Application Pack

Teacher of English

Closing date: Friday 19 March 2021

Welcome

Thank you for your interest in working at Wellington School. We are committed to equipping our children with everything they need to thrive in a complex and challenging world and our educational philosophy is built on three central pillars: building outstanding relationships, pursuing excellence in everything we do and a deep love of learning. We hold dear values such as kindness, empathy, honesty and courtesy and we work together to be the very

best we can be in every setting. We are ambitious for our students and have high expectations of them, but

we support one another in achieving our goals and we celebrate our culture learning, in all its settings and

forms.

Based in the town of Wellington, Wellington School was founded in 1837 and has been a central feature of

the town ever since. Located in beautiful Somerset, we are in easy reach of beaches and beautiful

countryside, yet also close to cities such Exeter, Bath, Bristol and London.

Wellington is a 3-18 co-educational school, with a vibrant and dynamic boarding community. We welcome

girls and boys from both near and far, and children from over 20 countries from around the world ensure

that we all benefit from a rich and culturally diverse student body. We are a member of HMC and have 600

students in the Senior School and 200 students in our Prep, with which we share our site. Applications to join

Wellington have never been stronger.

“My child thanks me every day for sending her to Wellington - she says it is the perfect school” Current parent

“Parents like the values the school imbues: ‘respect’, politeness’, ‘have a go, try your best’; it’s okay if you make mistakes” Current parent

Working at Wellington All teachers play an active role in supporting the academic, pastoral and co-curricular strands of school life. In line with the three pillars underpinning our educational philosophy, we look to our teachers to support our students as they grow into young adults. Whether in the classroom or in a co-curricular setting, teachers at Wellington seek to build outstanding relationships with students and help them to be the best they can be. Our high expectations of students are matched by teachers offering them support and guidance as they strive to reach them. We are committed to supporting the professional development of teachers. Wellington benefits from an outstanding estate and excellent facilities, both of which allow us to provide a

broad co-curricular programme. Drama flourishes and we have two bespoke theatre spaces, music and choral

singing thrives in both our Music School and the Chapel, success in a wide variety of sports is facilitated by

our well-maintained grounds and our setting sees both the CCF and Duke of Edinburgh Scheme enjoying

significant success. There really is something for everyone at Wellington School.

The relationship with the staff is perfectly balanced: it's formal enough to encourage you to aim high, yet sufficiently relaxed so that you enjoy each subject. Current student

Our students’ academic achievements are impressive skills and those leaving our Sixth Form routinely move

on to Oxbridge and other Russell Group universities. We also see students moving on to leading drama and

music colleges and we have recently seen greater interest by some in taught apprenticeships. Alongside

academic results, we seek to develop in our students intellectual curiosity and vital employability skills. Our

A Level and GCSE results are listed below:

A Level Results (Cumulative percentages)

GCSE Results (Cumulative percentages)

Wellington is made of three Sections: Lower School (Years 7 and 8), Upper School (Years 9, 10 and 11) and

the Sixth Form. Our curriculum is broad in the lower years, and Sixth Form students take 3 or 4 A Levels; we

also offer BTEC Sport. There is a vibrant House competition, which sees Upper School and Sixth Form students

competing for the Norman Cup, and Lower School students competing for the Pearce Cup.

A* A*-A A*-B A*-C

2020 14 50 80 95

2019 11 36 65 81

2018 10 38 70 85

2017 11 33 66 84

Total 9 9-8 /A* 9-7 /A*-A 9-6/A*-B 9-5 9-4/A*-C

2020 14 31 52 70 85 96

2019 13 29 49 68 82 91

2018 8 29 50 73 83 95

2017 23 47 68 86

“The whole Sixth Form experience is a privilege. There is a mutual respect between students and teachers with a focus on our work that makes learning more inspiring” Current Sixth Form student

The Post: Teacher of English

Following a recent resignation for promotional reasons from the department, we are looking to appoint an

inspirational and energetic new teacher. The successful application will join a happy, experienced and

successful department, and will work closely with the Head of Department in supporting students’ learning.

Teachers’ duties fall into six areas of responsibility, as follows:

i) Academic Teaching

Teachers are responsible for:

• The planning and preparation of lessons and courses. This may include contributing to the review and

creation of departmental schemes of work, the creation of resources, and contributing to the

department’s Firefly page.

• Teaching the students assigned to him/her, including the setting and marking of work carried out by the

students in line with the School’s Teaching and Learning policy.

• The assessing, recording and reporting of the development, progress and attainment of students in line

with the School’s Assessment and Reporting policy.

Teachers are expected to assist the Head of Department in managing departmental resources and supporting academic co-curricular opportunities e.g. societies, departmental trips and other enrichment activities

ii) Welfare of Students

Teachers are responsible for the pastoral care and general wellbeing of students in their charge. This

responsibility spans health and safety, maintaining good order and discipline in class and around the site,

promoting positive personal and social conduct and relationships, and communicating with parents. Teachers

are expected to familiarise themselves with the School’s child protection policy and procedures, and to

demonstrate a strong commitment to Safeguarding.

iii) Pastoral Care

All teaching staff are expected to contribute to pastoral life of the School. Most teachers are responsible for

a tutor group and tutors meet with their tutor group each morning. Tutors and teachers attend assemblies,

House meetings and Chapel each week. Tutors are expected to develop excellent relationships with students

in their group and to proactively support their wellbeing and academic progress. Tutors should be a reliable

and proactive link between the School and each students’ family, communicating regularly with parents.

iv) Professional Development

We expect teachers to recognise the importance of, and be committed to, their own professional

development. Teachers are required to attend meetings of their Departments, Houses, and of the whole

staff, as well as to participate in INSET sessions. Furthermore, they are required to participate in the School’s

annual CPD cycle which includes appraisal and lesson observation and are encouraged to undertake

professional development opportunities outside school. Staff new to the School follow a programme of

induction, and newly qualified teachers are supported in following IStip’s NQT programme to meet the DfE

required standards.

v) Co-curricular activities

All members of staff are expected to contribute fully to the programme of co-curricular activities for students. This will involve staff in both weekday and some weekend commitments and, for some staff, holiday-time involvement. The co-curricular offer is broad and provides an opportunity for teaching staff to play to their strengths, be it on a sports field, in the theatre or concert hall, on an outdoor education expedition or the School’s CCF etc. Many co-curricular activities occur on Saturdays, and all teachers are expected to contribute on a Saturday as required.

