Why would I want to teach at Gordon s?

Why would I want to teach at Gordon s?

Welcome to Robert Gordon s College Robert Gordon s College is an independent co-educational day school in the heart of Aberdeen. The school educates over 1,651 girls and boys from the age of 4 to 18. It provides a wide curriculum to the highest academic level and a range of extra-curricular sports, clubs and societies to engage and stimulate pupils of all interests. Classes are small with generous time allocation and the support of high calibre specialist teachers. Add to this the stimulation of so many other able and motivated pupils and it is no wonder that academic success comes as standard at Gordon s. www.aberdeen-grampian.com www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk

Shelley Lee Shelley Lee As a city, Aberdeen has a very high standard of living and is a wonderful area to bring up children. The coastlines, forests, fields and mountains of North-East Scotland create a beautiful environment and the castles, golf courses and distilleries are world-renowned. There are many people in the city from all over the world who, having come here not knowing much about the North East of Scotland, have chosen to remain for the rest of their lives. It is a city which is big enough to provide all the amenities you would want and yet intimate enough to feel part of. Above all, thanks to the oil industry, the city, like the school, is a very cosmopolitan community with families moving here from every part of the world, including many people with multi- cultural and international backgrounds.

You are looking into the possibility of teaching at Robert Gordon's. The questions you need to ask yourself are these: Am I prepared to put in extra work which would be involved? Would I appreciate the extra rewards which can be gained? Teaching at Gordon s is not a different job from teaching in any other school but there are particular characteristics which make it a more challenging and interesting one. The first and most obvious challenge comes from the pupils. They have high expectations of the quality of their teaching, just as the teachers have high expectations of them. They are motivated and do a lot of work themselves, with the consequence that the teachers planning and marking are both demanding. They are respectful and they work hard. They know that they are lucky to be here and they know what they want from their time here. They are not in a rush to grow Countesswells Playing Fields up which spoils childhood of many other pupils. Academic success is expected at Gordon s but it is built on good classroom relationships and the development of pupils emotional intelligence. In the end the most rewarding aspect of all teaching at Gordon s is watching the pupils realise their considerable potential, while enjoying the stimulation of their company. The quantity and quality of the resources available to support learning and teaching in the school are exceptional. The school takes the view that it will provide staff with the means which they require to do the job well. All teaching staff are equipped with their own ipad for high quality teaching and learning. Having said that, it is expected that resources are used effectively to benefit the pupils learning. The school will provide the support needed for professional development as well, both internally and beyond the school and Aberdeen. Staff have many opportunities to participate in high quality and innovative professional development and curriculum

and assessment work on the national scene. The membership of the Scottish Council for Independent Schools (SCIS) and the Headmasters and Headmistresses Conference (HMC) both provide touchstones for the high expectations which teachers here have of themselves. Gordon s is a learning community where stimulating professional conversation takes place. There are, for example, committees looking at Learning and Teaching, ICT and Primary/Secondary Liaison, to name but a few. Formal and informal classroom observation, self-evaluation and good development planning are part of the school s way of working. Gordon s aims to develop the whole personality of its pupils, to find out what pupils excel at and bring out the best in them. Very obviously, additional time is expected from all staff in contributions to the activities of the pupils, whether in sports, in the 60 or more extra-curricular clubs or in outdoor education, which ranges from curricular fieldwork to hill-walking trips and annual expeditions by pupils of different ages, in Scotland and beyond. Staff at Gordon s know well that the more time you spend with pupils outside the classroom, the better the working relationships are within the classroom. This extracurricular commitment of the staff at Robert Gordon s is vital. We aim for a world class learning community at Robert Gordon s and the College is committed to a global alliance of first class schools one on each continent. Robert Gordon s is firmly committed to the highest standards of teaching and learning, including digital literacy and independent learning. Our pupils have a one to one provision of ipads and our staff are issued and trained with these too. Coming to Gordon s you would be joining a school community with a very strong sense of identity, built on its history and long tradition of excellence. The school has an unusually high profile within the city of Aberdeen, not just in the sense that the uniform is well Junior School

