MFL Teacher

MFL Teacher (All languages considered) - full time

Didcot Girls’ School & Sixth Form

Commences 1st September

Salary/allowances: MPS/UPS scales

Didcot Girls’ School is a dynamic school. In November 2022, the school was judged to be Outstanding. As Ofsted recognised, we invest in all of our staff:

“Leaders support staff very well. They have established a collaborative and respectful working environment. With the trust, they provide highly valued training and leadership programmes. Staff are exceptionally proud to work at the school.”

Ofsted also noted the high standards within the school and commented that “Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary”

We are a values-driven school, committed to high quality teaching and learning and respectful relationships within an inclusive learning community. Developing stimulating and student-centred teaching and learning is at the centre of our school development work. We work hard to ensure that all girls’ education enables our students to develop confidence, leadership skills and high levels of aspiration.

Summer 2022 GCSE results were superb with 88% of all students achieving 4+ in English and Maths, and 72% doing the same at 5+. Results at A level in the mixed sixth form shared with our partner school, St Birinus School, are also extremely strong with 44% of grades awarded as A* or A and 68% achieving Grades A*-B. These results place us as one of the highest performing schools in the county.

The role: The ideal candidate will have a passion for learning and high standards and will enjoy drawing on evidence-based practice from wider trends in pedagogy to give our pupils the very best teaching in Modern Languages. You will be someone who can contribute positively to our school ethos and values and who shares our vision to ensure limitless opportunities for young women.

We highly value the professional development of all of our staff and leadership opportunities run through the heart of the school for students and staff alike. There are exciting opportunities across our Trust to access the most recent research -based training in pedagogy and leadership so that all staff are continually able to develop their practice. This is complemented by dedicated collaborative planning and subject specific curriculum development time each week.

The Department: The Modern Languages Department is staffed by a supportive group of 6 teaching staff and 3 Foreign Language Assistants. We also work in partnership with Oxford Brookes University on their Hanban programme and have a teacher placed with us during the academic year to support the teaching of Chinese Mandarin. Results at all levels are strong and following an upward trend. At GCSE results are excellent across all languages: Chinese Mandarin (88% C/4+), French (84% 4+), German (97% 4+) and Spanish (92% 4+).

Accommodation: Teaching rooms all with ceiling mounted projectors. 30 laptops for students

Curriculum: At Key Stage 3 students are taught in mixed ability classes. All students in Year 7 study Spanish and then either French or German over the course of Years 7 and 8 and specialise in one language in Year 9, although they can choose to continue with two.  Some students in Year 7 opt to follow the Mandarin Excellence Programme when they join the school and they study Chinese Mandarin and Spanish in Years 7 and 8. We use a range of resources for our schemes of work, including units from the Studio course for French, Jin Bu for Chinese, Viva for Spanish and Stimmt for German.

In Years 10 and 11 we run GCSE courses in German, French, Spanish and Chinese Mandarin as part of our options programme, following Edexcel specifications for all languages and using published resources tailor-made for this exam board. All examinations are taken in Year 11.

We are also part of the Mandarin Excellence Programme which is a very exciting intensive learning programme where students are taught 4 hours of Chinese every week from Year 7 upwards, with the expectation they will study the subject throughout their time at the school and into the Sixth Form. This programme features immersion learning in China in Year 8 and a university residential course in Year 10.

MFL options are increasingly popular in the joint Sixth Form with all four languages offered across our joint Sixth Form with St Birinus School (the boys’ school located s short walk away and part of the Ridgeway Education Trust). We follow the AQA specification for German, French and Spanish and the Cambridge International Level 3 Pre-U Certificate specification for Chinese Mandarin.

Extra-Curricular Activities: We have a very strong enrichment programme for our students including in and out of school competitions and weekly support/extension clubs for both upper and lower school. We run regular trips abroad which are very popular, from a short residential trip to Northern France with Year 7 students to longer visits to Paris, Salamanca, Munich and China. Didcot is twinned with the German town of Planegg and we have strong links with the school there.

Didcot Girls’ School has held the International Schools Award for over twenty years. As a Languages Specialist school in the days when specialisms were available, the school has a long tradition of and commitment to language learning and approximately 65% of each year group will opt for at least one MFL GCSE. We believe it is essential that our school community is outward-looking and international in its focus in order to prepare our young people for global futures.

The Post: This is a key post in a strong and innovative department. We are looking for a teacher with a genuine and infectious passion for teaching languages who will enthuse and engage the students they teach; a teacher with high expectations for all students whatever their prior attainment.

The successful applicant will ideally teach either French, German or Spanish up to KS4 with the ability to teach another language at least at KS3 a strong advantage . Please make clear in your application which languages and to what level you can teach.

This post is suitable for newly qualified teachers as well as those with more experience.

Didcot Girls’ School is an accredited teaching school with a significant track record for successful fast-track career progression, leadership development and excellent CPD. The school is also part of Ridgeway Education Trust, a growing multi-academy trust, which provides the opportunity for school improvement and leadership work across schools in the future.

For further information about the department, please email Valerie Morris, Head of MFL at vmorris@didcotgirls.oxon.sch.uk

Application Process: Please complete an application form from the school website and send it with a response to the following task to Frances Adley at vacancy@didcotgirls.oxon.sch.uk

·        A response of no more than 2 sides of A4 (11 point) explaining what excellent teaching, learning and curriculum looks like in MFL.

Applications will be considered on receipt and the school reserves the right to interview on receipt of applications and to appoint prior to the deadline, so early application is recommended.  Closing date: 9am 30th January, 2023