Teacher of Sociology

Thank you for your interest in the post of Teacher of Sociology at Ashlyns School. Ashlyns is a popular and oversubscribed school with in excess of 1500 students including a growing and successful Sixth Form.  The school was confirmed ‘Good’ by Ofsted in May 2018 and is focused on continuous improvement to deliver an excellent education for all children, with the aspiration to be rated ‘Outstanding’.  View our Ofsted report here.  View our School Priorities here.

Sociology at Ashlyns School: Sociology forms part of the English Faculty and is a very popular subject at A Level. Our KS5 Curriculum is designed to work through the AQA specification in a way that is engaging and logical. We cover: Education, Families and Households, Beliefs and Crime and Deviance, all accompanied by the relevant Theories and Methods over the 2 year course.

We recognise that for most students sociology is a ‘new’ subject and so we start Year 12 with two units, Education and Families and Households, as students have first hand experiences of these topics and can relate to many of the key concepts and theories facilitating engagement and giving students the chance to critically evaluate and discuss their own experiences. We also seek opportunities to teach and embed research skills through active research within topic areas, for example, observing teacher and student interactions in school, or using questionnaires to investigate class roles within the family.

The topics in sociology take into consideration not just the UK, but countries around the world, giving the course a global reach. It also allows our students to truly express their views and use their opinions to debate with each other helping their skills of analysis, the ability to formulate an argument and evaluation. We also have a good track record in that a lot of our students use the research and independent skills they have learnt from our subject and pursue Sociology at a higher education establishment.

Extra curricular opportunities are well developed with the Faculty; we work extremely closely with the LRC who run fantastic clubs and events throughout the year. The Faculty also  runs frequent theatre trips and helping with Reading groups for all abilities.  The Faculty is a hard working and friendly team where new colleagues are always made warmly welcome.

We are a thriving school with a rich heritage. Originally established for the most vulnerable in society, our focus on helping all students to be the very best versions of themselves is central to all we do. It’s our aim that work and study should be joyful; the staff and students at Ashlyns help to create the atmosphere for this to happen. There is a palpable sense of community, professionalism and a culture of high expectations, all of which are underpinned by ethical leadership. 

We hope the information included on this recruitment page will give you an insight into our school – the high aspirations,  excellent support and opportunities for our students and staff, the scope of the role and the kind of person we are looking for.

If you want to provide outstanding learning opportunities and exceptional pastoral care for students within a forward-thinking, hard-working school community, we would like to hear from you. 

We welcome visits from prospective candidates prior to application; please see contact details on the application guidance page. Prospective candidates are encouraged to submit their applications as soon as possible as the school reserves the right to close the advert should we feel able to appoint an appropriate candidate.

We look forward to hearing from you and welcoming you to our school.

Yours faithfully