Teacher of Geography
We are seeking a dedicated and enthusiastic Geography teacher to support the Geography team here at Queen Elizabeth’s High School from 1 September 2025. This is a rare and exciting opportunity for someone to join an already successful department and to continue to raise and develop the profile of Geography, and to contribute to the development of this flagship curriculum area of QEHS.
The role would ideally suit an individual who, along with the appropriate qualifications, is extremely motivated and enthusiastic with highly developed teaching skills. The ability to teach up to and including A Level is essential.
The Geography Department
The QEHS Geography Department is one of the most successful departments in the school. The Department comprises a team of four Geography specialists who are enthusiastic and ambitious for the Department.
Staff have their own teaching rooms and there is a dedicated office for the Department. The Department plans strategically and works hard to support students in their care, as well as each other. All staff new to the team are well supported and are provided with a comprehensive training programme to ensure competence in all areas of the science curriculum and to ensure familiarity with wider school life at QEHS.
Subject reviews and lesson observations consistently show teaching and learning to be good, or better. Planning and policy is open to review and feedback from all stakeholders and takes into consideration well-being and work life balance.
The Geography Curriculum
We aim to deliver a high quality geography education that inspires in students “a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives”, (National Curriculum in England Geography programme of study, 2013). By building an understanding of and relationship with the world, and by developing knowledge of values and diversity, a high quality geography education enables students to become informed and responsible citizens. Our curriculum is structured to allow students to progress confidently through the Key Stages and into further study and employment.
Our curriculum is designed to develop key disciplinary knowledge, understanding and concepts such as: contextual knowledge of location, the importance of place and scale, physical and human processes, interdependence, spatial variations and change over time, and sustainability. Our curriculum is also designed to support the development of strong subject specific skills (fieldwork and enquiry, map skills) and our curriculum also supports and reinforces transferable skills (literacy and numeracy). Fieldwork skills allow students to acquire knowledge through experience.
We ensure that our curriculum is accessible to all groups of students, including those from vulnerable groups and SEND students. We challenge all our students to think theoretically and systematically, to discern / evaluate reliability of information, to sustain arguments, think independently and make choices.
In summary: we want all our students to be good geographers. We want them to be happy, confident and creative learners who understand the world, care about the world and want to find out more about it Becoming a good geographer also means developing subject specific and transferable skills, being resilient and developing a growth mindset. Good geographers are also active citizens!
We hold this aim and intent in mind as we deliver and interpret the National Curriculum and the AQA GCSE and A Level specifications, and as we devise activities/fieldwork outside the classroom.
The Geography Learning Journey: the curriculum map on the QEHS website shows the ‘geography learning journey’ and sequence of topics.
In Key Stage 3 the Geography Learning Journey begins in Year 7 with a study of the major physical and human geography features on Earth (‘Foundations’). In Year 8 the ‘finer details’ of the Earth’s surface are examined, and students learn why different landscapes can be found in different parts of the world, how landscapes change and how and why landscapes can be managed (‘Landscapes’). In Year 9 students’ study some of the major issues facing the world today (‘Big Issues’). Not only does the KS3 geography journey provide opportunities to embrace, revisit and reinforce key geographical themes and concepts (powerful disciplinary knowledge) it also allows students to develop the knowledge, understanding and skills required for further detailed and analytical study at KS4 and KS5.
At GCSE we follow the AQA specification (8035) and the units are taught in an order to ensure a mix of both physical and human themes are covered in both Year 10 and Year 11. In addition, the order of units has been selected so that they support / reinforce our Y10 fieldwork programme and so that students can sit a complete physical geography mock exam paper in Year 11 (term 2). Students at GCSE are taught by subject specialists.
At A Level we follow the AQA specification (7037) and the units are taught in an order that allows students to take the AS examination (7036) if their learning path requires this. In addition, we deliver units in Year 12 that are rich in inspiration for the development of NEA titles in Year 12 term 6. Students at A Level are taught by subject specialists.
When selecting case studies and examples, and when resourcing our schemes of learning we are mindful of selecting resources that are accessible to all groups of students including those requiring stretch and challenge, SEND students and vulnerable groups. Where ‘options’ are available on the specification we have chosen options that relate more closely to our local area, staff expertise, and those options which provide the greatest inspiration for fieldwork and NEA. For example, we have selected coasts rather than cold environments (at both GCSE and A Level).
The school reserves the right to end the recruitment process early in response to applications received.
Our school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is subject to enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service, barred list check, references and medical checks. Pre-employment checks are in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education