TEACHER OF MATHEMATICS

INFORMATION BOOKLET

inspiring excellenceHeadteacher: Mr T Carroll Tel: 01525 636700 Fax: 01525 636701Email: office@vandyke.cbeds.co.uk Web: www.vandyke.beds.sch.uk

A company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales no. 7700206

Registered Office: VANDYKE UPPER SCHOOL VANDYKE ROAD LEIGHTON BUZZARD BEDFORDSHIRE LU7 3DY

IntroductionThank you for enquiring about our Teacher of Mathematics position. Vandyke is a school with high expectations and a caring ethos. We believe that “Everyone Matters”. The school has a ‘special atmosphere’ - one that visitors often comment upon. This special atmosphere is based on our emphasis on high quality relationships: staff-to-staff, student-to-student and staff-to-student.

The successful candidate will be joining a thriving school, with a growing reputation for excellent teaching and achievement, innovative and inclusive practice, and excellent leadership and management that puts students and learning at the centre.

The Role Please read this booklet alongside the job description and person specification.

Mathematics Department

The department has a strong and enthusiastic team consisting of 11 specialist teachers with a great mixture of youth and experience. We have seven large classrooms, each equipped with digital projectors, whiteboards, and a range of equipment and resources. In addition to this we have an eighth classroom dedicated for sixth form teaching.

The ethos of the team is extremely positive, with a strong focus on improving the progress of all students at the school; we are striving to achieve at the highest level. To this end, planning together and sharing resources is very important to us. We run training sessions every Tuesday morning for 25 minutes where we discuss schemes of learning, resources, teaching techniques, and the upcoming changes to the GCSE curriculum. In addition to this we have subject training time once a fortnight. Vandyke works with Stratton Upper School to provide joint CPD courses for staff throughout the year.

We are extremely proud of our GCSE results in Maths. Year on year we have been rated as significantly positive by Raise online in many areas including A*-C, Average Point Score, and 3 Levels of Progress. As well as entering all students for the Maths GCSE in Year 11, we also offer GCSE Statistics and Further Maths qualifications to the appropriate students.

Student interest in A-Level Maths has increased in recent years and we consistently run two groups at AS and A2, with an additional group studying A-Level Further Maths.

We have good links with our local middle schools which we are looking to develop further. We have especially close contact with Gilbert Inglefield Middle School whose site is directly next to ours, and there will be an option for the successful candidate to split their teaching time between the two schools if desired.

Our SchoolAs a successful and popular school, Vandyke has been requested by Central Beds local authority to expand to accommodate additional students. This expansion programme is currently underway, with the completion of 10 new classrooms and PE changing rooms increasing capacity to 1200 students. A further programme to provide a new Sixth Form centre and 12 new Science Labs is also planned and will bring the number on roll to 1500.

Vandyke has high standards of academic achievement and was judged by Ofsted inspectors in March 2010 as a “…good school with outstanding features”. Levels of achievement are high compared to students’ potential and in 2014 69% of students achieved five or more A*- C GCSE qualifications and 57% 5+ A*- C including English and Maths, with 96% of students achieving 5+ A*-G. A-level outcomes were also impressive, with 100% pass-rate and average points score per

student well above the national average. Students across the school make good progress in their time here.

An inspection in April 2013 was particularly disappointing and a formal complaint to Ofsted made by the school was upheld. Everyone in the school is working hard on a clear plan to ensure the next inspection concludes in a judgement of “good” as was expected in April.

Our commitment to high standards and to regularly reviewing, evaluating and improving our practices is recognised in the many awards we hold. We are proud to hold Sportsmark and Artsmark Gold awards, in recognition of our commitment to Sport/PE and our outstanding programme of extra-curricular sport and performing arts activities. We also hold the International School Award, which recognises the depth and breadth of our commitment to the international dimension of our curriculum.

Facilities at Vandyke are excellent and include recently refurbished and developed areas such as a Theatre, Drama Studio, Dance Studio, Sports Hall, Sports Activity area, Music suite, Café, and Library/Study facilities.

These are very exciting times to be working at Vandyke as the school goes from strength to strength and embraces new opportunities.

The Recruitment ProcessTo apply, please complete the application form in full in accordance with the guidance notes, including a letter of application addressing why you are a suitable candidate and what you can bring to the post. CV applications will not be accepted, as the information provided on a CV may not be consistent with the information we require.

The closing date for applications is 12 noon on Monday 2nd March 2015.

Vandyke is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All shortlisted candidates will be required to bring proof of identity and original qualification certificates to the interview. The successful candidate will be required to complete an application for an Enhanced Disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service - DBS (formerly CRB). Please refer to the separate information provided about the process and acceptable forms of identification.

All applicants are also required to confirm their eligibility to live and work in the UK. Please ensure one of the documents you produce to support your DBS application is also included on the enclosed list “Asylum and Immigration Act 1996” to satisfy this requirement.