Teacher of English (maternity cover)

Package Description

Required for: September 2025 to July 2026

Location: Vincent Square - Westminster Under School

Contract: full-time, temporary (required for one academic year)

Salary: Westminster Under School has its own salary scale, and new members of staff are placed at a point relevant to their qualifications and experience. Details of salary will be discussed at interview with those candidates who are short-listed. 

The closing date for this role is 17:00 on Tuesday 22nd April 2025. Interviews will take place shortly after the closing date.

Job Introduction

We seek to appoint a well-qualified Teacher of English from September 2025 in a strong and friendly department of seven colleagues, including an English Support teacher. The successful candidate will teach weekly timetabled English lessons from Years 5 – 8 and will have excellent teaching and classroom management skills. An infectious enthusiasm, an engaging personality, and a creative approach to the delivery of the curriculum area, are all essential for this role.  

The role is a full-time maternity cover from September 2025 to July 2026. Due to the nature of the role, the post holder may also be asked to teach another subject for a small proportion of the lessons, e.g. PSHE. 

In addition, the successful applicant must be willing to participate fully in the various extra-curricular activities – both academic and cultural. Applications are encouraged from both the maintained sector and the independent sector. 

English at the Under School 

English at the Under School has a high profile and status. Pupils across all year groups enjoy reading and responding to literature written by a range of authors, representing differing periods, cultures, and backgrounds. The department thrives on its collegiate approach, and we continually review and discuss the texts that we teach, and reflect on our curriculum, ensuring that the pupils are given ample opportunities to develop their skills in reading, writing, and oracy. The pupils are very much engaged by English, both in terms of the formal curriculum and beyond. At break and lunchtimes, the library is full, and pupils find any moment they can throughout the day to read. Alongside the literary texts that are taught formally in schemes of work, the department promotes wider reading through its Book Club scheme, in which pupils in each year group read an additional six texts through the course of an academic year, and have half-termly Book Club lessons to discuss each of these texts in small groups in a relaxed environment. Annual events in the English department include charity initiatives, such as the Readathon, at Christmas, which is enjoyed by all pupils, also encouraging them to read a wide variety of books. The department also runs the Reading Competition in the Lent (spring) term, with pupils in all year groups performing a self-selected piece of literature, culminating in a whole-school event enjoyed by all. In recent times, we have alternated the Reading Competition with a new event, the Poetry Slam, in which pupils perform self-penned poets, alongside eminent visiting poets, including John Agard and Joshua Seigal.  

Pupils in all year groups perform at a level far in excess of their chronological age, and examination results in Year 8 – whether the pupils take our internal examinations, Scholarship examinations, or Common Entrance for selected senior schools - have been consistently excellent. Additionally, many pupils attend a weekly Debating Society, offered to both junior and senior year groups, in which they defend their views robustly and take questions from the audience. 

Main Responsibilities

Line managed by the Head of English, they will:

• Plan, prepare, teach and evaluate lessons, activities and learning and teaching strategies in line with Schemes of Work located on our Intranet. 
• Provide a safe, secure and stimulating environment in which consideration is given to the individual development of all pupils. 
• Adapt learning and teaching and associated resources in a manner that challenges and interests the pupils and is appropriate to their needs and skill levels. 
• Apply any recommendations and guidance for pupils with specific learning or welfare needs or disabilities, as directed by the Head of Learning Development, or on the pupil’s personalised learning plan. 
• Apply technology, where appropriate and in a judicious way, to enhance learning and teaching. 
• Contribute to and maintain consistency with internal and relevant external marking schedules and moderation procedures. 
• Engage pupils fully in the assessment and self-evaluation process.  
• Carry out a range of formative assessments of pupils’ attainment to acknowledge and inform progress. 
• Record and report on pupil progress and achievements in accordance with the School’s requirements, including formal reporting points such as parents’ evenings and written reports. 

Pastoral Care and Pupil Management  

• Put pupils at the centre of everything you do, taking a pastoral interest in pupils around the School, so that they feel valued and cared for.  
• Take the role of Form Tutor or Form Support Tutor within a year group. 
• Monitor the welfare of class pupils, providing guidance, advice and support, and fostering self-esteem.  
• Motivate pupils through praise, while being firm but fair. 
• Actively maintain the high standards of behaviour and uniform of pupils in the classroom and in all School locations and activities.  
• Write and maintain relevant records for individual pupil files and writing reports.  
• Communicate, respond to, and consult with parents on a regular basis maintaining records, as appropriate. 
• Communicate and consult with other departments or members of staff to implement recommendations, policies or guidance. 

