Teacher of Philosophy, Religion and Ethics

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Dear prospective applicant,

Thank you for expressing an interest in this key vacancy at our college.

Over the last six years we have been on a journey to try and make this school not only one of the best schools for children to attend but also one of the best schools to work in as a member of staff. that is extremely rare and we urge you to come and see us in action, speak to the staff and speak to the students. Every decision that we take is done with a lot of thought and consideration and we put well-being at the centre, so that teachers can teach and students can learn.

There is always a tension between well-being and accountability but I do believe that we are getting closer to finding the sweet spot between the two. Although it is not the end of our journey, we have been recognised for the work we do in this area; we have won the TES well-being school of the year and we won the silver award for the prestigious Pearsons Award for secondary school of the year 2023.

These are indeed exciting times to join us and make a difference to the lives of others.

We have a very different approach and we are trying to create a very different culture at CHCC, a culture whereby those in leadership do not hold authority and deserve to be followed; leaders at CHCC have to earn the right to lead and we welcome and appreciate challenge if we do not live up to the standards that are expected of us.

The THIRST values permeate all that we do and are a framework that staff can hold leaders to account for the way that they lead. We have high expectations but we will provide the support, training and resources for you to deliver the best possible education for our students.

We are very clear that the gender, background, colour, poverty, wealth or social status of a child should have no bearing on how well they perform and staff here work extremely hard in trying to close that gap between the different groups of pupils.

We have removed lesson observations from the appraisal process and linked it to professional development. Currently staff are entitled to ‘visits’ and entitled to a professional dialogue to improve their practice. That is a risk we have taken but it is aimed at creating a learning community where teachers can teach and learners can learn, without fear.

As a result, we have improved our headline figures year on year and initial analysis places us in the top 12% of schools nationally for progress, although we know that we can still do better.

Our behaviour policy is clear and simple, “First Time Every Time,” no quibbles, no arguments just do as we expect. Teachers no longer have to do detentions, chase up absence, attendance or punctuality. These are all done centrally with a highly skilled team that has taken the workload away from teachers.

If you walk the building during lessons, it is as if the school is empty; you will only hear the sound of delivery from teachers through an open door.

Curriculum is obviously now at the forefront of what we do and is the progression model. We have spent a significant amount of time ensuring that the curriculum is sequenced appropriately so that students are knowing, remembering and therefore able to do more.

We are a knowledge-first school, where teachers are considered to be the subject specialists and impart their knowledge to students, we are not a school that focuses on discovery. Please read a little more about this approach on our website.

Philosophy, Religion and Ethics (PRE) is part of the Humanities faculty which consists of 9 members of staff. Students experience discrete PRE lessons at key stage 3, with two lessons a week in Year 7. The PRE curriculum is sequenced into learning episodes and unit overviews, with each unit overview identifying key threshold concepts. PRE is a popular G.C.S.E choice at key stage 4 with numbers increasing and we are looking for a specialist who is able to deliver across both key stages. Alongside this, the PRE specialist will be able to teach other humanities subjects.

I would also urge you to read our well-being charter that provides you with an understanding of things that we do to just make your job that little bit easier, not tokenistic but just genuine little things that help.

As part of our recruitment process, it is important that you attend our information evening at 5pm on Thursday 29th January. In order to be shortlisted you must attend either in person or online. Please email Rachael (email in attached pack) in order to confirm your attendance.

Please read the attached job description and person specification. If you are interested in applying, please fill in the application form available on our eteach portal, please include e-mail addresses of all referees, together with a letter of application (no more than 2 sides of A4, font 12) outlining your skills, qualifications and experience relevant to this post by 9am on Friday 6th February 2026. Please include your cover letter in the supporting statement section.

I look forward to receiving your application.

Yours sincerely,

Mr F Adam

(Principal)

Safeguarding Statement

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Applicants will be required to undertake pre-employment checks, such as an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check.