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Teacher of Geography

Teacher of Geography

Cambourne Village College

Cambridgeshire

  • Expired
Salary:
MPS or UPS
Job type:
Full Time, Part Time, Permanent
Start date:
01 September 2024
Apply by:
17 May 2024

Job overview

Teacher of Geography at Cambourne Village College

To Start: 01 September 2024

Salary:    MPS/UPS. ECTs welcome to apply

Contract: Part-time 50% or full-time with a second subject

The College is currently seeking a well-qualified and enthusiastic teacher of Geography.

Cambourne Village College is an Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ rated, over-subscribed secondary school, eight miles from Cambridge. We opened as an academy of the Cam Academy Trust in September 2013. Our ethos is aspirational and inclusive, our staff is highly motivated, our pupils courteous and hard-working, and we have excellent facilities. Joining Cambourne Village College represents a unique opportunity to work in a newly-established school within a wider, high-quality Academy Trust that gives excellent possibilities for professional and career development.

It is an exciting time to join our teaching staff at Cambourne Village College. Already a well-established and successful school, the addition of our Sixth Form marks the final phase of our expansion. The school benefits from a wealth of exciting facilities and a strong culture of mutual support; staff morale is high and our students are courteous and eager to participate in the highly engaging curriculum offered to them. We are ambitious for our Sixth Form to reflect the successes of our main school, where results are consistently strong, with excellent Progress 8 scores. Cambourne Village College is a 1:1 iPad school, with all students having a personal device.

We are looking for someone who is passionate about delivering high quality Geography lessons and can instill in pupils a sense of awe and wonder about the world. The successful candidate will be able to develop warm relationships with learners of all ages and ability levels and support the school’s inclusive ethos in all aspects of their classroom practice. An ability contribute to the curriculum in KS3 would be an advantage. This is a unique opportunity to join expanding departments, to help it grow, and to play an important part in its future success. 

The Geography Department is an expanding team of highly dedicated subject specialists. We aim to make the Geography Department an exciting place to be, where students look forward to their Geography lessons each week. We challenge our pupils and lead them to gain a real appreciation of the world around them. We are passionate about the teaching and learning of Geography, constantly striving to achieve strong outcomes for all students across the ability range and provide rigorous and varied learning experiences both in and out of school. 

At KS3, students are taught in mixed-ability groups for 3 lessons per fortnight. The KS3 course is regularly reviewed to ensure the best progression possible to GCSE level, where we follow the AQA GCSE specification. Geography is a popular option choice at GCSE; a high standard of teaching and learning across the department has ensured an outstanding set of GCSE results over the past years. In recent sets of public examinations, the results at Grades 1-9 put the department in the top 5% of Geography departments nationally for pupil progress at KS4. With our brand new Sixth Form opening in September 2024, we are excited to be delivering Geography A Level (OCR specification) for the first time; the department has extensively planned and resourced the KS5 course.

The Department is fully committed to delivering high quality fieldwork locally and further afield, with both KS3 and 4 students experiencing physical and human fieldwork in Cambridgeshire, London, and coastal locations. We plan to run a KS4/5 trip to Iceland in 2025. Teaching takes place in dedicated Geography classrooms, each with a whiteboard and projector. Teachers are also provided with a laptop and iPad to facilitate pupils’ learning. All pupils have their own iPad at Cambourne VC, and we regularly integrate these in lessons for research, GIS, and revision. 

The Department currently holds the Secondary Geography Quality Mark with additional achievement for Centre of Excellence (in geography fieldwork).

Further details are provided on the Job Description and Person Specification. For any other information and to arrange a visit, Brad Dickerson, Head of Geography on bdickerson@cambournevc.org .   Pre-application visits to the College are welcomed.  


How to apply:

Please complete the Teacher Application Form located on the Cambourne Village College website (www.cambournevc.org) or TES Portal and attach a letter of application (consisting of no more than 2 sides of A4 when printed). In your letter of application, please explain:

  • The reason for your interest
  • Your relevant track record that confirms you could fulfil the expectations of the role
  • Your reflections on how you could contribute to the further development of Cambourne Village College as a truly excellent school

Applications should be submitted to:

Our HR Department via email: hr@cambournevc.org or to Ramona Ross, HR Manager rross@cambournevc.org. Tel 01954 284000 or submitted on the TES Portal. Please note that we do not accept CVs.

Closing date: 09.00 on Friday 17th May 2024

The college reserves the right to interview and appoint within the application window

The Governing Body is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. An enhanced DBS check will be carried out for the successful candidate.

Attached documents

About Cambourne Village College

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+44 1954 284000

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Visit employer website

Cambourne Village College

Sheepfold Lane, Cambourne, Cambs, CB23 6FR

www.cambournevc.org Tel: 01954 284000

General Information for Applicants

Cambourne is a new settlement, eight miles west of Cambridge. It is already a significant community and construction of Cambourne West, a further 2400 new homes with associated facilities, is under way on land adjacent to our campus.

