The Portsmouth Grammar School - Head of Politics

Summary

We are seeking a dynamic and knowledgeable teacher to become our full time Head of Politics from September 2026

Detail

The Portsmouth Grammar School is a leading co-educational school located in the historic heart of Portsmouth. We are very much a family school known for excellent teaching, superb pastoral care and wide-ranging co-curricular opportunities and offer an education across the age range from Pre-School to Sixth Form.

The school seeks a dynamic, knowledgeable and inspirational teacher to become Head of Politics from September 2026. This is a full-time role and the ability to teach academically able pupils Politics to A Level and to support pupils in their higher education aspirations in Politics and related subjects is essential. The ability to teach another subject in the Sixth Form curriculum (e.g. Economics) would be viewed favourably; applicants should make this clear in their covering letter.

We seek a Head of Department who is passionate, current and well-read on their subject matter. To lead this busy and exciting department, it is also important to demonstrate excellent interpersonal and organisational skills. The successful candidate must be open to promoting cross-curricular links with other department areas as appropriate, and facilitating academic enrichment opportunities for pupils within the department.

We offer excellent training and support to teachers at all stages of their career. PGS teachers convey passion for their subject and seek to maximise progress by knowing their pupils well and adapting their teaching accordingly. We are always looking to develop new ideas and approaches to teaching and are keen to incorporate the particular interests of members of staff into the overall curriculum scheme.

Outstanding teaching and learning at PGS are achieved by inspirational and creative teachers with excellent subject knowledge and the ability to use ICT and interactive resources to enhance learning. Teachers’ planning is informed by assessment for learning, ensuring all pupils make very good progress in each lesson. Our pupils are encouraged to take responsibility for their learning and understand how they can improve using constructive feedback provided by their teachers.

The successful applicant will be expected to contribute fully to the pastoral and co-curricular life of the school and it is an expectation that all senior school teachers will have a tutor group or act as a co-tutor within the pastoral system.

The Politics Department

The Politics department is well resourced, and all pupils have access to the current AQA edition textbook as well as a range of subscription services to aid the classroom delivery of content. Politics and associated subjects are a very popular choice for our pupils at A Level and beyond into university. Politics has previously been part of the History department, and the appointed candidate will have opportunities to grow and shape the department moving forward. There are several staff across History and other departments who have experience in teaching the Politics course.

Politics is taught at A Level only however there are aspects incorporated into the History curriculum lower down the school. We teach the AQA specification as it provides the ideal framework to apply both Government and Politics, and encourage academic challenge. Politics is a popular choice for Sixth Form pupils; this academic year we have two Year 13 groups and one Year 12 group. Pupils of all abilities are catered for and encouraged to reach their potential. Academic tutoring sessions are offered each week and pupils often drop into the office for advice. There is a thriving Politics Society at PGS and many pupils, from all year groups, partake in Model United Nations.

As a department we contribute to whole school events and host a range of guest speakers throughout the year. As well as offering taster sessions to Year 10 and 11 pupils and educational visits to Parliament and local conferences. The candidate will have scope to contribute further to the wider school curriculum and develop links with local MPs and pressure groups to create an engaging and academically challenging curriculum.

How to apply:

Candidates are asked to apply using the PGS application form linked to our advert on www.tes.com or accessible via the ‘Work With Us’ page on our PGS website.

Any informal enquires about the role or how to apply are very welcome at recruitment@pgs.org.uk

The closing date will be midday on 10th November 2025. Interviews will be scheduled to take place in the week commencing 17th November 2025 with provisional interview dates of 18th or 19th November. Candidates are asked to allow a whole day for the interview process, which will include teaching an observed lesson.

The School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Applicants will be required to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). The School may carry out online searches on shortlisted applicants and applicants may be required to provide details of their online profile, including social media account names/handles, as part of their application.

The post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. The School is therefore permitted to ask job applicants to declare all convictions and cautions on a self-declaration form in advance of attending an interview (including those which are ‘spent’ unless they are ‘protected’ under the DBS filtering rules) in order to assess their suitability to work with children.

Documents

• PGS Job Description and Person Specification_Head of Politics PDF Document