Head of Mathematics

Head of Mathematics (Secondary)

St. Nicholas School is seeking to appoint a Head of Secondary Mathematics for the Pinheiros campus. Applicants will have three or more years’ teaching experience, evidence of leadership, a commitment to promoting inquiry, projects and student autonomy. Experience teaching the latest IB Diploma courses is a requirement for the Head of Mathematics position. St Nicholas is committed to actively promoting diversity. All applications will be screened for safeguarding and suitability to work with young people.

Our mission statement is central to our beliefs about learning and we work as a team to meet these principles for all learners.

The Pinheiros campus opened in 1980 and is centrally located in an attractive and busy part of São Paulo. It is an inclusive, non-selective, vibrant, stimulating and diverse environment for 600 learners aged between 18 months and 18 years from Brazil and all parts of the globe.

The buildings are interconnected converted houses, contributing to the family and caring atmosphere which defines the school. The well-kept plants and trees are an oasis of green within the city. The site is under constant development and at the end of 2020 we opened a new administrative block and 2021 we will open a new ‘state of the art’ primary building. Our Alphaville campus opened in 2016 and now caters for learners up to Year 8.

The majority of learners have English as an additional language and international learners make up approximately 30% of the school population. International mindedness and diversity are valued, promoted and celebrated. All learners in years 11 and 12 follow a full IB Diploma Programme and results are excellent by all measures. Our language programme is extensive, offering first language English, Japanese, Korean, French, Hebrew, Portuguese and Spanish from Year 7 to IB Diploma. The pastoral system is designed around vertical tutor groups from Grades 6-10. Learners are further organised into three houses and we are looking to develop this further. There is an active and effective student council which participates actively in school affairs. There is an active support department offering both academic and emotional support for all learners. The Primary section offers the IB PYP programme and the Secondary section IGCSE in some subjects and IB Diploma.

Since March 2020 the school has operated largely online. The programme has been based on a combination of synchronous lessons delivered via Zoom and/or Google Meet and asynchronous work supported by Google Classroom and ManageBack. The systems have worked effectively and learners, teachers and parents have been generally appreciative and supportive.

Head of Mathematics Teacher in the Secondary School

The department works with approximately 270 learners from Grade 6 to12. Each year group has between 30 and 50 learners divided into two or three groups per year to achieve an ideal learner/ teacher ratio of 1:15. Mathematics is blocked in the timetable to encourage collaboration between groups. Each year group uses a single Google Classroom to further reinforce this collaboration. The refurbishment of the rooms in 2020 is designed to offer the opportunity for the seamless joining and separation of classes. Teachers are allocated to a group and/or course by the head of the faculty.

The faculty counts on six mathematics teachers, 5 recently refurbished interconnected rooms which can be used as individual classrooms or opened to allow larger group and team teaching. The department has access to ample resources, including, books, consumables, software licences, Chromebooks, graphic calculators, projectors and TVs and reliable WiFi connection. The department has access to a well-resourced maker space with a dedicated technician, kits, tools, high-end laser cutter and a 3D printer. There is an annual material budget which is set and managed by the Head of Faculty.

The Mathematics faculty is collegial and well-managed. The current team shares ideas, resources and experiences to create and sustain a collaborative ethos. In grades 6 and 7 the programme is inquiry-based and taught in non-selective groups. In Years 9 and 10, the majority of learners follow the Cambridge International Mathematics IGCSE programme. We are searching for the right curricular blend and open to all sustainable options which reflect the school mission and inquiry-based philosophy. There is a new initiative to articulate numeracy throughout the Primary and Secondary sections and the incoming head of faculty will support this initiative.

In years 11 and 12 the faculty offers IB Diploma courses at SL and HL in Analysis and Approaches and Applications and Interpretation. The courses are popular and learners opt for courses that challenge them. The teaching is collaborative. The courses are extremely well structured and resourced and results are above the World average. All teachers commit to the IB Diploma and contribute to Theory of Knowledge, Extended Essays and CAS.

Safe recruitment practices and continuous checking are the first steps to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of international school communities. St Nicholas School is committed to safeguarding and safe recruitment practices. The School expects all people involved in recruitment to share this commitment. All shortlisted candidates will provide references. Successful candidates will provide proof of qualifications, submit to complete and rigorous safeguarding checks.