Cambourne Village College opened as a new 11-16 Academy and Free School of the Cam Academy Trust (formerly the Comberton Academy Trust) in September 2013. The College opened with six forms of Year 7 pupils and grew by one new intake each year, our fourth intake reaching Year 11 in September 2020. CamVC was initially built for a roll of 750 students, but has expanded rapidly to accommodate nine forms of entry, with a current roll of approximately 1180. Our intake is truly comprehensive, with 30% of the dwellings in Cambourne comprising social housing whilst the remainder is mainly mixed, new, privately-owned houses. We are now working with the Local Authority to expand our accommodation to admit up to 1650 students (11 forms of entry) in our 11-16 school. As the logical sequence to our rapid and successful growth, a 350 place sixth form, with 175 students in each of Years 12 and 13, will open from September 2024. The school has rapidly gained the support of the local community and co-operates strongly with its four catchment primary schools, all situated in Cambourne.

The Cam Academy Trust

All staff at Cambourne Village College, along with those at Comberton Village College, Melbourn Village College and St Peter’s School, Huntingdon, are employees of the Cam Academy Trust. The Trust has recently become significantly cross-phase with the membership of seven primary schools and more under negotiation. The schools share a number of high-level executive Trust staff, for example in Finance, IT and HR, and seek to collaborate on educational matters wherever possible. Cambourne Village College has worked in particularly close partnership with Comberton Village College from the outset; it is envisaged that our new sixth form will work in close collaboration with those at Comberton and St Peters. The Trust is working on strengthening the educational links across the schools; all secondaries now use an online platform, the CATalogue, to allow the sharing of resources across our schools. The College is fortunate to be supported by a team of skilful and dedicted school governors, led by Dr Kris Stutchbury.

Designations

Following its first, highly successful, Ofsted inspection, the College gained Leading Edge status and successfully bid to become a Teaching School within the Cambridge Area Teaching Schools Alliance. From September 2019, CamVC also became a partner school of the Faculty of Education at the University of Cambridge. We are actively developing our work with trainee teachers, and employ a number of Specialist Leaders of Education to increase our capacity to take on a range of school-to-school support work. The College encourages research, with staff participating in projects at a range of levels, including the SSAT Lead Practitioner programme and Masters level degree courses.  We are continually developing our CPL offer for our staff, with many teachers participating in the Trust-based Developing Effective or Developing Outstanding Teacher programmes. The Cambridge Maths Hub is located at the College.

In 2018, Cambourne Village College was a finalist in the Pearson School of the Year Awards, winning Silver in the ‘Making a Difference’ category – a huge accolade for a school only five years old, and a reflection of the very strong relationships already developed with the local community. In 2019 we were further awarded International School status.

Standards

Extremely high standards of achievement and pastoral care have been quickly established, as recognised by the ‘Outstanding’ grade in all four Ofsted inspection categories, awarded to the College in May 2015 – a rare achievement for a new secondary school in its fifth term of opening. An annual Cross-Trust Review process confirms these high standards are maintained.

The first set of GCSE results for the College were awarded in summer 2018, the school achieving above the national average ranking for the KS4 Overall Progress 8 measure at 0.34. Results for summer 2019 were also very pleasing with Progress 8 reported at +0.45, with 52% of pupils gaining 5 GCSEs including English and Maths at Grade 5+, and 71% at Grade 4+. We are building on these very strong results with projects under way to develop whole-school reading and vocabulary acquisition, pupils’ skills of metacognition, and to narrow the differential between boys’ and girls’ achievement.

Broad Education

The school’s formal day runs from 8.35am to 3.00pm with 6 timetabled lessons of 50 minutes per day, run over a two-week cycle. Details of the curriculum taught in each subject can be found on our website under the Parent, Carer and Student Information tab. However, we believe that education should be broad and should give opportunities to develop individual interests. Many members of staff also offer activities within a very full and wide-ranging extra-curricular programme that runs each day from 3.00 p.m. There are many school trips and visits, both national and international, supported by a central Trips Administrator.

The College has engaged in a rolling programme to equip all pupil with iPads to enhance their learning, with all pupils in Years 7-11 having their own device from September 2021. Teaching staff and teaching assistants all have their own iPad; teachers also have laptop computers and all classrooms are equipped with Apple TV.  Extensive training and support for development of staff IT skills has been a feature of school life since our opening, and has received a tremendous boost during the recent lockdowns!

The Village College

The outlook and ethos of Cambourne Village College are fully in line with the tradition of Village Colleges established as the vision of Henry Morris in the first part of the twentieth century for community-based schooling. Cambourne Village College has, from the outset, sought to be at the heart of its community and to serve the needs of the whole town, not just our 11-16 year olds during the designated school day. In normal times, the College is open on almost every evening and weekend for adult educations classes and extensive community use of our excellent facilities.

