KING EDWARD VI CAMP HILL SCHOOL FOR BOYS
Head of Economics/Teacher of Economics
Information for Applicants
MAY 2017
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT OUR SCHOOL
King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys is a selective grammar school forming part of the King
Edward’s Foundation, which is responsible for the running of six state schools (five of which are
selective grammar schools) and two fee-paying independent schools in the City of Birmingham.
The school moved from the inner city to its present location on the former Cartland Estate in 1956.
Kings Heath is a pleasant suburb in South Birmingham with easy access to the M42, M40, M5 and
M6 motorways, to Stratford and to the Warwickshire/Worcestershire countryside. In recent years,
we have benefited from a new Sports Hall, Library, Sixth Form study area, laboratories and
classrooms.
The six state schools of the Foundation expect to form a multi-academy trust in September 2017.
There are just over 800 boys on roll, of whom over 250 are in the Sixth Form. The school was
three-form entry until September 2014, when it expanded to four-form entry, i.e. 120 boys at the
age of 11. Nearly all of the students stay on at Camp Hill Boys to the age of 18 and proceed into
Higher Education. Academic standards are very high – in 2016, 62.6% of all GCSE entries were
passed at A* grade (only two state schools – both girls – did better) and 89.6% at A*/A grade. At A
Level, 31.1% (the sixth highest figure of any state school in the country) of all entries were passed
at A* grade and 88.4% at A*/B grades. The school also achieves impressive value-added measures
for Key Stage 2 to 4 - a significant achievement, given the extremely high attainment of the
students on entry. The school features prominently in national league tables. 14 boys have won
Oxbridge offers this year (September 2017 entry).
THE ECONOMICS DEPARTMENT
Economics is a ‘one person’ Department, delivered in the sixth form as an optional subject in year
12 and 13. It is taught in a dedicated classroom equipped with a SmartBoard IWB and a set of 16
laptops. It is a popular venture at Camp Hill Boys: many students currently take it as one of their
three (or exceptionally four) subjects, combining it with subjects ranging from Mathematics and
the Sciences, to more traditional Arts subjects. There are currently 39 students taking Economics
in Year 12, with 28 students in Year 13, at ‘A’ level. For each year group there are 2 sets of pupils.
The subject is, in common with all other A level subjects, taught over nine hours per fortnight.
Currently the specification followed is that provided by Edexcel and it is the Edexcel A course. The
department is well resourced with a range of books and magazines as well as a set of laptops
suitable for research and problem solving tasks. Current numbers for the new year 12s from
September 2017 would appear to be around 30, though this is obviously subject to revision and
many of the existing year 12s plan to continue with the course to ‘A’ level.
Many pupils go on to study Economics at university, either studying Economics by itself, or
combining it with other subjects, most commonly, in recent years, PPE. Many leavers obtain
courses at Russell Group universities, including Oxbridge and the LSE. The following table
summarises the results from the last three years.
2
Year
%A*/A
%A*/A/B
2014
77
86
2015
50
74
2016
63
88
Enrichment activities currently provided within the Department include entry into the Bank of
England 2.0 Challenge. All students are encouraged to support the team who will ultimately be
involved in the Challenge, by helping with their research and developing their own macroeconomic skills.
We maintain close relationships with Camp Hill Girls’ school on a formal and informal basis. The
present Year 12 has established a very successful economics Society which has involved inviting
outside speakers. This society is held in conjunction with the Girls’ School. We also maintain close
links with the other King Edward Foundation Schools, meeting at least once a year to share good
practice and discuss current issues.
Many students are enthused by the possibility of investing on the Stock Market, and ask to be
enrolled onto the ifs investor challenge. They pursue this independently; Recently one of the
teams won the regional heat, thus progressing as one of only eight teams to the National final in
London.
THE POST
The vacancy arises due to the relocation of the current post holder. We are seeking a suitably
qualified and talented classroom practitioner who can continue to lead and develop the subject,
particularly in the face of new challenges in the provision of the new A-level curriculum, and who
is also able and willing to make a contribution to the wider life of the school. There is flexibility in
how the department is structured, so applicants from the full range of experience are welcomed.
Those with suitable experience would be appointed as Head of Economics; those with less
experience, including NQTs, would be appointed with a Head of Economics as their line-manager.
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