Curriculum Area Leader for Psychology and Health & Social Care

Curriculum Area Leader for Psychology and Health & Social Care    

Full time, permanent, to commence August 2023 or sooner.

Salary: Management Range 2-6 (£50,533 - £55,378) Pay award pending

Are you ready for a new challenge?

We have an exciting opportunity for a qualified teacher to lead 25 well-qualified and talented staff in the Curriculum Area of Psychology and Health & Social Care.

At OSFC, we have over 500 students studying A and AS Level Psychology; 250 on a Level 3 Extended Health and Social Care vocational pathway; 180 students studying Health & Social Care alongside A/AS Levels on a blended pathway, and 20 students studying T Level Education and Childcare. In addition there are 20 students studying Level 2 Health & Social Care, and 20 studying GCSE Psychology.

Our accomplished Psychology team are specialists and consistently achieve excellent results at both AS and A Level, with the A Level cohort scoring in the top 20% of providers nationally. Our Health and Social Care students achieve results in the top 10% nationally, but your challenge will be to raise expectations of our students even further by helping them gain a deeper knowledge of the curriculum and supporting them to achieve their potential. The department consistently strives for success and constant improvement, and is set on seeking out new ways to improve the experience for students, building further research-informed practices into their work and scaling new heights of student success. 

We are seeking an outstanding teacher who has a proven record of success in course leadership, curriculum development and quality assurance and is ready for a significant middle leadership role. You will be responsible for the strategic and operational management and development of this curriculum area. As a member of the College’s Curriculum Leadership Team, you will report to, and work closely with, the Senior Leadership Team, ensuring that the overarching aims and objectives of the department are realised through the curriculum area review process. In addition to providing positive and supportive leadership to the team, you will be required to contribute to teaching on at least one of the courses in the curriculum area, typically teaching up to 14 out of 20 sessions a week.

You would be joining a forward-thinking college with high standards and a strong commitment to meeting the needs of the community it serves. 

Oldham Sixth Form College

OSFC is an award-winning, nationally recognised college for 2,350 students in Oldham and beyond. Our broad curriculum enables us to offer more than 60 A Levels, vocational diplomas and T Levels. We are proud of our strong reputation for providing excellent academic and vocational education to a diverse range of students.

We have high aspirations for all our staff and students. Ofsted recently described our college as “outstanding” in leadership and management, student behaviour and attitudes, and student personal development. They also praised our college for its “calm, focused environment” and the “positive, mature attitude to learning” of our students. Inspectors said our “students feel comfortable and enjoy sharing their knowledge and working with their peers”.

Our high-quality education programme provides the very best life chances for young people in our community. Our students achieve results in the top 15% nationally for A Levels and the top 30% nationally for vocational qualifications. Most progress to higher level study at university, with a smaller number progressing to apprenticeship programmes.

Just over half of our students take A Levels; just over a quarter study vocational programmes at Level 3 and around 340 choose a blend of Level 3 vocational and A Level programmes. Under 100 students study GCSE and vocational programmes at Level 2.

We offer our students exceptional pastoral care, extensive enrichment activities and support from a team of Progress Tutors. In 2020, we were delighted to be recognised by Educate North’s Community Engagement Award for our Essential Life Skills programme. 

In our latest Ofsted report, inspectors praised the “high quality education” we provide and noted how our staff teach students critical thinking skills, encouraging them to ask questions and make judgments they can support with evidence.

We have been at the forefront of using technology within teaching and learning, supporting our own staff and other schools/colleges through an effective suite of CPD opportunities and training. In 2022, the college was awarded Google Reference College status, the first sixth form college in the North of England to be recognised with the prestigious status, and one of only three sixth form colleges in the UK. ‘Google Reference status’ is awarded for the outstanding use of technology to drive positive learning outcomes and recognises the College’s use of G Suite for Education in innovative ways. In addition, all students are issued with a Chromebook at the start of the year which contributes significantly to preparing students for their next steps in education or employment.

We are very proud of the fact that OSFC is the only sixth form college nationally to be awarded Research School status (EEF’s Research Schools Network). We are also the Delivery Lead for NPQs on behalf of East Manchester Teaching School Hub, a Science Learning Partnership Hub and a winner of a Curriculum Innovation Award for our work in delivering digital education.

The Pinnacle Learning Trust

OSFC was a founding partner in the Pinnacle Learning Trust. We celebrate students’ uniqueness and support our young people to flourish and become responsible, successful citizens who contribute positively to their communities. Our Trust invests in each member of staff, offering them professional development opportunities, including designation as Evidence Leads in Education for the Research School; delivery of school-to-school support; CPD facilitation and support for trainee teachers.  Staff have access to opportunities to develop their teaching practice, such as training on metacognition, virtual classroom coaching and retrieval practice. As a Trust, we celebrate diversity by encouraging an understanding of our communities, faiths and cultures.

To apply, please complete the Application Form, Equality Assurance Monitoring Form and attach a supporting statement. Send these to hr@pinnaclelearningtrust.org.uk before the closing date. All forms can be found on our website: http://www.pinnaclelearningtrust.org.uk/news/vacancies/

Advert Closing Date: 12 noon Friday 3rd March 2023

Provisional Interview Date: w/c Monday 13th March 2023

Please see our Join The PLT Booklet for more reasons to work for the Pinnacle Learning Trust.

Commitment to Safeguarding

As part of our safeguarding commitment and promoting the welfare of children any offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory DBS checks as part of the pre-employment procedures on all potential new employees. Oldham Sixth Form College is an Equal Opportunities Employer and welcomes applications from underrepresented groups and ethnic minorities.