Vacancy: Birmingham City University: Head of Department of Early Years and Primary Education

Department of Early Years and Primary Education

Birmingham City University is a thriving, modern university with a rich history in the city and wider region. With 25,000 students we are focused on teaching excellence and research excellence and place particular emphasis on practice-based programmes that support student employability. Across the institution we have revised the curriculum offer with all courses being professionally relevant and delivered in state-of-the-art facilities where we have invested over £250m in recent years.

This is an opportunity to join an expanding, successful and multi-disciplinary School of Education and Social Work. The Department of Primary and Early Years Education offers a suite of courses to include the BA Hons Primary and Early Years Education with QTS which offers a 3 to 7 and a 5 to 11 route and recruits to 200 students per annum. The Primary and Early Years PGCE, which offers the following routes: 3 to 7; 5 to 11;  SEND; PE ;Mathematics; School Direct and Part time. The core PGCE routes recruit to 200 and the SD route to 70. The Department also delivers the Teach First PGDE for Primary and Early Years for the East Midlands, the West Midlands and the North West regions, as well as running the Assessment Only route to QTS.

The School is a delivery partner for the Early Career Framework and for National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) and has a developing Professional Development portfolio with a range of stakeholders and partners, at home and overseas.

A suite of Masters’ degrees and a taught doctorate is part of the strong research and advanced scholarship portfolio that the School offers for teachers and other education professionals

As Head of Department you will provide leadership across all of these activities, ensuring that students, staff and partners are able to benefit from the Department’s further progression and success. Importantly you will also develop a vision to grow the course portfolio and build on success in research. You will be a member of School Senior Leadership Team. The University is seeking to appoint an exceptional individual to this critical role, with an in-depth knowledge of initial teacher education and the wider policy landscape. You will have an understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing the sector and the passion to move the Department in to its next stage of development.

You will have had appropriate experience of working within schools and Teacher Education and will have enjoyed success in leading teams. Ideally, you should have or be working towards a PhD/Doctorate and will be able to demonstrate the capacity to make a valuable contribution to the body of practice-based research in the discipline.

Birmingham City University has set out its vision for transforming the prospects of individuals, organisations and society through excellence in practice-based education, research and knowledge exchange and our ITE courses are key contributors to this. Birmingham City University is at the heart of a vibrant and diverse community and has a proud tradition of championing educational opportunities for all and ITE trainees benefit from a variety of dynamic and diverse opportunities that equip them to engage, motivate and inspire learners in a wide range of schools/colleges. Through our commitment to inclusive values our ITE programmes will empower trainees to address issues of equality, diversity and justice to optimise the life chances for all learners they teach. Graduates from ITE courses at Birmingham City University will be confident to meet the challenges of inspiring learners to achieve their goals and to overcome disadvantage and barriers to learning. Many of our trainees are local to Birmingham and are committed to working in schools/colleges in the city to improve the life chances of disadvantaged children and young people.

The School of Education and Social Work at Birmingham City University is a dynamic and diverse academic community, with a strong track record of delivering excellent education at undergraduate, taught postgraduate and research postgraduate levels. Our location at our City South Campus in Edgbaston, to the south of the City Centre, is home to our Faculty of Health, Education and Life Sciences and benefited from a £41 million extension in 2018. The campus provides a modern, vibrant learning environment which houses superb facilities, including a sports therapy clinic, nutrition science labs, subject specific classrooms equipped with the latest teaching technology, a biomedical engineering lab and a sports hall. We have a wide range of courses in health and social care, education and social work, teacher training, life sciences, and sport, and our students benefit from practical learning facilities –  a mock operating theatre and hospital wards, laboratories and sports clinics, and specialised teaching facilities.

Closing date for this post:  Sunday 23rd May, 2021

Interview: Thursday 10th June 2021

Salary: As a Head of Department, remuneration will be on the Associate Professor pay scale (£55,091 – £59,880)

For more information and to apply, please visit http://jobs.bcu.ac.uk/

Birmingham City University seeks to be a single status employer and benefits include up to 32 days annual holiday, an index linked contributory pension scheme and an employee medical scheme.

Birmingham City University is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community.

Further details:

• Job Description
• Job Description – Associate Professor

Please be aware that this position will require an Enhanced +Barred List DBS disclosure, please contact HR on 0121 331 6693 for a confidential self-disclosure form should you wish to declare anything in advance.

The University is committed to internationalism and diversity and welcomes applications from all countries, faiths and backgrounds.

It is each individual successful applicants responsibility to ensure that they have permission to work in the UK. Some applicants may require sponsorship from the University and a visa from UKVI to take up the role if successful. More information on this can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa

Some roles are not capable of sponsorship because they do not meet the UKVI criteria relating to skill and salary level. If you are unsure as to whether you would require sponsorship if successful, or whether the role is capable of sponsorship, please contact us: RTinbox@bcu.ac.uk