Deputy Head of Geography
Brighton College
Brighton and Hove
- Expired
- Salary:
- Competitive
- Job type:
- Full Time, Permanent
- Start date:
- September 2021
- Apply by:
- 22 January 2021
Job overview
Brighton College is seeking to appoint a Deputy Head of Geography. The start date for this role is anticipated to be September 2021.
THE DEPARTMENT
The department comprises seven full-time teachers and educates around 550 pupils. At A-level pupils follow the AQA specification and Geography has been consistently one of the top performing departments at the College. Numbers taking the subject have been rising, with 40 pupils in the Lower Sixth (Year 12) and 34 in the Upper Sixth (Year 13). Academic results are consistently strong with 56% attaining an A* and 96% an A* or A at A-Level in August 2019. Numbers of pupils expressing an interest in reading Geography further at university and Oxbridge level remain high and the department has successfully supported seven pupils in obtaining offers to read geography at Oxford or Cambridge in the last two years.
At GCSE the Edexcel A syllabus is studied, and here too, numbers have grown with 119 pupils currently studying the subject in the Lower Fifth (Year 10) and 102 in the Upper Fifth (Year 11). Results have also been consistently outstanding, with 59% attaining a Level 9 and 93% achieving Levels 9-7 in August 2019.
In Year 9, pupils study a course designed by the department on contemporary global issues, including Development and Conflict, before beginning the GCSE course with the Ecosystems topic. Pupils in the Lower School (Years 7 and 8) study Geography as part of the innovative and unique ‘The Story of our Land’ programme, which integrates Geography with History and R.S.
Pupils of all ages participate in a plethora of Geographical activities beyond the classroom ranging from the student led “Geography Discussion Group,” to sending teams to participate in the Geographical Association’s Worldwise Quiz. Our pupils also take part in external competitions and University essay prizes, and the Royal Geographical Society’s “Young Geographer of the Year” competition, regularly winning prizes in both. Fieldwork is also important to the department’s activities, with local trips to Chichester Harbour, the East Sussex Coast, and the River Tillingbourne in Surrey. There are also international trips available to our pupils including Geneva and Chamonix for the Sixth Form and biennial trips to Iceland and Morocco. However, one of the aims of the person appointed to being Deputy Head of Geography will be to expand and develop this programme further.
ROLE SPECIFICATION
The Deputy Head of Geography will take a lead within the department in three key areas – extension, outreach and curriculum planning at A-level. Key responsibilities, in addition to a varied teaching load will involve:
- Drafting and editing A-level curriculum maps and schemes of work
- Setting and administering A-level mock exams and progress tests
- Delivery of A-level extension sessions and University preparation
- Acting as the primary point of contact for departmental liaison with the London Academy of Excellence (LAE)
- Communicating and meeting regularly with staff at the LAE, both remotely and in person, to set targets and plan projects throughout the year.
- Develop and deliver extension sessions for the most able pupils at Brighton and the LAE, to include external speakers and reciprocal visits for Oxbridge interview practice
- Collaborating with the LAE on opportunities to share teaching resources and fieldwork e.g. Sussex Coast fieldtrip
For further details, please see the Applicant Info Pack.
Attached documents
About Brighton College
THE SCHOOL
Brighton College is one of England’s leading schools. The College comprises the Senior School, educating 1,181 pupils aged 13–18, and the Lower School, educating 89 pupils aged 11–13.
The Brighton College family of schools also includes Brighton College Prep School, St Christopher’s School, Handcross Park, and from September 2023, Brighton College Kensington, educating a further 1,450 children aged 3 to 13. Overseas, the College has opened Brighton College Abu Dhabi, Brighton College Al Ain, Brighton College Dubai, Brighton College Bangkok and Brighton College Singapore. The first of seven schools in Vietnam opens in Hanoi in August 2023. Brighton College educates over 6000 pupils globally.
The College was delighted to receive record-breaking A-level and GCSE results in 2022. The Times listed us as one of their top schools for our A-level results, with 99% of grades A*-B and a phenomenal 62% of grades at A*, which compares to 15% nationally. One in six Sixth Formers are offered a place at Oxford or Cambridge. At GCSE, our pupils excelled, with 94.13% of grades at 9/8/7. Almost 1100 9s were achieved in the 2022 GCSE exams, with more 9s than all the other grades combined. Not a single paper was failed, with nearly 2,000 GCSEs sat at the school.
The College was recently named ‘England's School of the Decade’ by The Sunday Times. The award was given on the basis of our exceptional examination results as well as our fundamental emphasis on kindness and social engagement.
The Sunday Times also named Brighton College ‘England’s Independent School of the Year 2019’, the second time in a decade the school has won this accolade. The Week magazine named Brighton College ‘Most forward-thinking school in Britain’ for two years running in 2017 and 2018. Tatler magazine awarded Richard Cairns the title of ‘Head Master of the Year 2012-13’, and Brighton College was named UK ‘Independent School of the Year 2013- 14’ at the Independent Schools Awards. The last full ISI Inspection in 2021 on educational quality and compliance awarded the top grade for both pupil attainment and their personal development, and the compliance section of the 2021 report (and the shorter 2018 inspection) confirmed that all aspects of the College’s operation were fully compliant.
There has also been major investment in new facilities over the last ten years. This has seen the construction of five major buildings on the main site, including the new £55m School of Science and Sport which opened in January 2020, which includes eighteen state-of-the-art laboratories alongside a new sports hall, 25-metre swimming pool, fitness centre and roof-top running track. Other recent additions include two new boarding houses, a state-of-the-art Music School and the Yeoh Building, a teaching building which includes 22 classrooms for maths, history, economics, politics and EAL, alongside an innovative Creative Learning Centre, opened in 2017. Our next new building will open in May 2024: this is an exciting development which will include a stunning theatre, a first-class Sixth Form centre, teaching and performance spaces for dance and drama, and modern, spacious classrooms for English, computing and music.
Above all, Brighton is a very happy place where staff and pupils feel fulfilled and purposeful. We are proud to have taken a progressive stand on diversity, equality and inclusion and we are committed to furthering this agenda through our teaching, and all aspects of the life of the school. We are a member of the School Inclusion Alliance and an important aspect of our vision for education is to increase diversity among our teaching staff to enrich all aspects of the life of the College and provide diverse role models for all pupils. We pride ourselves on being a warm, inclusive and respectful community, where our staff are welcoming and positive and our pupils are intellectually curious and kind.
LIVING AND WORKING IN BRIGHTON
The College enjoys its location in Brighton, one of Britain’s youngest cities and one of the most vibrant and progressive in Europe. A recent national survey identified Brighton as the ‘happiest city in the UK’ and it regularly features within the top cities for quality of life nationally. With an extensive beach and seafront, and proximity to beautiful rural areas including the South Downs National Park, the opportunities for recreation and leisure are varied and numerous. Transport links are also excellent, Brighton being within easy travelling distance of London (50 minutes by train), and 30 minutes from Gatwick Airport. Brighton is also a university city, and the College has good links with both the University of Sussex and Brighton University. Our annual involvement in the Pride parade has strengthened existing links with the local community.
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