Job Introduction

History is a very popular subject at Westminster, attracting large numbers both at IGCSE and A Level. Our annual IGCSE cohort numbers on average around 100 and over 120 pupils take History across Years 12 and 13. A good number of our pupils go on to study History at a wide range of UK universities (including Oxford and Cambridge) and History plays a very important broader role in contributing to the academic success of our pupils at leading UK universities and US Liberal Arts Universities. There are currently eight members of the department, several of whom also have additional management responsibilities in the school, as House Masters or Heads of Year, for example.

Role Responsibility

We are looking for an outstanding and innovative candidate who will be able to teach History to all year groups and participate fully as part of a committed and talented departmental team. The successful candidate will have excellent communication and people skills, a positive mindset and a forward-thinking approach to the teaching of History in every Key Stage. They will be able to inspire their pupils and challenge themselves whilst maintaining Westminster’s very high academic standards.

A good first degree in History, single or joint honours (or equivalent), is essential, and the successful candidate will need to be calm under pressure, a well-organised self-starter, efficient and able to work effectively with staff, pupils and the wider community. They will be expected to take a proportionate share in the teaching timetable of the department and of other departmental activities as directed by the Head of History. There will be opportunity for professional development within the department  – for example, or in developing the work of our pupil-driven History Society. There is also scope to contribute to the school's super-curricular activities. Teaching experience is a positive attribute, but the successful candidate might well be new to teaching. We have previously employed both qualified and unqualified teachers and there is support within the department and through the school’s Professional Studies programme for people looking to begin a career in teaching.

This is an excellent opportunity for an innovative practitioner to develop their skills and experience in a highly successful and popular department. 

Line manager

History Teachers report to the Head of History. All Teachers are responsible to the Deputy Head (Academic) on academic matters, to the Under Master on matters of discipline, pastoral, welfare and safeguarding, and ultimately to the Head Master.

The Ideal Candidate

Please refer to the below 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 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.

Package Description

Required for: September 2024

Location: Deans Yard - Westminster School

Contract: full-time, temporary (one year fixed-term contract).

Salary: Westminster 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 deadline for this role is 09:00 on Wednesday 15th May 2024. Interviews will take place on Saturday 18th May 2024.

About the School

Working at Westminster

Westminster School is a busy, purposeful and vibrant place to be and an excellent workplace. The community is made up of 750 pupils, 120 teaching staff and 108 support staff.

Our teaching staff — the Common Room — are friendly and welcoming and all new teachers quickly become part of the rhythm of life here, both inside and outside the classroom. Common Room 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 study here. The School has a vibrant co-curricular programme that offers a wide range of opportunities beyond the academic curriculum. We welcome candidates who can contribute their energy and expertise to the co-curricular life of the School as well as the academic.

At Westminster 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 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 School is a selective day and boarding school for boys aged 13 to 18 and girls aged 16 to 18. There are approximately 360 boys in the Lower School (Years 9 to 11) and 400 boys and girls in the Upper School (Years 12 and 13). One quarter of the pupils board, and the School is structured and run as a boarding school, with an extended day and week and a strong House-based system of pastoral welfare, for boarding and day pupils alike.

Westminster is an ancient school, whose origins can be traced to a charity school established by the Benedictine monks of Westminster Abbey. Its continuous existence is certain from the early 14th century. Henry VIII personally ensured the School’s survival by statute and Elizabeth I, who confirmed royal patronage in 1560, is celebrated as the School’s foundress. Westminster is rare amongst long-established schools in remaining on its original site in the centre of London. Its proximity to Parliament and Westminster Abbey, and the use of the Abbey for its chapel, together with the stimulating diversity of the South Bank and West End, account in part for its special atmosphere and outlook.

The School is one of the foremost centres of academic excellence both in this country and internationally. Central to its academic ethos is the dialogue between teachers and their pupils, whether in the classroom or in tutorials, inspiring enjoyment of intellectual enquiry, debate and search for explanation and the development of skills of rational, independent thought well beyond any standard examination syllabus. The desired environment is happy, busy and purposeful; the pupils are intellectually, socially, ethically and politically engaged, with plenty of opportunities to develop initiatives and to articulate and defend their views, in line with the enduring values of the liberal tradition reflected in the School’s Charter. That tradition is fully committed also to the nurture of 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 the preparation of young people for fulfilled private and public lives beyond School.

Westminster School