Job Introduction

We are looking for a committed and enthusiastic full-time or part-time subject specialist to join the Computer Science Department for two-terms. There is a huge appetite from pupils to engage with all aspects of computing, both within and outside the curriculum, and the Department is dedicated to nurturing and encouraging this interest in all its forms.

The Computer Science Department

In Year 9 all pupils take a compulsory bespoke Python course, giving them a sound grounding in programming and computational thinking. Thereafter, pupils can choose to study AQA Computer Science (8525) in Year 10 and Year 11.

Beyond the curriculum, the  Department has several very active robotics teams across all years in the School. They regularly compete in both Pi-Wars, First Lego League  and First Technology competitions. Pupils also participate in a wide variety of national computing competitions. In recent years, pupils have excelled in the PA Consulting Raspberry Pi competition, the Raspberry Pi Foundation Pioneers competition, the AstroPi competition and the National Cypher Challenge. Pupils participate annually in the British Informatics Olympiad and regularly reach the finals.

There is extensive collaboration with other departments such as Electronics, Design and Technology, Physics and Engineering to create cross-curricular projects, and are looking to continue and develop these successful programmes.

Role Responsibility

A two-term post within the computer science department starting in January 2025.

The successful applicant will be required to teach Computer Science from Year 9 to Year 11, with a strong emphasis on programming and computational thinking. They must have a knowledge and understanding of Python, and be able to clearly explain computational ideas and logic. Previous teaching experience of a Computer Science GCSE course is essential, with an ability to communicate ideas and successfully support learning is crucial.  There is an opportunity for candidates to participate in extra curricular subject activities including the robotics groups, competition entries and in inspiring, mentoring and supervising individual student projects. Detailed schemes of work and specific guidance will be provided by the Head of Department, and appropriate support offered at all stages.

The Department is supported by an excellent IT infrastructure and technical team, and has use of two dedicated Computer Science teaching spaces.

The Ideal Candidate

Please refer to the below (attached) person specification.

Equal Opportunities

We are an equal opportunities employer. We therefore encourage candidates to apply irrespective of age, disability, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion and belief, gender identity, sex or sexual orientation.

Safeguarding and Child Protection

Westminster School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Package Description

Required for: January 2025

Location: Deans Yard - Westminster School

Contract: full-time or part-time, temporary (fixed-term contract for two-terms, January to July 2025).

Salary: Westminster School has its own salary scale, and new members of staff are placed at a point relevant to their qualifications and experience. Details of salary will be discussed at interview with those candidates who are short-listed. 

For this role, there is no fixed closing date. Applications will be considered on receipt and interviews may occur at any stage.

About the School

Working at Westminster

Westminster School is a busy, purposeful and vibrant place to be and an excellent workplace. The community is made up of 750 pupils, 120 teaching staff and 108 support staff.

Our teaching staff — the Common Room — are friendly and welcoming and all new teachers quickly become part of the rhythm of life here, both inside and outside the classroom. Common Room social events are regular and varied, with plenty of opportunity to socialise outside working hours.

It also does not matter where you come to us from. Some teachers come to us straight from university or having just taken a PGCE. Some have taught in independent schools before while others come from the state sector, or another industry altogether. The common ground is that all our teachers have a great knowledge and love for their subject and are willing to be fully involved in the life of the School and the lives of the children who study here. The School has a vibrant co-curricular programme that offers a wide range of opportunities beyond the academic curriculum. We welcome candidates who can contribute their energy and expertise to the co-curricular life of the School as well as the academic.

At Westminster we will always select the best candidate for every position. However, we know we can only truly choose the best person on every occasion if a broad and diverse pool of candidates see the job advertised and are encouraged to apply.

As such, we continue to work on how our job roles are encountered, and particularly welcome applications from groups who have traditionally been underrepresented here.

Westminster School is for everyone, regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or any other protected characteristic. We hope you are encouraged to apply.

The School

Westminster School is a selective day and boarding school for boys aged 13 to 18 and girls aged 16 to 18. There are approximately 360 boys in the Lower School (Years 9 to 11) and 400 boys and girls in the Upper School (Years 12 and 13). One quarter of the pupils board, and the School is structured and run as a boarding school, with an extended day and week and a strong House-based system of pastoral welfare, for boarding and day pupils alike.

Westminster is an ancient school, whose origins can be traced to a charity school established by the Benedictine monks of Westminster Abbey. Its continuous existence is certain from the early 14th century. Henry VIII personally ensured the School’s survival by statute and Elizabeth I, who confirmed royal patronage in 1560, is celebrated as the School’s foundress. Westminster is rare amongst long-established schools in remaining on its original site in the centre of London. Its proximity to Parliament and Westminster Abbey, and the use of the Abbey for its chapel, together with the stimulating diversity of the South Bank and West End, account in part for its special atmosphere and outlook.

The School is one of the foremost centres of academic excellence both in this country and internationally. Central to its academic ethos is the dialogue between teachers and their pupils, whether in the classroom or in tutorials, inspiring enjoyment of intellectual enquiry, debate and search for explanation and the development of skills of rational, independent thought well beyond any standard examination syllabus. The desired environment is happy, busy and purposeful; the pupils are intellectually, socially, ethically and politically engaged, with plenty of opportunities to develop initiatives and to articulate and defend their views, in line with the enduring values of the liberal tradition reflected in the School’s Charter. That tradition is fully committed also to the nurture of each pupil’s spiritual, moral, emotional and physical development and wellbeing – with a particular emphasis on drawing out individual talent wherever it lies - and to the preparation of young people for fulfilled private and public lives beyond School.

Westminster School