Pastoral Organisation

Pastoral care in the College is overseen by the Deputy and Assistant Principals responsible for the supervision of the year teams. Each year team consists of a Head of Year, Assistant Head of Year, Pastoral Support Assistant, and team of tutors, this team remaining in place as the cohort moves up the school.  Most teaching staff will have responsibility for a tutor group and most teachers carry out 4 supervisory duties around school over the two-week cycle. Pupils see their tutors for morning registration and have a weekly assembly. The school has a strong and ever-developing focus on inclusion and wellbeing, with a team of counsellors in place and a wide range of inclusion support available to pupils.

The Premises

We are fortunate to work in a newly-built school, furnished, decorated and equipped to a high standard, with excellent facilities for teaching and learning. Sports facilities include 3G pitch, sports hall and gymnasium; performance facilities are under further development and include drama/dance studio and large performance hall. Music is taught in a separate, dedicated wing. High speed broadband, good access to computers and sets of class iPads enhance learning. Since its outset, the College has employed a full-time, qualified librarian. The library is a vibrant learning space and is highly valued by pupils and staff.

The Staff

Our staff are highly skilled, highly committed, innovative, mutually supportive and sociable. Joining Cambourne Village College represents a remarkable and exciting professional opportunity. It offers the chance to help to establish a new and rapidly growing school whilst working within a wider high-quality Academy Trust which gives excellent possibilities for professional and career development. Staff morale is extremely high, evidenced in our Investors in People report: ‘People describe high levels of camaraderie and teamwork, also the opportunity to influence change. There is shared motivation to achieve and people are loyal and enthusiastic about the Academy. There is a culture of praise and recognition, which people buy in to’. In our most recent staff survey (November 2021), over 90% of all staff agreed or strongly agreed with the statement: ‘I am proud to work at Cambourne Village College.’

School Ethos

All of our work is carried out in the context of our Ethos Statement, to which all members of the College were invited to contribute in the summer of 2017:

Cam VC: Aspiring to Excellence

  • We are a dynamic, innovative and outward-looking school.
  • We value every individual and seek the best possible outcomes for each one.
  • Our staff is highly qualified, exceptionally committed and continually learning.
  • We nurture mutually-beneficial partnerships which enhance our pupils’ opportunities and well-being.
  • We are sustained by collaboration, mutual support and trusting relationships.
  • We are an open, friendly school, where all people feel they belong.
  • We are proud to serve our community of Cambourne and want Cambourne to be proud of us.

Teaching and Learning

  • We have the highest aspirations for all pupils and the utmost belief in each individual.
  • We deliver a rich and diverse curriculum, rooted in the needs of our pupils.
  • We strive to remove all barriers to learning and refuse to allow disability or social disadvantage to limit our expectations or the achievements of our pupils.
  • We inspire our pupils through excellent teaching.
  • We value the expertise of our subject specialists, entrusting them to hone pupils’ skills and to ensure access to powerful knowledge.
  • We access technology for optimum impact.
  • Our teaching is underpinned by meaningful data and rigorous, accurate assessment.
  • We work together and across departments, sharing good practice to enhance performance and relationships.
  • We create opportunities for research and professional learning for all members of staff, through our Teaching School and wider partnerships.

Our Pupils

  • Our pupils enjoy school. They engage actively in their learning, inspired by excellent      teaching and a sense of shared purpose.
  • Our pupils are confident learners; they build self-esteem and are willing to challenge themselves, take risks and learn from mistakes.
  • Our pupils attain standards which reflect their full academic potential.
  • We foster imagination, adaptability, resilience and ambition.
  • We create opportunities for every pupil to build independence, teamwork and leadership.
  • Pupils treat each other and staff with respect and consideration.
  • Positive behaviour is an inherent expectation.

Leadership

  • Our leadership teams guide the school with vision and discernment.
  • All leaders are role models: they act with integrity, are highly visible, and are approachable by all.
  • Teaching and learning is at the heart of all decision-making.
  • We believe in devolved leadership; middle leaders are highly trusted and empowered to have impact.
  • All staff have opportunities to contribute their expertise to strategic school decisions.
  • Communication across the school is direct and timely.
  • Our leaders know the staff, communicate how much they are valued, and seek to sustain their well-being.

Parents

  • We seek to engage with all parents in relationships based on mutual trust and respect.
  • We believe in frequent and open communication, aiming to work with parents to maximise each child’s school experience
  • We have policies that are clear and easily understood, encouraging parental engagement and support.
  • We maximise the use of technology to ensure full and swift communication.

Community and Partnership

  • We are a Village College and embody this ethos.
  • We work in full co-operation with our Trust partners to enhance all our pupils’ education.
  • We build local partnerships across all phases of schooling to ensure cohesive educational experiences.
  • We engage with our local business community to sustain growth and      opportunities for our mutual benefit.
  • We work with our Locality Team, social and health workers, and all other relevant agencies to integrate support and sustain our pupils’  well-being.
  • We seek international partnerships to widen our pupils’ understanding of their place in our world.

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Applications closed