Whilst lessons do not occur on Saturday mornings, the School is a boarding school and operates a programme

of activities for boarders between 9.30 and 12.00. In addition, for both boarders and day-students, some

music and play rehearsals take place at this time. Also, many of inter-school sporting fixtures take place on

Saturdays. There is an expectation that staff will be involved in weekend activities or duties.

vi) Resources and Administration

Teachers play an important part in the efficient administration of the School. This includes ensuring the

maintenance of facilities, teaching and social resources, as well as keeping accurate students records and

producing high quality reports. All teachers are required to attend Parents’ Evenings for the classes they

teach, as well as all relevant meetings such as staff meetings, departmental meetings, and common room

briefings. Teachers are expected to undertake a range of general duties to enable the smooth running of the

school, as well as any other duties reasonably asked of by the Headmaster.

“The support system within the school has encouraged me to reach for the stars, and achieve them!” Current student

The English Department

The English Department is housed in the Alan Rogers’ Centre, one of the newest buildings on the school site.

Our classrooms are light, spacious and have computers, projectors and visualisers. There are five full time

members of the department, each able to teach Years 7 – 13, and with their own particular subject

specialisms and interests. We are united by our love of words and reading and are often found in the ARC

staff room discussing books we have enjoyed over coffee and biscuits.

Curriculum

The KS3 curriculum has been reviewed over recent years, but it remains an area we are keen to develop

further. We believe that exposure to a broad range of literature is the way into developing the reading,

writing and presenting skills needed in later years. During KS3, students read a range of drama, poetry, prose

and non-fiction texts and write creatively, persuasively and critically in a range of forms. We also use

Accelerated Reader in Years 7 and 8 to help our students develop their reading skills and love of reading.

At KS4 we study Edexcel IGCSE English Language (4EA/01) and English Literature (4ET/01) with the

coursework option in each course. Our current Literature coursework texts are An Inspector Calls by J. B.

Priestley and a Shakespeare play chosen from The Merchant of Venice, Romeo and Juliet or Macbeth. For the

exam, students will study Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck and the Edexcel IGCSE Anthology.

At A Level we study AQA 7712/2B English Literature and follow the Modern Times option. Each A Level has

two teachers and studies a range of texts from Shakespeare through to ‘Feminine Gospels’ by Carol Ann Duffy

and ‘Skirrid Hill’ by Owen Sheers.

Outside the Classroom

We believe that learning does not just take place in the classroom and provide a range of English based

activities for students. Students who enjoy public speaking and voicing their opinions can take part in Youth

Speak and Debating. For those who enjoy writing there are creative writing clubs for both Lower School and

Upper years. We encourage students to take part in a range of writing and poetry competitions, both local

and national. Those who enjoy reading can join our daily after-school club, ‘Chill Out and Read’, which takes

place in the library and provides an hour’s space to relax and read. We also try and shadow the Carnegie

Medal and are in the process of developing a remote book club for Years 10 and above who want to discuss

more ‘classic’ literature. The Sixth Form literary society, The Coleridge Society, meets every two weeks and

enjoys a range of talks on different literary-related subjects.

We are keen to take students to the theatre and have recently seen productions in Plymouth, Exeter,

Cheltenham and Bristol. We have also taken A Level students to an ‘English in Action’ study day at the

University of Warwick so they could experience a variety of lectures in a university environment. We hope to

keep broadening links with local universities to enable our A Level students to see first-hand the many ways

literature can be approached.

Results

• Since we have been doing Edexcel IGCSE, 45% of English Language grades have been Levels 8 and 9;

35% of English Literature grades have been Levels 8 and 9.

• For the last five years, over 45% of our A Level grades have been A or A*.

Terms

• Wellington operates its own competitive salary scale, which will be discussed at interview or on appointment.

• Membership of the Wellington School Pension Scheme (a defined contribution scheme administered by Royal London)

• Group life assurance (4 x annual salary death in service benefit)

• Fee remission of 50% (pro rata for part time staff) for children who attend Wellington School

• Free school lunches and onsite parking

• A commitment by the School to your professional development Reports to:

• Dr Kate Hodson, BA, MA, PhD, PGCE – Head of English Application process: Please apply online via the School’s website as soon as possible (https://www.wellington-school.org.uk/senior/information/job-vacancies/teaching-vacancies), and by no later than Friday 19th March 2021. Interviews will be held during the week commencing 22nd March 2021 but the school may interview and appoint prior to this date if appropriate. Please contact Emily Weiss, Director of Human Resources, if you have any queries about the role or the application process (hr@wellington-school.org.uk)

Post holders must be committed to safeguarding and promoting students’ welfare. They will be subject to an enhanced DBS and Child Protection checks. We are an equal opportunities employer.

“It’s the sort of school where it’s cool to work hard and make something of yourself” Current student