Head of Biology

 The School

Founded in 1432, Sevenoaks enjoys a global reputation as a centre of academic excellence and a flagship school for the International Baccalaureate. A co-educational day and boarding school, it offers a stimulating, intellectually demanding and balanced education for pupils from the age of 11 to 18. 

The school’s international make-up and outlook promote the principles of tolerance and open-mindedness. About 350 pupils board in the seven boarding houses, and students originate from some 40 countries worldwide. 

In 2013 the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) awarded Sevenoaks School the rare accolade of ‘Exceptional’ for its students’ achievement. Sevenoaks was also the highest performing fully co-educational school, and the one with the largest cohort, in The Sunday Times Parent Power’s top 50 fee-paying schools for the IB in 2015. In November 2017 we were, for the second time in 10 years, awarded The Sunday Times Independent School of the Year.

Curriculum

At every stage, we offer a broad, deep and integrated curriculum. Every pupil is encouraged to be curious, creative, critically aware, and to develop his or her passion and talent to the full. Life is fast-paced, dynamic, and expectations are high. At the same time, the school seeks to cultivate in its pupils the habit of reflecting on their learning, and on how they contribute to society more broadly. Ambitious and principled, confident and compassionate, our pupils are prepared for leadership and teamwork in the wider world. 

All of the 400-plus Sixth Form students pursue the International Baccalaureate Diploma, a programme the school has delivered for nearly 40 years. The Diploma is the best preparation for university and for work in a world of global competition. Even more important, it genuinely develops a rich inner life in our students, opening their minds to connections and possibilities within and across the subject disciplines. 

The Biology Department

The Biology department forms a key part of the Science and Technology faculty. Sevenoaks is virtually unique in the UK in that all 1080 students study at least one science for the entirety of their secondary education – three to Year 11 and at least one in the Sixth Form. The successful applicant will lead an exceptionally well-qualified and successful team. At present there are six full-time and four part-time biologists in the department, who are well-served by two full time, very knowledgeable and helpful laboratory technicians. The new state-of-the-art Science building will open in September 2018, and all sciences will be located together in one building. The department is well equipped, with a large amount of laboratory glassware, data-logging hardware and software, and enjoys the resources to carry out a large range of practical investigations. 

All pupils entering the school at 11+ or 13+ are taught the three sciences by subject specialists and currently all students are entered for the Edexcel IGCSE Biology Examination. 

Biology is a popular Sixth Form choice for girls and boys, and typically there will be up to ten sets (up to about 110 pupils) studying the International Baccalaureate course at either Standard or Higher Level in each of the two years. The department runs an annual expedition at the end of the summer term for Lower Sixth students where they experience ecological data collection, immerse themselves in local culture as well as aid the communities via fund raising. This year the students are visiting Mexico, but in previous years the department have visited Madagascar, Transylvania and Croatia. 

The standard of teaching and learning in Biology in the Sixth Form is high, with many students enjoying success in the Biology Olympiad, achieving the highest grade at IB level and over 35 each year going on to study Natural Sciences, Medicine, Biological Sciences and other biology-related degrees at Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial and other leading universities. The average grade at Higher Level last year was 6.36, out of a possible maximum of 7. All students have to write an individual piece of coursework, and data collection for this is either done in the school laboratories or at a field studies centre. 

The Post 

We seek to appoint a well-qualified biologist to lead this thriving department from September 2018. The successful candidate will be an honours graduate, an accomplished biologist, with excellent administrative skills and an ability to maintain team spirit within the department. They will foster staff development, and oversee Health and Safety within the department. He or she will also be responsible for promoting Biology both within the classroom and within the broader co-curricular life of the school, inspiring interest in the subject across the year groups.