Teacher of Chemistry

The School are looking to appoint a Teacher of Chemistry. The Science Department has developed a strong reputation for excellent teaching and learning which has resulted in excellent results, a high number of students studying Science at A Level and significant numbers of students then studying for science degrees at leading universities. The Science Department has developed a curriculum which is innovative and focused on developing students’ lifelong love of learning, as well as achieving outstanding examination success.

The Science team is constantly seeking ways to improve and engages with educational research to develop the curriculum to equip our students with the substantive, disciplinary and procedural knowledge and opportunities for success to allow them to take the next step with confidence.

The Science Department operates across both Tonbridge and Sevenoaks campuses. It consists of a large number of full and part-time staff along with a strong team of science technicians servicing 15 well equipped laboratories. Much development has gone into enhancing the facilities and our new laboratories at Sevenoaks and Tonbridge provide superb teaching spaces.

Teamwork is vital to the success of a department of this size working over two campuses. It is therefore essential for the successful candidate to be able to galvanize the team, and use the benefits and challenges presented by this to drive teaching and learning forward to meet the needs of our students thus ensuring consistency in standards.

We teach a condensed KS3 curriculum in Years 7 and 8 following the Science Activate scheme, students are taught six-hour long lessons per fortnight. Students follow the AQA GCSE single science specifications throughout Years 9 to 11. In Years 10 and 11, students have a specialist science teacher for each discipline, and a total of thirteen-hour long lessons per fortnight. At A Level our students follow the OCR Physics and Chemistry specifications as well as the Edexcel Biology specifications in ten-hour long lessons a fortnight split between two teachers.

Application Closing Date: Friday 19th April 2024, 9am*

Interview Date: Friday 26th April 2024

Early applications are advised as the School reserves the right to appoint at any stage during the application process.

The 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 will be required to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post. As this role involves 'regulated activity' with children the successful applicant will be required to complete a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) disclosure application. Employment will be conditional upon the School being satisfied with the result of the Enhanced DBS check and the outcome of all other checks. 

The School will also carry out a check of the Children's Barred List on the successful applicant. Applicants should be aware that it is unlawful for the School to employ anyone to work with children if they are barred from doing so, and it is a criminal offence for a person to apply to work with children if they are barred from doing so.

This role is also exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the School is therefore permitted to ask shortlisted applicants to declare all convictions and cautions (including those which are "spent" unless they are "protected" under the DBS filtering rules) in order to assess their suitability to work with children.