Head of Geography

The Federation and Academy
Haberdashers’ Aske’s Hatcham College provides a safe, rigorous and challenging learning environment for pupils of all abilities and backgrounds. Our expectations are high in terms of pupil progress and achievement, and behaviour. In February 2014 we received our fourth consecutive Ofsted grade of ‘Outstanding’. We are looking to appoint an equally outstanding leader to join our middle leadership team.

The role
The Geography department is a successful and vibrant curriculum area, offering Geography to GCSE and A Level. Geography is a very popular subject at GCSE. The Head of Geography will contribute to the overall leadership and management of the College and be active in promoting its aims, and supporting an ethos that promotes achievement and outstanding teaching and learning. We are seeking an excellent innovative practitioner who is committed to promoting the achievement and enjoyment of all learners, and to the on-going professional development of colleagues in the Geography department.    

The Candidate
The successful candidate will need:

- To be a model of high professional standards in all aspects of College life and to lead by example;

- To provide a vision for learning within the department in line with that of the whole College and lead the departmental team to realise that vision;

- To implement the subject area improvement plan based upon on-going self-evaluation;

- To further develop the new secondary Geography curriculum in line with national changes and revised qualifications;

- To promote the study of Geography;

- To provide strategic leadership in further developing and implementing literacy within the Geography curriculum;

- To establish creative, responsive and effective approaches to learning and teaching to meet and support the aims of the College;

- To demonstrate and articulate consistently high expectations of pedagogy and classroom practice to provide challenge and improvement, using data and benchmarks to monitor progress in every pupil’s learning and to focus teaching;

- To monitor the quality of teaching based on evidence, self-evaluation and development, ensuring a consistent and continuous focus on achievement and aspiration;

· To ensure that support is provided for individual teachers within your team where this is needed so all lessons are consistently good or better;

- To ensure the implementation of the College’s assessment procedures, ensuring all pupils have timely and appropriate feedback and targets so that they make at least expected progress, and the majority are successfully challenged to make better than expected progress;

· To lead the development of schemes of work to support colleagues in delivering high-quality lessons;

· To devise and implement appropriate interventions for pupils both within the lesson and extracurricular to ensure all pupils make good progress;

- To share in monitoring, reviewing and developing the College curriculum offer to maintain an appropriate, comprehensive, high-quality and cost-effective curriculum that complements the College’s strategic objectives; 

- To develop and lead relevant curriculum enrichment activities and visits;

- To implement College monitoring procedures and ensure adherence to those within your curriculum area; 

- To produce reports as required within the College self-evaluation systems;

- To manage the departmental budget and development of resources

- To take responsibility for your own professional development in discussion with your line manager;

- To ensure that parents and students are well informed about student attainment and progress;

- To maintain an organised and effective learning environment in the classroom and shared areas;

- To ensure the consistent implementation of College policies and procedures throughout the subject area;

- To work collaboratively with the other academies and colleagues within the Haberdashers’ Aske’s Federation.