Teacher of Religious Studies

The RS Department

The RS Department comprises of two members of staff. The department has two classrooms in the historic heart of the school with interactive whiteboards, projectors and wi-fi access. The RS Department is line managed by the Deputy Head Academic.

Within Religious Studies students work in mixed ability sets in Year 7-9. At GCSE Religious Studies is an optional subject with, usually, between a quarter to a third of the cohort selecting the subject. Students study the EDUQAS Route A Christianity and Buddhism GCSE specification.

At A-Level the department has adopted the Pearson specification (9RS0) preparing students for Paper 1 (Philosophy and Religion), Paper 2 (Religion and Ethics) and Paper 3 (Study of Religion). The appointee would need to teach across the full ages range from KS3 to A-Level.

Members of the department play a significant part in the wider aspects of school life, most notably running the Socrates Club and arranging the recent school trip to Nepal. The appointee would also be expected to play a role in the extra-curricular life of the school.

• You will need to be able to teach Religious Studies well at both key stages 4 and 5.
• You will have strong subject knowledge and be comfortable with preparing students for public examinations. A willingness to engage with new curricula is a definite advantage with review imminent in both our GCSE and A level courses.
• You will have high standards. This will be evident in both the standards that you set for the students, and in your own professional practice.
• To be open in sharing your professional practice – a feature of the department is the easy trust colleagues have in each other, and we frequently see each other's lessons.
• You will adapt your teaching to the individual needs of learners. This will address the aspirations of our best students; take into account both SEN and EAL needs, all whilst being an accessible, admirable role model.
• You will play your part in the overall education of West Buckland students through a personal commitment to life-long learning and education beyond the classroom.
• You will be an active, collegiate member of the Religious Studies Department, contributing to the departmental development plan and, through this, to the school’s overall development.

• Tutoring a group of pupils from an academic and pastoral perspective.
• Contribution to our broad extra-curricular (ECA) programme at lunch times and after school.
• The possible opportunity to teach other subjects, such as geography, history, PHSE or EPQ.

The Appointment

And through a sense of duty, an awareness of right and wrong and a respect for others be ambitious with a clear sense of purpose and a balanced view of life.

This is a part-time appointment of 0.65. If candidates can offer other subjects such as geography and history, this would be an advantage, in which the role may increase to around 0.8, possibly full-time. There is a probation period of one academic year.

Whilst advertised as an appointment as a teacher of RS, there is an opportunity for the right applicant to be considered for further appointment as the Head of RS. Applicants should identify in their cover letter if they wish to be considered for appointment to this role.

West Buckland School enables all Newly Qualified Teachers to participate in the Independent Schools Teacher Induction Panel (IStip) induction arrangements which are recognised by the government for entry into the teaching profession in both the maintained and the independent sector.

Hours of work

The school operates Monday to Friday between the hours of 08:30am and 5:00pm as dictated by the school calendar.

In addition to a competitive salary, we provide free parking, daily lunch and access to our outstanding sports facilities.