Subject departments

Each of the subjects in Programme is taught within a department, as within a UK school. This is a team of subject teachers led by a Head of Department (HOD). Teachers work together under the leadership of the HOD to plan and teach the curriculum in each subject.

Departmental teams meet regularly, and teams of teachers who teach the curriculum in a given subject at a given level work together via frequent meetings to plan and review the curriculum, discuss students' progress and how to assess it, and to plan and review lessons in detail. The work of individual teachers in class is thus supported by consistent team work.

Heads of Department (HODs)

HOD Secondary English: Ms Moriarty; other subject teachers: Mr Ackroyd, Mr Grady, Mr Lally, Mrs Power, Mrs Wainwright, Mrs Woodburn, Mr Woodburn

HOD Mathematics: Mrs Knowles; other subject teachers: Ms Rattray

HOD History-geography: Mr Sammons; other subject teachers: Mr Grady

Head of primary English curriculum: Ms Moriarty; other subject teachers: , Mrs Ciapala,  Mr Grady, Mrs Horsford,  Mr Lally, Mrs Power,  Ms Rattray, Mrs Wainwright, Mrs Woodburn, Mrs Wright

Collective work

Teachers also work together to ensure that all systems that support good teaching and the progression of pupils work as efficiently as possible. There is a common policy on discipline and homework in the secondary section, for example, which the staff are responsible for implementing.

The Head of Programme, Mr Woodburn, has overall responsibility for standards of teaching in the Programme, and for ensuring that the collective work outlined above gives as sound a basis as possible for effective teaching and learning.

Development planning

Each year a Development Plan (a little like the Lycée/Collège 'projet d'établissement'), written for each department and for the Programme as a whole, ensures that  priorities for review and development are established , and that these are complementary to each other and a have a clear sense of direction. Over a longer period, priorities and direction are provided by a mid-term plan.