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Head of Religious Studies and Lay Chaplain

Head of Religious Studies and Lay Chaplain

Bethany School

Kent

  • Expired
Job type:
Full Time, Permanent
Apply by:
6 October 2022

Job overview

You won’t just shape our students’ religious education.

You’ll shape their spiritual lives.

Bethany is both a registered charity and a unique school with a strong Christian ethos. Occupying 60 acres of the magnificent Weald in the heart of the Kent countryside, we create a unique family atmosphere to nurture our 350 pupils aged 11 to 18 so they can develop their self-worth and tolerance for others.

Given our passion for pastoral care, you will enjoy an enriching dual role – taking our important Religious Studies department to the next level whilst sharing the love of Christ as our Chaplain. In short, you will cultivate the spiritual life of the entire school, whilst ministering to parents, Governors, and members of the community, so you can expect exceptional satisfaction and wide-ranging responsibilities. We will look to you to display real initiative and imagination in both challenges – so we’re seeking far more than just an exceptional subject leader.

Naturally, you will require comprehensive knowledge of major world faiths and religious history in order to teach at KS3, GCSE and A level, backed by an innovative approach to everything you do. Like us, you will be strongly pupil-centred, with real determination to ensure that no child is ever left behind, and you will be deeply committed to involving yourself in every aspect of school life. At the same time, you will be capable of making Christian worship exciting, attractive and accessible, and will be able to make the Bible and its teachings relevant to students from all backgrounds – so you will truly shape their spiritual lives.

If you have what it takes, we’ll give you everything you need, including a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits such as a pension scheme, Benenden Health Care, free meals during terms and more. We’ll also give you the chance to make your mark on a unique community – and the opportunity to realise your full potential.

An application form can be obtained from: www.bethanyschool.org.uk > Contact Us > Staff Vacancies. Alternatively, contact the Human Resources Manager by email: recruitment@bethanyschool.org.uk

Closing date: Midday on Thursday, 6 October 2022.

Interview date: w/c Monday, 10 October 2022.

Bethany School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and applicants must be willing to undergo enhanced child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service.

The appointment will be made without regard to gender, age, or ethnic origin. Bethany School is an Equal Opportunities Employer.

Attached documents

About Bethany School

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  • Bethany School
  • Curtisden Green, Goudhurst, Cranbrook
  • Kent
  • TN17 1LB
  • United Kingdom
+44 1580 211273

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In addition to being a registered charity, Bethany is a co-educational, independent boarding and day school for pupils aged 11-18 years. There are 325 pupils in the School, including 110 boarding pupils. The majority of pupils remain in the School until they are eighteen and most proceed to University. There are 90 pupils in the Sixth Form and the A Level pass rate in 2019 was 95%. The 2019 GCSE pass rates was 85% at 9-4 (A*-C) grade. 

Bethany enjoys an ever-growing reputation, both locally and further afield, for the quality of its teaching and pastoral care. As a result, pupil numbers are very buoyant. In recent years the School has undertaken a programme of building development, including the construction of an indoor swimming pool, an extension to the sixth form building as well as a dedicated fitness building The next phase of this development will include a purpose built performing arts space.

The School is a Christian foundation with a strong community life. All members of staff are expected to be in agreement with the Christian values and to attend Chapel with the pupils. The School is well known for its high level of pastoral care for pupils. In addition, it enjoys an international reputation for the education of dyslexic pupils. Class sizes are small, rarely reaching more than eighteen pupils, and considerably less in the Sixth Form.

The School is set in beautiful Kent countryside and the 60-acre campus is spacious and attractive. It lies in the hamlet of Curtisden Green, mid-way between Goudhurst and Marden. Central London is less than an hour’s journey from Marden Station, as are Dover and the Channel Tunnel. For a small school, the high standard of sporting success and the extensive games programme are made possible by the expertise and commitment of the teaching staff outside normal lesson time. The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme also enjoys remarkable success, as do the Performing Arts. We have a hugely successful pupil/teacher/exchange programme with a senior school in Taiwan.

The School is forward thinking in all aspects of teaching, learning and curriculum and has created a 10-year vision, Bethany 2026, for its education provision.

Bethany 2026 is a school, which is:

• Providing an innovative education relevant to the 21st century;

• Encouraging the virtue of learning in young people delivering 21st century learning habits;

• Living our Christian values through excellent pastoral care.

• A flourishing school investing in the future.

Furthermore, the School has a unique philosophy of learning centred on developing excellent learning habits in its pupils in order to instil in them the ‘Virtue of Learning’. All teaching staff are encouraged to undertake their own action-based research through a teacher-led Professional Learning Community model. 

In recent years the curriculum has been enhanced further and now includes GCSE Dance, and level 3 courses in Economics and Computing. In addition, all full-time staff are provided with a laptop computer and all pupils from Year 7 have their own laptop. This is complimented by a revised Computing curriculum in Key Stage 3 which includes coding and the opportunity for pupils to develop core computing skills. As a school we make use of Microsoft 365 for supporting teaching and learning and have a number of staff who are Microsoft Innovative Educators. We have used Teams to deliver a highly successful remote learning program during lockdown.

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Applications closed