Head of English
Brighton College
Brighton and Hove
- Expired
- Salary:
- Competitive
- Job type:
- Full Time, Permanent
- Start date:
- September 2022
- Apply by:
- 24 January 2022
Job overview
The Department:
The department currently consists of eight full-time and four part-time members of staff. The subject is taught throughout Years 7 to 11 in mixed-ability classes which generally range in size between 20 and 25. There are currently 78 pupils taking the subject at A-Level. At present we follow the OCR (9-1) syllabi for GCSE English Literature and English Language and the OCR syllabus for A-Level English Literature. Results in recent years have been excellent, including 99% and 98% 9-7 at GCSE in English Language and English Literature respectively, with 86% and 81% for grades 9/8. At A-level , 100% have achieved A*-B. The department also has a comprehensive Oxbridge programme, with much recent success: 70% of applicants have been awarded offers in the last three years. Results aside, we pride ourselves on the diversity of our teaching: last year, over sixty different texts were taught to pupils in Years 7 to 13. The English Department is currently housed in a purpose-built suite of six classrooms, each equipped with interactive touch screens and full audio equipment. However, in 2024 the department will move to the College’s new performing arts complex which is currently under construction, and will offer significant opportunities to collaborate with the Drama department. The department offers an extensive programme of activities not related to specifications, including creative writing, journalism and debating clubs, extension sessions and Literary Society. We work closely with the College Library to run reading groups and arrange author visits for all age groups.
Role Specification:
The successful candidate will be responsible for leading and managing the English department, and taking responsibility for the teaching, progress and attainment of all pupils from Year 7 to Year 13. They will be an outstanding classroom practitioner, able to lead by example. They will devise and oversee the department’s extension programme, and will – in all likelihood – contribute to it themselves. This will include supporting pupils with applications to leading universities including Oxford and Cambridge. All teachers at Brighton College are expected to contribute to the school’s pastoral system, generally as a tutor in one of our 13 houses (of which five are boarding houses and eight are day). There is also an expectation that all teachers will contribute to the cocurricular life of the school, through the extensive Games programme, and/or through the leadership of one of almost 100 school societies. Candidates are encouraged to point to interests and enthusiasms as part of their application. All teachers joining Brighton will have the benefit of guidance by an experienced mentor, whose role it will be to provide support during their probationary period; in the case of this role this is likely to be the Deputy Head (Academic) with whom the successful candidate will work closely. Thereafter, all teachers are expected and supported to participate in continuous professional development, throughout their time at the College.
Safeguarding responsibilities:
- This role will involve daily contact with pupils and you will be engaging in regulated activity relevant to children.
- All staff and volunteers have a responsibility for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young persons for who you are responsible and with whom you come into contact.
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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