Key Stage 1 Teacher (Maternity Cover)

The Grange Junior School is seeking to recruit a Key Stage 1 Teacher to cover maternity leave commencing on 29th August 2024 for 9 months. This is a rare and exciting opportunity to have responsibility for the educational and pastoral leadership of around 24 children within a Key Stage 1 form group at one of the country’s leading independent Junior Schools.

Equipped with excellent communication skills and a collaborative style of working, you will be approachable and solution-focused, highly organised and behave with integrity at all times. You will be wholly committed to our aims to provide a stimulating teaching and learning programme, attentive pastoral care and a competitive, varied enrichment programme, all delivered in impressive, modern facilities.

Above all else, you will understand that the caring relationships we develop with every child and their parents are the most important asset to ensuring educational success and happiness: we want every child and their family to feel valued.

You will be working in close cooperation within your Year Group team and your Teaching and Learning Assistant, all pulling together to support the learning needs of all our students. As an Independent School, we have developed our own schemes of work that utilise the best elements of the National Curriculum and structure them in a way to realise the potential of the children we teach. Whilst there is emphasis on the core of mathematics and English – necessary skills for all our Form Teachers – a wide range of subjects is taught with specialist teachers involved in supporting the delivery of art, languages, science, design technology, sport and music.

We encourage and promote an independent learning style, nurturing and guiding our children to take responsibility for their own development and building growth mindsets. We strike an important blend of child and teacher-initiated learning, looking all the time to develop our own pedagogy to improve children’s learning through a committed approach to staff development and training. We believe effective learning is a consequence of strong relationships, differentiated challenges, accurate assessment and timely feedback.

Responsibilities

Teaching and Learning

• To plan, organise and teach the weekly/daily programmes of learning for all timetabled lessons, using a variety of delivery methods to stimulate learning, based on the relevant schemes of work, working closely with colleagues to ensure continuity, challenge and progression.
• To provide a stimulating classroom environment for learning, where resources can be accessed appropriately by all your children.
• To ensure that teaching and learning is structured to create opportunities for the extension of more able children and support for children in need of learning support.
• To assess and record the development of your children, using the information where necessary to improve specific aspects of teaching and learning.
• To be able to set clear targets, based on prior attainment, for children’s learning.
• To liaise with and manage the work of your Teaching and Learning Assistant
• To set your children high standards in the content and presentation of their work by the quality of your displays.
• To report the development and progress of children both internally and to parents through both informal and formal means including written reports and Parents’ Evenings.
• To liaise and consult with appropriate staff, including the Key Stage Leader, Head of Learning Support and Deputy Head (Academic) regarding learning and general progress of your children, both individually and collectively.
• To attend and contribute to team and whole staff meetings as required, include those which relate to the day-to-day running and the ongoing development of the school.
• To ensure that IT and mobile technologies are integrated effectively into the teaching and learning activities.
• To keep abreast of professional developments relevant to you and your Key Stage.
• To organise visitors into school and educational visits linked to enrich the taught curriculum.
• To communicate and co-operate with specialists from outside agencies if required.

 Pastoral Care

• The Form Teacher is responsible for the pastoral care and well-being of all children within their charge, working in collaboration with the pastoral team – Key Stage Leader, Head of Learning Support and Deputy Head (Pastoral) – to ensure that your children are supported and happy whilst at school.
• To be aware of the individual strengths, personalities and needs of each child in your form and teaching groups.
• To actively encourage and promote the success and achievement of every child in all its different ways using informal and formal means to do this.
• To share responsibility for the development of all children: their attitudes, approaches and behaviour within the school following the school’s Behaviour and Anti-Bullying policies.
• To monitor and provide appropriate advice and guidance on individual children’s progress in respect to personal development, attendance, educational progress and behaviour.
• To ensure that parents are regularly kept informed on relevant issues relating to their child and to respond to queries and requests in an appropriate and timely fashion.
• To support the integration of PSHE into the daily life of the children including the emphasis of our thematic assembly programme, attending and contributing towards assemblies.
• To register children in accordance with the Attendance Procedures.

General

• To work as a member of a whole staff team, positively and enthusiastically contributing to effective working relationships within the school.
• To contribute to the school’s enrichment programme, providing at least one hour a week to this busy and active programme.
• To assist and contribute towards sport across the school including Games lessons and fixtures.
• To attend Open Mornings, Reception Assessment, Parents’ Evenings, annual Awards Evening and other official school events.
• To participate with and support organisation of year group educational visits.
• To address and report safety issues to relevant colleagues within the school and to undertake risk assessments and training where necessary.
• To undertake supervisory duties as required, attend pre-term staff meetings and INSET days.
• To monitor all resources for maintenance, requisition and health and safety reasons.
• To ensure that all school policies and procedures are adhered to.