Teacher of Spanish
Full time, permanent
Starting September 2024
Headington Rye Oxford is a vibrant and welcoming school set in 23 acres of playing fields and grounds. In an environment where individuals come first, Headington Rye Oxford is renowned for its commitment to academic excellence, pastoral support and an impressive range of extra-curricular opportunities.
Executive Summary
We are seeking to appoint a well-qualified, innovative and inspiring teacher to join our large, dynamic Modern Languages faculty from September 2024. The successful candidate will have a good honours degree and be able to support the delivery of Spanish at all Key Stages. The ability to offer a second language would be an advantage.
All teachers at Headington Rye Oxford benefit from an excellent CPD structure and we therefore welcome applications from confident and well-qualified ECTs.
Modern Languages at Headington Rye Oxford
The Modern Languages Faculty at Headington Rye Oxford is successful and thriving, with a significant proportion of our students going on to study languages at university.
Spanish is a particularly popular option and our pupils achieve very high outcomes: in 2023, 33 per cent of our students gained an A* at A Level and 67 per cent A*-B, while at GCSE 27 per cent of pupils achieved a Grade 9 and 49 per cent Grade 9-8.
Our core languages are French, German and Spanish up to GCSE, with Cantonese and Mandarin available in the Sixth Form, and from 2024 we will be introducing Italian at Key Stage 3.
At present, pupils in U3 (Year 7) study one language (French, German or Spanish) and choose an additional language to take through to L4 and U4 (Years 8-9), with the option of taking one or more through to GCSE.
In the Sixth Form we offer A Level Spanish, French and German, while Italian is offered as an Elective. Native-speaking specialist language assistants offer conversation lessons to pupils from U5 (Year 11) upwards, ensuring a high standard in their oral examinations.
We run a wide range of enrichment activities, such as our Languages Ambassadors scheme, Olympiads, cultural evenings, theatre performances, film clubs, visits and exchanges, as well as cross-curricular events including our recent GCHQ competition, trips to the opera and workshops at Oxford University.
The Modern Languages faculty has a suite of seven dedicated teaching rooms in the Main School building, each equipped with an interactive whiteboard, as well as three smaller rooms for speaking lessons. IPads are issued to all pupils in U3 - U5 (Years 7-11) to use in lessons.
The drive, dedication and enthusiasm of the Modern Languages faculty ensures its success and popularity and we look forward to welcoming a new member to our friendly and innovative team of practitioners.
Role Description
This is a full-time, permanent, position starting in September 2024.
Key Responsibilities
Academic responsibilities
In line with the Teachers’ Standards, all our teachers must plan and teach well-structured lessons of a consistently high standard which inspire, motivate and challenge our pupils. They must be able to demonstrate a clear understanding of how to adapt their teaching to respond to the strengths and needs of all pupils. Teachers must monitor the progress of their pupils, set appropriate targets and give regular feedback, encouraging their pupils to reflect on this feedback. Teachers must communicate effectively with parents by producing relevant reports and attending parents’ evenings as directed. Our teachers are expected to make a positive contribution to the wider life and ethos of the School, developing effective professional relationships with colleagues to support the specific targets of the School, faculty and departmental development plans. They have a responsibility to work collaboratively with others in their department, contributing to the design and provision of an engaging curriculum within the relevant subject area.
Co-curricular responsibilities
Teachers are expected to make a regular contribution to the co-curricular life of the School, through involvement in extra-curricular clubs, societies and activities and through attendance on academic, pastoral and co-curricular school trips. All staff attend competitive house meetings and assist with the running of internal house events and many staff choose to make a wider contribution to the School’s varied partnership and outreach programme.
Pastoral Responsibilities
All members of staff are tutors. Full-time members of staff are lead tutors, while part-time staff have a supporting role. Duties include registering the tutor group each morning, monitoring their attendance and initial stages of pastoral and academic welfare, teaching PSHE, attending year group meetings as required, attending assemblies with your tutor group and organising tutor group assemblies in conjunction with the School Chaplain.
Professional Development
All teachers are expected to show evidence of a continuing interest in professional and personal development and to consider the needs of the School and its development plans when planning Continuing Professional Development.
Headington Rye Oxford supports staff with a wide range of internal and external inset opportunities, including regular internally-delivered teaching and learning sessions, Initial Teacher Training sessions for those in the early stages of their career and regular whole-school inset designed to ensure teachers are up-to-date with statutory training in a variety of areas.
Person Specification
Qualifications and Experience
Essential
- A good honours degree relevant to the teaching aspects of the role
Desirable
- A recognised teaching qualification
Personal Attributes and Skills
- excellent interpersonal and communication skills
- ability to motivate and enthuse others
- adaptability and show good judgement
- an exceptional classroom practitioner
- positive manner and a sense of humour
- sympathy with the values and ethos of the School
Terms of Appointment
Type of Contract
Full time, starting September 2024
Benefits
Pension
As per current legislation, eligibility is based on the School’s terms and conditions of eligibility for the Teachers’ Pension Scheme.
Fee remission
In accordance with the School’s policy, which may be subject to change, up to 50 per cent fee remission for girls attending Headington School and up to 20 per cent fee remission for boys attending Magdalen College School (under a reciprocal agreement) and subject to the terms of their policy. Fee remission is calculated on the number of weeks and hours worked and is pro rata for part-time staff who work at least 50 per cent of a normal working week.
The remuneration package
Headington Rye Oxford offers an enhanced teaching scale with points that equate to teaching experience and a leadership scale for responsibility. The salary offered will reflect the experience of the successful candidate and be commensurate with the post.
Additional Benefits
All staff have access to a broad programme of wellbeing activities. The programme currently includes access to the School’s gym and swimming pool, weekly Yoga, Step and Tone and Zumba classes and regular staff social activities such as Book Club and Staff Choir. Staff also benefit from free access to the Employee Assistance Programme, a free, confidential helpline that offers advice on a range of issues. Free restricted parking is available for all staff on site.
Appointment Process and How To Apply
Applicants should submit an application form and a covering letter detailing their skills and experience to recruitment@headington.org
- Applications will only be accepted from candidates completing the application form in full. CVs will not be accepted in substitution for completed application forms. However, they may be sent in addition to the application form.
- We will seek references on shortlisted candidates and will approach previous employers for information to verify particular experience or qualifications, before the interview. References will ask about your suitability to work with children.
- If you are invited to interview you will receive notification outlining the interview process and guidance regarding the documentation you are required to provide.
Closing Date: Please apply immediately
Please note that applications will be reviewed and shortlisted on a rolling basis and we reserve the right to interview, appoint and close adverts early depending on the volume of applications we receive. We therefore encourage you to apply at the earliest opportunity to avoid disappointment.
All appointments are subject to satisfactory completion of all employment checks, ie references, Disclosure and Barring Service, medical questionnaire, Right to Work in the UK. Headington Rye Oxford is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. Applicants must undergo child protection screening, including checks with past employers and DBS and barred lists checks. The School expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.