Head of Philosophy and Religion

King Edward’s School is seeking to appoint a permanent, full time Head of Philosophy and Religion to lead a strong and enthusiastic department in an exceptional school from 1st September 2023. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and no experience of working in the independent sector is required. The school teaches its own courses from Year 7 to Year 10, and the International Baccalaureate Diploma in the Upper School (although IB experience is not essential for this post). A willingness to participate in the wider life of the School with pastoral care duties and help with co-curricular activities is expected. 

The Philosophy and Religion Department

Philosophy and Religion are held in high regard by the School, and the department teaches Philosophy as part of the International Baccalaureate Diploma. It has also moved to a pleasant suite of three recently refurbished classrooms on the School’s top corridor, and has an attractive office which is used for individual and small group tuition. The staffing complement currently consists of three full-time and one part-time teachers. 

Pupils in Years 7 and 9 have lessons in Philosophy and Religion, delivered via our School for Thought programme. The School for Thought curriculum invites our pupils to take their place and find their voice in ongoing conversations about these urgent and enduring questions. The discipline of Philosophy is used to assess the presence and quality of a pupil’s thinking as it manifests itself in their reading, conversation and writing. Classes are smaller than the usual Lower School classes and pupils are taught four courses, on rotation, across a year. Lessons take place in dedicated rooms to allow staff and pupils to sit around the same table to promote effective dialogue and thinking. In 2023-24 the intention is that School for Thought will extend into Year 8 and Year 10 as well.

Philosophy in the IB Diploma is taken at both Higher and Standard level; our chosen themes currently include Political Philosophy, Ethics and the Philosophy of Religion, and the current Set Text is Plato’s Republic.

Numbers are healthy and results are very good. Before moving to the new School for Thought curriculum GCSE numbers were high. Recruitment at IB has increased significantly in recent years, there are currently three HL sets and one SL set in Year 12, with comparable numbers in Year 13. IB results in 2022 were among the best in the school at HL with a mean of 6.7. Examination groups are well resourced with a range of text-books, backed up by a departmental library of wider reading material, and a well-stocked school library. Many of our Lower School resources are home-grown, and creativity is a strength of the current staff.

Staff in the department contribute to the teaching of the Theory of Knowledge in the IB, and to PSHE in Key Stage 4. It is an express aim of the Department to build positive relationships with pupils of all faith positions during their Lower School career; as a result, by the time they reach positions of influence in the Sixth Form, both they and we are willing to listen to each other. This in its turn is made easier by the enquiring, reflective and positive atmosphere of the jewel in the Department’s crown, the popular and successful ‘Agora’ society, with its weekly meetings where current issues in the areas of religion and philosophy are investigated, with input from external speakers, Old Edwardians, and – increasingly – our own senior pupils. Ultimately we gauge our success as much by the pupils’ open-mindedness, reflectiveness, and willingness to listen to each other, as we do by our examination results. Aided by all these, several pupils each year go on to read courses involving Philosophy and Theology at Oxbridge and other leading universities.

Job Description

The role holder will report to the Deputy Head Academic.

The Head of Philosophy and Religion will lead, promote and deliver an exceptional programme of academic and co-curricular Philosophy and Religion.

• To provide strong and effective strategic leadership for the Philosophy and Religion Department
• To exercise the responsibilities of a Head of Department as set out in the HoD job description (see full job description which can be downloaded from our website)
• To liaise effectively with staff at King Edward VI High School to facilitate a joined up approach to co-curricular Philosophy and Religion
• To work with the Partnerships and Participation Manager to identify, as required and appropriate, mutually beneficial joint ventures beyond the school community, and to promote Philosophy and Religion events and initiatives both within, and beyond where appropriate, the wider school community

Heads of Department are appointed by the Chief Master and responsible for the overall performance of the department, they attend Heads of Department meetings and report to the Deputy Head Academic on all aspects relating to the department. They should perform the duties expected from all subject teachers.

A full job description and person specification are available for download from our website:

Head of Philosophy and Religion | King Edwards School (kes.org.uk)

How to apply

To apply for this role, please forward a completed application form (available for download at www.kes.org.uk/vacancies) and a covering letter addressed to the Chief Master by email to: recruitment@kes.org.uk.

The deadline for applications is Monday 13th February at 9am.

Interviews will provisionally take place during the week commencing 27th February 2023 due to the differing half-term dates in parts of the UK.

If you have any queries about the role or would like to discuss it in more detail, please contact the Deputy Head Academic, Jane Evans by email: jre@kes.bham.sch.uk.

King Edward’s School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Applicants invited to interview will be required to provide proof of identity, preferably a birth certificate, although where this is not available we will accept other forms of ID. Online searches will also be carried out for all shortlisted candidates, as required by Keeping Children Safe in Education 2022. Successful candidates will be required to undergo an enhanced DBS check and other pre-employment checks. A copy of the School’s Recruitment, Selection and Disclosure Policy is available on the website www.kes.org.uk.