Group universities, including Cambridge and Oxford Universities. We are also proud that our strong work in the creative arts continues to enable large groups of students to move on to foundation art courses, and directly into world leading institutions such as Central St Martins University for the Creative Arts.

GCSE results

Similarly, in Year 11 the proportion of our students securing firm destinations for post-16 education has been ahead of national averages. They have gone on to access a range of BTEC, A Level and other courses both at our school and other colleges locally. In 2019, Greenshaw High School celebrated the GCSE results achieved by students of the school, with 72% of all qualifications graded at 4 or better (what used to be the old ‘grade C’), and a quarter of all qualifications at grade 7 or higher (the old ‘grade A’).

Our Commitment to Your Career

As a Research School Greenshaw High School is committed to providing excellent CPD opportunities and career progression for all staff. We prioritise staff training and development and believe that all members of staff should have a thorough induction and an ongoing programme of training and professional development.

On each Wednesday lessons end an hour earlier, allowing our training to be done within the school day, rather than in twilight sessions. We call this part of the week ‘Professional Growth’, and is divided between departmental sessions on subject pedagogy, and broader professional enquiry in areas such as assessment, educational disadvantage and language. All colleagues are part of the whole school coaching programme where we review effective lesson structures and pedagogy, enabling all of us to continually reflect on our current teaching and always seek to improve.

Our programme of professional development has been recognised as excellent. It was awarded ‘Gold’ status by the Teacher Development Trust, a level of award that is rarely granted.

By investing in staff development our staff body is up to date with the latest thinking and practice in education. This in turn enables them to provide the best learning opportunities for our students, something we are passionate about every day we come to work.