known around the city but also in the huge range of people in the community who have an interest in the well-being of the school, whether they be former pupils, current pupils and parents or those looking to send their children here in the future. Aberdonians with no direct connection to the school take pride in it as a local institution. It is a most friendly as well as a purposeful and well-focused school, which is confident in its core business of effective learning and teaching while at the same time providing an enjoyable social and community life for its staff. We reward our teaching staff well with a generous Robert Gordon s allowance (currently 6%) above national pay scale to recognise the commitment of our professional staff. In addition there is a provision for the children of staff to attend the college at reduced fees subject to entry procedures. We would want to welcome you here to Robert Gordon s as a teacher if you believe in the potential of young people, given the very best that we can offer in terms of resources, activities, standards and above all teachers hard work and high expectations. If teaching in an environment such as this appeals to you, we hope to be able to welcome you as a member of staff in the not too distant future. Simon Mills Head of College

A96 A90 Turriff Peterhead Huntly A95 Ellon A96 Oldmeldrum Inverurie A90 Alford Westhill Dyce ABERDEEN Banchory Braemar Ballater Aboyne Stonehaven A90 Laurencekirk Inverbervie A92 Brechin Montrose Forfar A944 LANG STRACHT QUEEN S ROAD COU NTESSWELLS RD ANDERSON COUNTESSWELLS DRIVE A90 ANDERSON DRIVE A93 WESTBURN DR ARGYLL PL A90 HILTON ST A9013 A96 POWIS TERR WESTBURN RD HUTCHEON ST SEAFIELD RD MIDSTOCKET RD QUEEN S RD CROMWELL RD UNION GR GREAT WESTERN RD HOLBURN ST ST MACHAR DR CARDEN PL A96 RGC UNION STREET WILLOWBANK RD GT SOUTHERN RD DENBURN RD A956 KING ST SCHOOLHILL RIVERSIDE DRIVE A956 WEL LINGTON RD How to find us By Car: From North: A90 route: Driving on the A90 towards Ellon, take the 2nd exit at the roundabout onto Ellon Road - A956. Continue on this route, at the next roundabout take the 2nd exit onto King Street. Continue onto Union Street - A9013. Turn right at 2nd set of traffic lights onto Broad Street, then left at the next set of traffic lights onto Upperkirkgate. Continue on this route to Schoolhill, turn right then through the College gates. A96 route: Continue along the A96 Inverurie Road, which becomes Auchmill Road. Go through two roundabouts. At the third roundabout, take the 3rd exit onto Gallowgate. Turn left and stay on Gallowgate. Turn right at Upperkirkgate and continue on this route to Schoolhill, turn right then through the College gates From South: Driving on the A90, take the 2nd exit at the Bridge of Dee roundabout. Cross the Bridge of Dee, take the 3rd exit at the next roundabout onto the A9013. Continue to Holburn Junction, turn right onto Union Street. Go through 3 sets of traffic lights, turn left onto Union Terrace B983. Turn right at Rosemount Viaduct, continue on to Schoolhill past mini-roundabout, take next left then through the College gates. GEORGE ST LOCH STREET GALLOWGATE A96 W NORTH ST By Train: we are within 5 minutes walking distance of Aberdeen Train Station. SKENE SQU ARE SPA STREET JOHN ST ST A NDREW S ST By Bus: we are within 5 minutes walking distance of Aberdeen Bus Station (which is located right next to the train station). DENBURN CAR PARK SKENE S TREET HM THEATRE BLACKFRIARS STREET DENBURN ROAD UNION TERRACE ROBERT GORDON S COLLEGE HARRIET ST SCHOOL HILL HARRIET STREET CAR PARK BACK WYND UNION STREET BROAD ST MARKET ST By Air: we are around 7 miles from Aberdeen Airport. You can get a bus or taxi from the airport which would take 15-30 minutes depending on traffic.

Mount Keen Schoolhill, Aberdeen, Scotland AB10 1FE Tel 01224 646346 Fax 01224 630301 e-mail s.mills@rgc.aberdeen.sch.uk www.rgc.aberdeen.sch.uk Robert Gordon s College is a charity registered in Scotland, No. SC000123