Job Introduction

Biology at Westminster promotes 'freedom of thought' through the acquisition and application of knowledge earned by our rigorous and exciting exploration of biological concepts. This idea is central to the Biology Department's ethos and is reflected in our success as a department, both academically and pastorally.

We aim to fuel the imaginations of bright and naturally curious pupils through a wide range of exciting and challenging activities, including practical work. We empower pupils to flourish by building confidence and promoting engagement with biology and science both in and beyond the classroom.

We are an experienced department consisting of six full-time teachers and two full-time technicians. Based in the Hooke Science building, the department provides a friendly and supportive environment for experienced educators and those looking to begin their teaching careers.

From Year 9 to Year 11, a substantial programme of practical work supports our pupils' understanding of theory and reinforces the importance of the scientific method.

Our academically rigorous enquiry-driven course builds a foundation and the necessary interest to support pupils who elect to continue this subject to A-level. We ensure all pupils are fluent in a wide range of biological concepts relevant to their lives and society.

Pupils sit the Edexcel Biology IGCSE at the end of Year 11. In Years 12 and 13, pupils follow a course structured around (but not constrained by) the CAIE International A-level Biology specification. Exploration of concepts is often at a level beyond that required by the syllabus, with practical work and experiments routinely conducted. Lessons frequently involve problem-based learning and discussions. Weekly small-group seminars are designed to improve problem-solving and communication skills. During Year 12, our biologists complete an experimental research project that explores some aspect of biology that fascinates them.

Each year a large number of our pupils leave Westminster to read Medicine. Others secure places in Anthropology, Biochemistry, Biology, Biomedical Sciences, Dentistry, Human Sciences, Natural Sciences, Neuroscience, Psychology and Veterinary Medicine courses.

Teachers in the department expect to cover a wide range of topics on each syllabus and contribute to our Year 12 seminar programme and research projects. We also teach classes from Year 9 through Year 13 and do not set on ability.

Role Responsibility

We require a well-qualified individual with a biological science or closely related degree who can skillfully teach Biology to all year groups. The successful applicant will inspire enthusiasm in their pupils, know how to support their pastoral welfare, and help to maintain Westminster's very high academic standards.

Previous teaching experience is a desirable attribute, though not essential. Nevertheless, we also welcome applicants who have not taught before. There is ample support within the department for a person looking to begin a career in teaching.

As well as teaching Biology to a high standard at all levels within the school, the successful applicant will be professional, kind, well-organised, efficient and able to work and communicate effectively with colleagues, pupils and parents. The successful applicant will teach a full timetable of lessons and support extra-curricular activities offered by the Biology department (including a residential Ecology field trip in June) and the wider school community.

The Ideal Candidate

Please refer to the attached person specification for more details.

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: September 2024

Location: Dean's Yard - Westminster School

Contract: full-time, permanent - part-time applicants will be considered. Part-time candidates must be able to commit to a minimum of 21 periods over four days.

Salary: Westminster 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.

The deadline for applications is midday on Wednesday 21st February 2024. Interviews will take place w/c 26th February 2024.

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