Teacher of Religious Studies

TEACHER OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES

Salary: MPS/UPS incl. Fringe

Full-Time, Permanent

Required for September 2024

Rickmansworth School is an outstanding school (September 2023). We are an 11-18 heavily oversubscribed co-educational partially (35%) selective academy with around 1540 students on roll, increasing to around 1575 students over the next year. Academic results are strong at KS4 and KS5 with the vast majority of students securing their first choice university destinations.

The School is in a very strong, stable financial position with over £6M recently spent on school expansion including a new Sixth-form centre, performing arts theatres and an Innovation & Design Centre. The School is also supported extremely well by a fantastic PTA and Foundation. Our outstanding staff well-being programme includes access to our fitness suite and swimming pool, flu vaccinations, complimentary eye tests and a fortnightly wellbeing afternoon. Our students enjoy learning and are an absolute pleasure to teach. We believe every child deserves the best and we aim to achieve excellence in all aspects of school life. 

The School’s admissions criteria gives preference to staff members’ children (as there is a demonstrable skill shortage for this post, the successful candidate could apply for a priority admission place for their own child). 

About the Religious Studies Department:

The Religious Studies department at Rickmansworth School aims to foster the naturally inquisitive character of our students and develop their critical and evaluative skills that help them make sense of the world around them. Religious Studies is taught across all Key Stages and achieves good results in public examinations. At GCSE level students study AQA Christianity and Islam and at A-Level they study OCR Religious Studies, Philosophy and Ethics with the chosen religion being Christianity. Students study an array of topics within three main branches of study; Religion, Philosophy and Society and at KS3 and develop their substantive and personal knowledge of religion through exploring religion and its impact from many different angles. Students at KS3 have Religious Studies once a fortnight and the statutory requirement for KS4 is covered through dedicated days for Core Religious Studies throughout the year. 

The successful candidate will:

• Be an outstanding teacher of religious studies discipline up to A Level
• Have excellent subject knowledge and an understanding of religious studies
• Provide dynamic and inspiring lessons
• Ensure students are at the centre of planning and teaching
• Focus on teaching and learning
• Provide learning with a focus on development
• Provide students with a full curriculum 
• Engage and empower students with the skills to thrive as independent learners
• Contribute to department planning for learning at all key stages; this includes writing schemes of work or long-term plans and creating and sharing resources

We can offer you:

• Excellent CPD opportunities
• A school recently rated Outstanding by Ofsted where students’ behaviour is exemplary
• A professional working environment where teamwork is highly valued
• A partially-selective school with a focus on academic achievement (Progress 8 in 2023 is +0.55) 
• Admission criteria where preference is given to staffs’ children
• A school which invests heavily in the future 
• A hugely talented and cohesive support staff
• An outstanding wellbeing programme

Applications from ECTs are welcome.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and are an equal opportunities employer.  Applicants must declare any criminal convictions and submit to a check with the Disclosing and Barring Service as the post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.  Further details can be obtained from the website www.rickmansworth.herts.sch.uk, by calling the School on 01923 773296 or by email to applications@rickmansworth.herts.sch.uk.

We are required for only shortlisted candidates  to conduct online searches about an applicant as part of our shortlisting process in accordance with Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance 2023  in order to identify any incidents or concerns which are publicly available online.  On signing the declaration on application  you will be agreeing to the acknowledgement that such searches will be conducted as part of the shortlisting process.

Deadline for applications: 08:00  Monday 15 April 2024

Interviews:                   W/C 22 April 2024

We reserve the right to interview and appoint prior to the closing date.