Teacher of Chemistry
Weald of Kent Grammar School, Tonbridge, Kent, TN9 2JP8 days remaining to apply
Job start date
1 September 2025
Closing date
3 March 2025 at 9am
Date listed
14 February 2025
Job details
Job role
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Key stage
- Key stage 3, Key stage 4, Key stage 5
Subject
- Chemistry
Working pattern
- Full time (Can be done as a job share): 32.5 hours per week
Contract type
- Permanent
Full-time equivalent salary
- MPS/UPS
What skills and experience we're looking for
To provide an outstanding learning experience for students, allowing them to fulfil their potential through the provision of excellent teaching, support and guidance.
All teachers are leaders of learning and are committed to delivering the school’s vision and the high ambitions for the school’s future. Their proactive support leads to sustained improvements and raised standards across the organisation, as a member of the Chemistry Department and tutor teams. They are accountable for specific identified and agreed operational functions within the teams to which they belong and which form part of their day to day work.
You will have the opportunity to lead ensembles and devise exceptional programmes for students through our many extra-curricular activities.
The Science Faculty 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 Faculty 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 Faculty 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 Springboard Boost scheme, students are taught six-hour long lessons per fortnight. Students follow the AQA GCSE single science specifications throughout Years 9 to 11. Students have a specialist science teacher for each discipline for GCSE, and a total of twelve-hour long lessons per fortnight in Year 10 and thirteen in Year 11. At A Level our students follow the OCR Physics, Chemistry and Biology specifications in ten-hour long lessons a fortnight split between two teachers.
What the school offers its staff
Staff are our most valued asset and we place a high emphasis on staff well-being and professional development, no matter what stage of your career you are at. We pride ourselves with the supportive and inclusive nature of the school and ensure that we foster a friendly working environment. As part of our commitment to staff well-being and development, we offer the following to teaching staff:
Professional Development
§ Research led CPD programmes, tailored to individual’s aspirations, which are based both in school and across the wider Trust.
§ A full induction programme for all new staff.
§ ECT’s will have a lower teaching load, timetabled mentoring sessions and a full programme of training and induction activities.
§ Unlimited access to the National College CPD platform.
§ An additional INSET day at the beginning of the academic year dedicated to teacher planning and preparation.
§ Our “No lesson judgements” policy ensures lesson observations are developmental and supportive.
§ One INSET day a year dedicated to moderation and curriculum preparation.
Staff Welfare
§ Data capture that is measured and timely - we report progress home three times a year.
§ Minimal written reports.
§ No requirement for teachers to submit lesson plans, even for lesson observations.
§ Teaching staff are only required to do a maximum of one twenty minute duty each week.
§ Supportive yet challenging governance, which understands that teachers are our most valuable resource.
§ We are a school that appreciates the importance of family. We do our best to support staff when there are issues and requests for additional leave regarding family events and an Additional Leave policy that supports staff when they may need time off school.
§ A teaching load of 42/50 one-hour periods of teaching per fortnight maximum.
Support
§ The school calendar is planned in advance across the whole year so people know what is happening and when.
§ In-house cover supervision team.
§ A comprehensive pastoral team to help with supporting our students with behaviour and wellbeing.
§ A highly effective and proactive support staff that play an important role in supporting teaching and learning.
§ A Marketing, Events and Visits team that are responsible for organising key school events and trips.
Benefits
§ School budgets are set making the assumption that everybody will get their incremental pay rise.
§ Cycle to work scheme.
§ Healthcare cash plan.
§ Occupational health support.
§ Priority admission for staff children (see admissions policy on school website).
§ Employee Discount Scheme (Multiple Retailers – Kent Reward Scheme).
§ Opportunity to perform paid lunch-time duties (with free lunch).
§ Free annual flu vaccination.
§ Employee Assistance Programme.
§ Free tea and coffee provided in the staff room.
§ Use of onsite canteen offering hot meals and salad bar.
§ Opportunities to participate in enrichment activities e.g. theatre visits.
§ Opportunities for flexible working.
§ Free on-site parking.
§ Membership of theTeachers' Pension Scheme(TPS) orLocal Government Pension Scheme(LGPS).
Environment
§ Pleasant working environment with very well-behaved students.
§ Eleven acres of school grounds set in Green Belt land at Tonbridge Campus.
Commitment to safeguarding
Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff, volunteers and trustees to share this commitment.
Our recruitment process follows the keeping children safe in education guidance.
Offers of employment may be subject to the following checks (where relevant):
childcare disqualification
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
medical
online and social media
prohibition from teaching
right to work
satisfactory references
suitability to work with children
You must tell us about any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.
Applying for the job
Please complete the online application.
CVs are not accepted.
Additional documents
If you need these documents in an accessible format, please contact the school.
About Weald of Kent Grammar School
- School type
- Academy, ages 11 to 18
- Education phase
- Secondary
- School size
- 1920 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 11 to 18
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report (opens in new tab)
- School website
- Weald of Kent Grammar School website (opens in new tab)
- Email address
- hr@wealdgs.org
- Phone number
- 01732 373500
Weald of Kent is a selective Girls’ Grammar School for 11-18 year olds with a roll of approximately 2000 students including our co-educational Sixth Form. The school is one of the highest performing schools in the country. We aspire to excel at everything we do. Owing to our continued success we were thrilled to have been given permission by the Secretary of State to expand and mirror what we deliver at our Tonbridge campus in a campus at Sevenoaks, which opened in September 2017. In addition to the exciting new facilities, we have also invested in our Tonbridge campus which now has a state-of-the-art Sports Hall and university style Sixth Form Study Centre. A new science block and new English classrooms have been built this year. Both campuses are situated in beautiful rural settings with far reaching views across the Garden of England with excellent transport links.
Arranging a visit to Weald of Kent Grammar School
To arrange a visit and increase the chance of a successful application email hr@wealdgs.org.
School location
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