Teacher of Sociology

Inspire, transform, teach! We are currently looking to appoint a dedicated and inspiring Teacher of Sociology (ideally with Psychology) at our Beulah Hill campus in Upper Norwood.

At Harris Academy South Norwood , you will join a dedicated team of teachers and staff supporting our vibrant students. If you are looking for an opportunity to grow, inspire and develop, this may be the role for you.

About Us

Harris Academy South Norwood is an extremely popular 11-19 academy that has been judged Outstanding by OFSTED since 2010. We deliver a broad and challenging curriculum to all our students in a calm and well-ordered environment. We have high expectations of all members of the school community. This is reflected in our consistently high student performance at GCSE, progression to post 16 study at our sixth form and then on to some of the best universities in the country.

The Beulah Hill Campus is a wonderful place to learn and teach. We have a very hardworking team of teachers and support staff; they provide a caring and welcoming atmosphere for our students. The Campus site is a huge site with close to 8 acres of school buildings, sports halls, gymnasium, tennis courts and large playing fields / athletic track thus providing excellent facilities for our students. The Beulah Hill campus also has full-time basketball and football coaches through its partnership with Greenhouse and Kinetic. We have recently invested over £1 million to further improve our outstanding facilities including the development of a state-of-the-art Design Technology room equipped with laser cuter and 3D Printers, Food room and a newly laid sports field to ensure all year-round sporting opportunities. The Academy has a limit of 800 places across Year 7-11. We are unlike other schools; we do not want to expand at this moment in time, in fact we wish to remain small for as long as possible! This will ensure a small school where each child is known to staff and a caring environment can be provided.

We are traditional in our approach to discipline and uniform, yet forward-thinking and at the cutting edge of curriculum development, learning and pedagogy. The Academy aims to develop the whole child. We have a real focus on progress and attainment, yet ensure students develop their cultural awareness. We have a breadth of extra-curricular activities including Drama, Creative writing, Chess, Food and Art Clubs alongside support and extension in traditional subjects. We are proud of our Campus; we are proud of our students and proud of the education that they receive.

Main Areas of Responsibility

The purpose of your role will be:

• To implement and deliver an appropriately broad, balanced, relevant and differentiated curriculum for students and to support a designated curriculum area as appropriate.
• To monitor and support the overall progress and development of students as a teacher/form tutor
• To facilitate and encourage a learning experience which provides students with the opportunity to achieve their individual potential
• To contribute to raising standards of student attainment
• To share and support the academy's responsibility to provide and monitor opportunities for personal and academic growth

Your main areas of responsibility will fall under the areas of:

• Operational and strategic planning (including lesson planning, developing resources and syllabuses, and contributing to the departmental plan)
• Curriculum planning
• Staff development (including continuing professional development and engaging fully in the Performance Management Review process)
• Quality assurance (including contributing to the process of monitoring and evaluating the subject area)
• Management of information (including maintaining appropriate records and tracking student progress)
• Communications with students, parents and other stakeholders
• Pastoral system (including being a form tutor to a selected group of students)
• Teaching, ensuring a high quality learning experience for students

Qualifications & Experience

The successful candidate will:

• Hold QTS (or equivalent) and a relevant undergraduate degree
• Have successful teaching experience at secondary level (can be teaching practice), ideally including experience in multi-ethnic urban schools and of working in an 11-18 school
• Understand the theory and practice of effective teaching and learning
• Understand the importance of high expectations and equality of access for all students, and of being a tutor
• Have knowledge of National Curriculum requirements at KS3 and KS4, and of writing lesson plans, developing resources and assessing students' work
• Be able to work as part of a team and to develop and maintain positive relationships with all staff
• Have a good level of ICT skills, ideally including innovative use of interactive white boards
• Be able to create a motivating and safe learning environment for all students
• Be able to communicate positively with parents, carers and other external agencies where necessary
• Have good written and spoken communication skills
• Be able to lead and manage their own work effectively
• Have excellent time management skills
• Be able to motivate students and raise their aspirations through a range of strategies

Professional Development & Benefits

Our people are at the heart of our success. We have developed a strong culture of collaboration and best practice, with professional development and career planning at its centre. We invest in our staff with support, coaching, mentoring, and a wide range of top-quality training programmes delivered at every level to senior leadership.

We look for talented individuals who share our vision for creating exceptional places of learning, and are committed to ensuring that every child in London has access to the best possible education.

In addition to the opportunities for career progression, training and development, we also offer a competitive rewards and benefits package which includes our Harris Allowance for teachers on MPS/UPS, a Performance and Loyalty Bonus, Pension Scheme, electric car scheme, a Wellbeing Cash Plan and many other benefits.

Safeguarding Notice

The Harris Federation and all our academies are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share in this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to an Enhanced DBS check, references, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed for all applicants. Before applying, please review our Policy Statement on the Recruitment of Ex-Offenders.

Equal Opportunities

The Harris Federation is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates.

As a provider of employment and education, we value the diversity of our staff and students, and all our staff are equally valued and respected. We are committed to providing a fair, equitable and mutually supportive learning and working environment for our students and staff.