All teachers and other staff are expected to: 

• Promote and support the School’s Aims and Vision and School Development Plan.  
• Adhere to and support the School’s policies and procedures. 
• Accept responsibility for the welfare and care of all pupils, at all times. 
• Undertake break and supervisory duties as designated by the Senior Management Team. 
• Cover classes for absent colleagues as directed by Senior Management Team. 
• Attend staff meetings, parents’ evenings, and other meetings and School events, such as the Carol Service and School concerts, outside of normal hours. 
• Attend relevant School trips, normally including one residential visit per year. 
• Undertake any other duties or tasks as the Master, the Deputy Master, or the Governing Body may reasonably require. 
• Engage positively in and contribute to INSET activities offered by the School.  
• Be involved in new initiatives within the School, as part of ongoing professional development. 
• Take an active interest in maintaining subject knowledge, learning networks, and current educational research. 

The Ideal Candidate

Please refer to the below (attached) person specification.

Equal Opportunities

We are an equal opportunities employer. We therefore encourage candidates to apply irrespective of age, disability, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion and belief, gender identity, sex or sexual orientation.

Safeguarding and Child Protection

Westminster Under School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service.

About The School

Working at Westminster Under School

Westminster Under School is a busy, purposeful and vibrant place to be and an excellent workplace. The community is made up of 292 pupils, 43 teaching staff and 50 support staff.

Our teaching staff are friendly and welcoming and all new teachers quickly become part of the rhythm of life here, both inside and outside the classroom. Social events are regular and varied, with plenty of opportunity to socialise outside working hours.

It also does not matter where you come to us from. Some teachers come to us straight from university or having just taken a PGCE. Some have taught in independent schools before while others come from the state sector, or another industry altogether. The common ground is that all our teachers have a great knowledge and love for their subject and are willing to be fully involved in the life of the School and the lives of the children who come here.

At Westminster Under School we will always select the best candidate for every position. However, we know we can only truly choose the best person on every occasion if a broad and diverse pool of candidates see the job advertised and are encouraged to apply.

As such, we continue to work on how our job roles are encountered, and particularly welcome applications from groups who have traditionally been underrepresented here. Westminster Under School is for everyone, regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or any other protected characteristic. We hope you are encouraged to apply.

The School

Westminster Under School is a happy, ambitious, nurturing and inspiring world-class preparatory education for seven to 13 year olds. Pupils who love to learn are offered a supportive, dynamic and inspirational environment to fuel their curiosity. 

Located in the heart of London, the School overlooks the beautiful school playing fields in Vincent Square and is just a few moments’ walk from Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament. It is closely connected to Westminster School; in 1943, Westminster expanded its educational scope by forming the Under School, and the two schools share the same Governing Body and the same ethos of a liberal education. 

Westminster Under School's curriculum is broad and diverse, aiming to foster a sense of wonder and inquisitiveness in children and encourage independent thought. The teaching programme goes above and beyond the National Curriculum and teachers are not tightly bound by syllabus. Pupils are taught a wide range of subjects by expert teachers who embrace opportunities for growth and promote diverse thinking, and who encourage them to ask questions about the world around them. 

While the School's standard of our education is of the highest quality, the School’s focus is not only on academic achievement. Westminster pupils receive a full and rounded education that includes sport, the arts and many opportunities to engage in community outreach; pupils frequently take part in concerts, plays and in both internal and external competitions, and the School hosts festivals and events throughout the year. Like its older counterpart, Westminster Under School is fully committed to each pupil’s spiritual, moral, emotional and physical development and wellbeing – with a particular emphasis on drawing out individual talent wherever it lies – and to prepare young people for fulfilled private and public lives.

From September 2026, Westminster Under School will have opened its brand new pre-prep for girls and boys at 4+ and girls will have joined boys in Years 3 and 7, at the 7+ and 11+ entry points. By 2030, with the introduction of girls into Year 9 at Westminster School in 2028, all year groups across the two schools, from ages four to 18, will be fully co-educational, reflecting the School’s dedication to inclusivity and excellence.