History Teacher (Maternity Cover)

The Sir Robert Woodard Academy, an Ofsted ‘good’ rated academy and part of the Woodard family of schools, is a dynamic and popular 11–18 academy located between Worthing and Brighton, serving the students of Lancing, Sompting and Shoreham.   

Our aim is that every student is known and nurtured and is provided with teaching and learning experiences enabling them to fulfil their potential. We believe that students succeed when the environment is caring and orderly, with teaching that fires the imagination and brings learning to life. 

We are seeking to appoint an inspirational Historian, who is passionate and enthusiastic, with excellent subject knowledge, to join our Humanities team and help instill in our students a lifelong love of learning History. This is a maternity cover to start mid-March 2025 (or after Easter, if preferred) and will continue for up to one calendar year, or until the colleague returns (if earlier). We welcome applications from colleagues (with QTS) at all stages of their career, including ECTs, who are committed to raising achievement in History. 

The SRWA History curriculum aims to develop learners that are ‘knowledgeable, skillful and literate’ so that they become great historians. The overarching principle is to deliver a broad, balanced, relevant and diverse curriculum; one that seeks to inspire a lifelong love of History and learning while remaining heavily focused on academic rigour. This supports the Academy’s focus on aspiring for our students to “know more, remember more and be able to do more.” 

History is a popular option choice at GCSE and at A level, delivered by a highly experienced and dynamic team who are committed to engaging with the latest pedagogy to compliment their strong subject knowledge. We offer an excellent enrichment programme, regularly running trips to Dover Castle, Hampton Court Palace, the First World War battlefields, the Imperial War Museum, Westminster Abbey, as well as a KS4 residential trip to Berlin. There is also a History of Art super curriculum programme. We have an outstanding KS3 - 5 Holocaust educational programme which serves to educate the wider school community. 

At SRWA, our people are at the heart of our success. We have developed a strong culture of collaboration and best practice, with professional development and career planning at its centre. We invest in our staff with wellbeing support, coaching, mentoring and a wide range of top-quality training and CPD programmes delivered at every level up to senior leadership. 

Quotes from full Ofsted inspection report October 2021: Rating of “Good” in all areas:

“The culture at this school is summed up by its motto, ‘Aspire to Achieve’. From Year 7 through to the sixth form, pupils learn to think ambitiously about their futures.”

"The school is a calm and orderly place for pupils to learn….Pupils treat each other with respect … low-level disruption is rare." 

"Pupils, parents and carers feel proud of their school…one parent told us ‘we are really impressed with the school, the ethos and the staff’.” 

A Staff Well-being survey commissioned externally in June 2024 revealed these were some of the areas considered ‘outstanding’ by our staff cohort:-

Staff morale, workload and job satisfaction

Appreciation of staff achievement/contribution

Opportunities for staff to develop. 

SRWA teaching staff benefit from the following:-

• a collaborative approach and strong collegial relationships;
• the opportunity to join and/or benefit from Action Research Groups;
• proven student progress and excellent student behaviour;
• an extensive CPD programme tailored to skills and experience;
• strong links with Brighton and Sussex Universities;
• free employee assistance programme, dedicated staff wellbeing space and 1-1 mental health booster sessions available;
• free use of the Academy’s fitness suite;
• free on site car parking and easy access to local public transport;
• cycle to work scheme;
• free flu vaccinations and subsidised eye test.

Our commitment to Safeguarding and Equal Opportunities:

The Academy is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff to share in this commitment. All offers of employment will be conditional upon satisfactory safeguarding and vetting checks, including the receipt of two references: one of which must be from the current or most recent employer and, where the applicant has previously worked in a school, one reference must be from the last time the applicant worked with children.

Applicants for this post will be asked to certify that they are not on the DBS Barred List, Sex Offenders Register, disqualified or prohibited from work with children, or subject to sanctions imposed by a regulatory body, such as the Teacher Regulation Agency. 

Shortlisted candidates will be asked to complete a criminal record self-declaration form and to give consent for an online search to be carried out against their name. 

The successful candidate will be required to undertake an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check (including a Barred List check) and an offer of employment will be conditional upon a satisfactory check. Please be aware that the Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check will reveal both spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands and final warnings, and any other information held by local police that’s considered relevant to the role, unless any such information is ‘protected’ under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975. 

There is a six-month probation period for all new post-holders.

The Academy is committed to equality of opportunity. We positively welcome applications from all sections of the community.

Application process

Please visit the Academy’s website via the URL https://www.srwa.woodard.co.uk

and navigate to 'Current Vacancies'. There is an option to click 'fast apply'.