Teacher of Modern Studies 
Portobello High School 

Salary: £34,938 - £52,614
Hours: 35 per week

Portobello High School is a six-year comprehensive based in the East of Edinburgh with a school roll of over 1500 young people, drawn mainly from five associate primary schools – Brunstane, Duddingston, Parsons Green, Royal High and Towerbank. 

The school enjoys a very high standard of accommodation with facilities used extensively by the community. There is an excellent extra-curricular programme within the school, offering an extensive array of wider achievement opportunities, especially within the arts and sports. The school also has positive links with parents and is committed to building up partnerships with local businesses and the community.

The values of Portobello High School are rooted in the collective vision of ‘Achieving Together’ which drives our continuous efforts to enhance the educational experience for all young people. We focus on key priorities of raising attainment and achievement, fostering inclusion and wellbeing, and advancing learning, teaching, assessment, and skills.

We are committed to improving and enriching the learning experiences of all learners. We want our young people to enjoy their learning and to be actively involved and participating in engaging learning activities. To support this, we are one of the first schools in Scotland to introduce a mobile phone policy which incorporates an innovative phone pouch system. 

This post represents a great opportunity for the right person to join a large staff team and work in a truly comprehensive setting. The successful candidate will join an enthusiastic, committed team in an innovative department. We are a large faculty comprised of Social Subjects, RMPS and Psychology with lots of opportunities to work closely with motivated colleagues across a range of subjects. 

For further information about the post please contact Greg McDowall, Headteacher Tel. No. 0131 669 2324 or email [email protected]

This post is regulated work with children and/or protected adults under the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007. The preferred candidate will be required to join the PVG Scheme or undergo a PVG Scheme update check.  Where an individual has spent a continuous period of 3 months or more out with the UK in the last 5 years, an Overseas Criminal Record Check will be required. You will be required to provide this check. An unconditional offer of employment and commencement in the post will be subject to the outcome of both these pre-employment checks being deemed satisfactory. 

Salaries will be in accordance with the Scheme of Salaries and Conditions of Service for Teaching Staff in School Education.

We're committed to creating a workplace culture where all our people feel valued, included and able to be their best at work, and we recognise the benefits that a diverse workforce with different values, beliefs, experience, and backgrounds brings to us as an organisation. 

As part of our goal to improve our organisational culture and create a great place to work together for the people of Edinburgh, we want to make sure that we’re bringing the best people into our roles, not just in their skills and experience but also in their approach to work. 

You can find out more on Our Behaviours web page Our Behaviours – The City of Edinburgh Council

Happy to talk flexible working.

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THE CITY OF EDINBURGH COUNCIL

About Us:

Are you keen to shape the future of Scotland’s capital city? The City of Edinburgh Council is looking for dedicated and enthusiastic individuals to work with us and deliver key services across our capital city. We’re the second largest local authority in Scotland with a workforce of over 19,000 who all play a crucial role in maintaining and supporting vital services to over 500,000 residents. We offer an incredible variety of career opportunities across a broad range of sectors. Join us and you’ll find a role where you can make a difference and grow your career.

Our Culture:

Our Behaviours, respect, integrity, and flexibility guide everything that we do, and we strive to make sure all colleagues feel valued and have a sense of belonging in the workplace. We want to make sure that we bring people into our roles who demonstrate Our Behaviours and are dedicated and committed to our purpose of serving our community. We are focused on delivering excellent customer service to meet citizens needs and make the city a better place.

You can find out more on Our Behaviours web page Our Behaviours – The City of Edinburgh Council.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

We recognise the benefits that diverse perspectives, experiences and backgrounds bring to our organisation, and we’re committed to employing a workforce that represents the population of the city we serve. We particularly encourage applicants from under-represented groups including women, LGBT+ people, racially minoritised groups, people with disabilities and people who are neurodivergent.

As part of our commitment to inclusive recruitment, we're delighted to announce that we have extended our guaranteed interview scheme to include all applicants who are or have been care experienced, and who meet the essential criteria for the post. This extends our current arrangements of being a Disability Confident Employer, that guarantee an interview to applicants who meet the criteria for the post and who declare a disability.

Happy to talk flexible working.

Colleague Support and Wellbeing

As outlined in our People Strategy 2024-27, we aim to nurture a healthy workforce where we can all thrive. We offer regular events, initiatives and learning opportunities covering a range of different health and wellbeing topics.

We’re committed to supporting employees to achieve a healthy work life balance. There are several policies in place to support this ranging from flexible work options to career breaks. Our full suite of employment policies can be found here.

We have a range of support options available including access to counselling, a mental health support service, an occupational health service, speak up supporters and a colleague listening service.

Reasonable Adjustments:

We’re committed to providing an inclusive and accessible experience at work for all our colleagues and we’ll work hard to ensure that we meet the changing needs of colleagues throughout their time with us. We’re also geared up to support all candidates who may require reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process. Candidates invited for interview, should let the hiring manager know what they need, and they will do everything they can to accommodate your request.

As a successful growing city, our school population is increasing and we're investing in our schools to meet our future needs. These range from modern new builds to older Victorian classic buildings. We currently have 23 secondary, 88 primary and 12 special schools.

Making sure our children and young people experience the highest quality of learning and teaching in Edinburgh is one of our highest priorities.

We firmly believe that all teachers in our schools are leaders of learning and we offer a huge range of professional learning opportunities to help you do this - whether you're brand new to the profession, developing your career or looking for further leadership experience.

Opportunities don't just stop at the classroom door. As a teacher in Edinburgh, you will also be involved in the exciting and creative work city schools are undertaking to raise attainment and close the gap.

You will be encouraged to contribute to the wider life and work of the school so why not turn that love you have of skiing or creative writing into an activity that young people can take part in beyond the classroom? You will be encouraged to be the best you can because we want our learners to be the best they can.

As an employee of the City of Edinburgh Council, benefits on offer include support with working flexibly, savings on the high street and at home (childcare vouchers, premium benefits card) and travel savings (bike to work, season ticket loan).