Sunday, December 10, 2023

The Winston Churchill School

Caring | Inspiring | Successful

Vacancies: Staff Profiles

Staff Profiles

Zoë Johnson-Walker
Headteacher

The staff of The Winston Churchill School form an outstanding team of professionals. I am looking for teachers who want to be innovative and creative and will contribute to the development of teaching and learning at Winston.
At whatever stage you are in your career you will find both opportunity and support. Opportunity to contribute to our journey to become, on a daily basis, ‘outstanding’ and support to become the best leader of learning that you can be.
Our partnerships with other schools also enhances our provision in terms of leadership development and training activities. Working with three other secondary schools and our Independent school partner, Wellington College, creates a dynamic focus on our core business of teaching and learning. Developments in pedagogy are based on research and agents for change ensure that initiatives are focused on deep learning of interesting material or challenges and not on entertaining students.
There are a number of incentives that I can offer to encourage you to apply but the only one that really makes a difference is the opportunity that we will provide for you to be the outstanding teacher that you want to be, working with children, from across the ability range, who want to learn.
Staff at Winston feel valued and supported and we share a clear vision. Teaching is a tough job and we all work hard but we learn so much from each other and we love what we do.

 

Mr C Drake

I joined The Winston Churchill School in September 2014 as Subject Leader for Music.
I had spent 8 years in my previous post but was ready for a new challenge and the vision and passion that I was met with on my interview at Winston sold the post to me. Since then I haven’t looked back.
As soon as I had started it was clear that the support I needed to turn my vision for the Music department into a reality was there. My line manager and SLT link have both been invaluable in ensuring that I have received the time, space and resources necessary to carry out my job. This has included the appointment of a music technician to work in our recording studio and radio station which has allowed me to make full use of the excellent facilities the department has.
As well as thinking about the department I also feel that my own professional development is valued at Winston. There are regular CPD sessions for all staff as well as training within departments. In addition to all of this I have been lucky enough to be given the chance to work on a research project with The Jubilee Centre at Birmingham University and have attended a PiXL conference.Both of these are fantastic development opportunities and they’ve only come about because of the schools vision.
Of course a school isn’t a school without the pupils and staff. The pupils are some of the most enthusiastic and creative young people I have ever encountered. On a day to day basis I am amazed at the standard of work that they are able to produce and the level of commitment that they have shown to extracurricular music making has been phenomenal.
The staff are friendly and encouraging and are happy to work together, collaborating on big projects like the whole school musical and supporting the numerous other events that take place throughout the year.
The Winston Churchill School is a friendly and exciting environment in which to teach and I am proud to be a member of staff here. I feel both supported and appreciated and know that I will be given every opportunity to move up in my career. 

 

Ms G Robinson

I knew I wanted to work at Winston Churchill School from the moment I walked through the door. The positive, friendly atmosphere was instantly infectious, everyone both staff and students had a smile on their face and I knew Winston was the perfect school for me to begin my teaching career.

When I began my NQT year at Winston I was understandably nervous but any nerves I had quickly dissipated within minutes of starting. The invaluable, amazing support I received and continue to receive from my department (History) and staff from across the whole school community. The NQT programme Winston Churchill runs is excellent, the weekly CPD sessions I attended offered lots of help and support on a range of school based topics. But also provided me with the opportunity to collaborate on a whole school level, getting to know new and current staff, whilst sharing ideas and experiences.

I have been fortunate enough to have been given various opportunities to expand my professional development and develop transferable skills, including two History trips to the World War One battlefields, one of which I served as the lead teacher on. During my current second year teaching I have been able to work with members of SLT and staff across the school to build and share resources for the school’s new online curriculum. Whilst also integrating on a wider scale the online system the school uses for homework, quizzes and communications across the school.

Winston is a school where all students learning and behaviour is supported to enable them all to flourish both academically and within the wider community.  Staff are also offered opportunities for continuous professional development and encouraged to be involved in all aspects of the school community.

 

Mr T Harrington-Tucker

I started my career in secondary education with The Winston Churchill School in April 2015. From the moment I arrived I felt welcome, the students were friendly and the staff went out of their way to promote a strong sense of community.

Initially, I started work within the support staff team as a cover supervisor. I found this was the perfect opportunity to experience what it was like to work in a classroom. Immediately it was clear that staff were willing to support me in my professional development and offer me opportunities to get involved in the wider community of the school. Within months I was assisting with the large scale school productions and helping to plan school trips and events.

After a year, I knew I wanted to work in teaching and Winston accommodated my aspirations by developing my practise and supporting me through the assessment only route into teaching. This route suited me perfectly, as I was allocated a timetable and was able to learn in the best environment possible: actually teaching!

The support from the school itself was expertly tailored to my own needs as a teacher. I worked closely with both an academic and professional mentor that were able to assist me in establishing my practise. I was invited to weekly continual professional development sessions along with other new staff and NQTs while also receiving fantastic guidance from other colleagues within my departments (Drama and English). This was a great opportunity to share experience and get to know other members of staff.

Undertaking a role a Winston has been one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. Every day I am given the opportunity to guide students, enabling them to flourish and succeed in their education.