Head of Geography

Harris Academy Rainham, Rainham, Essex, RM13 9XD

10 days remaining to apply

• Start date details

  September

• Closing date

  13 May 2025 at 11:59pm

• Date listed

  2 May 2025

Job details

• Job role:
  • Head of department or curriculum
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Key stage: Key stage 3, Key stage 4
• Subject: Geography
• Working pattern: Full time, part time
• Contract type: Permanent
• Full-time equivalent salary: £37,913-£55,494 + TLR 2.4
• Pay scale: MPS/UPS (Outer London) + £1,500 Harris Allowance + TLR 2.4
• Additional allowances:

  Performance and Loyalty Bonus + Pension Scheme (TPS) + Harris Wellbeing Cash Plan + Additional Harris Benefits

What skills and experience we're looking for

Are you a passionate teacher looking for your next step? We are looking for a qualified, experienced teacher to join Harris Academy Rainham as Head of Geography.

Harris Academy Rainham is open to flexible working so full and part time applications are welcome. We are looking for a strong communicator with proven skills in engaging with, inspiring and motivating, not just the school community but the wider community.

We would like to hear from you if you:

• Hold QTS (or equivalent) and a relevant undergraduate degree, and, ideally, management training
• Demonstrate successful teaching of GCSE at good or better level
• Have experience of initiation and effective management of change
• Show evidence of raising achievement in present post and showing good value added for groups
• Have knowledge of current curriculum developments in subject and their implications
• Have good knowledge and understanding of current educational thinking
• Show good understanding of how children learn and how to raise standards of achievement
• Have good communication skills in speech and writing
• Display excellent organisational skills
• Are able to build and sustain professional standards and relationships with students
• Are able to contribute towards creating a safe and protective environment

For a full job description and person specification, please download the Job Pack.

What the school offers its staff

Harris Academy Rainham is a very popular and oversubscribed 11-16 academy which is part of the Harris Federation. We joined the Federation in September 2016 and there are exciting times ahead.

What makes us different:

• Our values are at the centre of our school and aren't simply a slogan on a website.
• We have a firm but fair approach to behaviour. This is built on the use of consistent routines and teaching our students how to behave.
• We deliver a knowledge rich curriculum that is developed by our staff to meet the needs of our students. The knowledge we teach takes our students beyond their everyday experiences and enables them to see the world differently.
• Our leaders are role models, they lead by example, admit mistakes, welcome opinions and love honest conversations.
• We are a staff united against educational disadvantage with a fierce determination to show our students the world beyond Havering.

What we can do for you:

• Great career progression both within our Academy and the Federation.
• Excellent professional development opportunities. As a Leading edge school we have been recognised as being at the forefront of educational thinking and research is central to all we do.
• Meaningful measures to manage workload – no graded observations, early finish on a Friday, no onerous marking requirements but sensible feedback policies.
• Bespoke support and line management from excellent leaders across the school.
• Opportunities for fantastic professional growth as the school develops a sixth from.
• A school where subjects are ‘front and centre' of all we do. The subject determines our pedagogy.

Teacher Development

At Harris, we have curated professional development pathways that will guide you towards achieving your career ambitions. We have developed a strong culture of collaboration and best practice, with professional development and career planning at its centre. With a strong network of passionate educators, expert development initiatives and a multitude of opportunities for career progression, your journey with Harris could be the most rewarding one yet.

We offer a wide range of high quality teacher professional development programmes via the Harris Institute of Teaching and Leadership.

Benefits

In addition to the opportunities for career development and progression, we also offer a competitive rewards and benefits package which includes our Harris Allowance (usually £2,000 for Inner London and £1,500 for Outer London), a Performance and Loyalty Bonus, Teachers Pension Scheme, a Wellbeing Cash Plan, Employee Assistance Programme, and many other benefits. Learn more about our benefits on our website.

Flexible working opportunities

We are committed to fostering a positive and supportive working environment for our staff, recognising that achieving a balance between professional and personal responsibilities is essential. We understand that each individual's circumstances are unique, which is why we offer flexible working options that can be adapted to meet the needs of both the academy and our employees.

Further details about the role

The purpose of your role will be:

• To be accountable for leading, managing and developing the subject area.
• To raise standards of student attainment and achievement within the whole subject/curriculum area and to monitor and support student progress.
• To ensure the provision of an appropriately broad, balanced, relevant and differentiated curriculum for students studying in the department, in accordance with the aims of the academy and the curricular policies determined by the Governing Body and Principal.
• To teach the relevant subject across the age and ability range.
• To facilitate and encourage a learning experience which provides students with the opportunity to achieve their individual potential.
• To effectively manage and deploy staff, financial and physical resources within the department.
• To share and support the school'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 formulating the subject and faculty improvement plans, and leading the development of appropriate syllabuses, resources, schemes of work, marking policies, assessment and teaching strategies)
• Ensuring the delivery of an appropriate, comprehensive, high quality and cost effective curriculum and leading development of the subject and its delivery
• Staff development (including recruiting, building and managing an effective team of motivated staff)
• Student outcomes (including ensuring the effective operation of target setting, monitoring and evaluation systems and the input and maintenance of accurate student data)
• Pastoral system (including being a form tutor to a selected group of students)
• Teaching, including acting as an outstanding role model

Commitment to safeguarding

The Harris Federation and all our academies are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, references, an online search, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed.

Applying for the job

Apply for the job by following the link below.

CVs are not accepted.

Visas cannot be sponsored.

If you're interested in teaching or training to teach in England as an international citizen, we can help you understand your next steps.

About Harris Academy Rainham

• School type: Academy, ages 11 to 16
• Education phase: Secondary
• School size: 896 pupils enrolled
• Age range: 11 to 16
• Ofsted report: View Ofsted report
• School website: Harris Academy Rainham website
• Email address: info@harrisrainham.org.uk
• Phone number: 01708 552811
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/harris-academy-rainham

At Harris Academy Rainham we hold that our academy should provide students with a deep sense of belonging to a caring community, the belief in themselves and their unbounded potential and the opportunities to become more than they thought was possible. These are the values that we hold to be true and that drive our academy forward. Harris Academy Rainham joined the Harris Federation (a not-for-profit charity with 25 years of experience in education) in September 2016. In joining Harris, we have become part of a family of happy and highly successful primary and secondary schools in London and Essex and have the benefit of a team of experts in education who can provide teachers and leaders at Harris Rainham with a great deal of focused support. We teach in mixed ability groups, except in maths, which is divided into sets. Where students need extra help, our teachers coach them in small groups or provide one to one support. Special educational needs are catered for with care and expertise.

Academy Ethos:

We combine the traditional Harris values of excellent uniform, behaviour and manners with a modern approach to teaching and learning. Working closely with families to ensure that students are supported and nurtured, we work hard every day to make learning accessible to all of our students.

School location

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