Teacher of Chemistry

Location

Edgbaston, West Midlands | United Kingdom

Job description

King Edward’s School is seeking to appoint a full-time Teacher of Chemistry to teach across the full age range from 1st September 2024. It is an opportunity to join a strong, enthusiastic and friendly department in an exceptional school. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and no experience of working in the independent sector is required. The school teaches IGCSE and the International Baccalaureate Diploma; no experience of the IB is necessary as full training will be provided. A willingness to participate in the wider life of the School with pastoral care duties and help with co-curricular activities is expected. 

Science at King Edward’s School

King Edward’s has a long tradition of scientific excellence, having educated Nobel laureates such as Maurice Wilkins and Sir John Vane. Science remains at the heart of the academic life of the school today.

As all Sixth Former’s at King Edward’s study for the IB Diploma Programme, all students will, almost uniquely in the country, study at least one science subject throughout their time at school. Many elect to take two science subjects at IB. Biology, Chemistry and Physics are taken by the vast majority of pupils at IGCSE, and DT is one of the most popular option choices at GCSE.

Many pupils continue to study science subjects at university, with high numbers successfully applying for Engineering and Medicine, as well as Natural Sciences, Biomedical Sciences and other related subjects.

There is a strong spirit of collaboration in the experimental science faculty, which comprises Biology, Chemistry, Design Technology, Environmental Systems and Societies, Physics and Sport Science. 

The Chemistry Department

The Chemistry Department has the use of six well-equipped laboratories, four of which are exclusively used by the department.  Two full-time, well-qualified Chemistry technicians cater for all practical needs.  There is a project lab for enrichment work and a suite of computers in the department’s IT room. 

At all levels our aim is to provide a curriculum which strives for mastery and is deeply enriched and enhanced by practical work, with pupils conducting experiments for themselves wherever possible, rather than watching demonstrations.  In the Shell year (Year 7) all boys follow our in-house combined science course, but from the Remove year (Year 8) onwards the three sciences are taught separately. At the end of Year 9, pupils have the option of continuing with the three separate sciences or two sciences and a further non-science GCSE.  The vast majority of boys select three separate sciences.  All sciences follow the Edexcel IGCSE specifications.  The mean percentage of boys attaining a grade 9 at IGCSE over the last 3 years in Chemistry is over 50%, with approximately 90% of grades being 9-7.  

Chemistry is an immensely popular and successful subject at IB, with approximately half the cohort selecting Higher Level Chemistry over the last five years.  There are usually five Higher Level sets and one set at Standard Level and our results are strong with the three-year average of 6/7 (equivalent to A*/A at A level) grades being 77%.

Beyond the classroom, pupils regularly compete in local and national competitions and engage in enrichment activities.  Year 7-9 pupils participate in the Salters’ Festival of Chemistry and the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Top of the Bench competitions and Year 10 and 11 compete in the West Midlands Chemistry Quiz.  The more ambitious of these also join Year 12 and 13 in entering the Cambridge Lower Sixth Challenge and the RSC Chemistry Olympiad, in which we regularly achieve gold awards.  We also take the pupils over to the University of Birmingham in Autumn and Spring terms to attend lectures and we have hosted the RSC Analyst competition and have competed in the Chemistry Race at the University of Oxford in the last year.

For the full and details of how to apply, please visit our website:

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