This is an excellent opportunity to join one of Oxfordshire’s largest and most successful schools. Effective administrative systems support the two sites.  Students are well-behaved and motivated, and there is a strong sense of community in Thame, with a committed parent support base.

We are exceptionally strong in terms of pastoral support for all students and have the highest expectations for individual achievement whatever the starting points. Outside the classroom there are wonderful extra-curricular activities for all.  Students leave the school successful and well-rounded individuals. There is a ‘buzz’ about learning in the school and our students are fortunate to be supported in their learning by dedicated teachers and support staff. Staff training and professional development are always a developmental priority and many of our staff move on to promotions in other schools.

The School

The school is the only school serving the market town of Thame and surrounding villages. It is a popular school and always oversubscribed. It is a split site school – Years 7-9 on our Lower School site and Years 10 -13 on our Upper School site. There are around 540 students in our Sixth Form and we attract many students from other schools, post-16. Teamwork is a key feature of school life and so is partnership with our feeder primary schools. There is a strong drive to establish powerful curriculum links cross phase with teachers collaborating on a range of projects.

The Science Faculty

The faculty structure is currently:

Head of Faculty

Second in Faculty

Key Stage 3 Co-ordinator

Key Stage 4 Co-ordinator

Team Leaders in Biology, Chemistry and Physics

Subject Leader in Psychology at Key Stage 5

Subject Leader in Health and Social Care at Key Stage 5

Most teachers work mainly on one site, but have a programme, which includes teaching across the whole school. 

There are fifteen laboratories, six at the Lower School and ten at the Upper School.  Four of the laboratories at Upper School have been replaced as part of a newly completed £1.3M building project.  The level of equipment and resources is good. 

Key Stage 3

At Key Stage 3 students are taught in balanced tutor groups (around 30 students) by one science teacher.  The schemes of work have been written by the staff and are based around the National Curriculum. These are detailed, well-resourced and differentiated. There is continuing development with an emphasis on providing a well differentiated curriculum for students.  Faculty staff also use classroom strategies to promote assessment for learning.

Key Stage 4

There is some setting by attainment but most classes are mixed ability (around 25 students); each group is taught by two teachers; whose specialisms are complementary. 

All students follow AQA GCSE Trilogy Science. Last summer 72% of our students achieved a grade 4 or higher and 22% achieved a grade 7 or higher.

Key Stage 5

The Science faculty offers A Level courses in Biology (OCR), Chemistry (OCR), Physics (AQA), Psychology (AQA) and Health and Social Care (Cambridge Nationals). Within the Sixth Form, Psychology and Biology consistently prove to be one of the most popular subject choices. Student performance is good with most students achieving on or above target. All subjects have developed detailed schemes of work that are well resourced and easy for an ECT teacher to teach. Class sizes are usually within the region of 10-20 students. All subjects offer lunchtime extra-curricular support sessions.

At all levels we aim to meet the needs of all students.  The co-operative teamwork of the staff in sharing expertise and ideas plays a major part in our efforts to achieve this.

Safeguarding

Lord Williams’s School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

All successful candidates will be subject to enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service checks along with other relevant employment checks.

Any offer of employment is subject to satisfactory medical, reference and DBS clearance and also to The Asylum and Immigration Act ID checks.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (2013, 2020 and 2023). This means that certain convictions and cautions are considered ‘protected’ and do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account. Guidance about whether a conviction or caution should be disclosed can be found on the Ministry of Justice website: 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-guidance-on-the-rehabilitation-of-offenders-act-1974