Head of Spanish
Oakwood Park Grammar School, Maidstone, Kent, ME16 8AH4 days remaining to apply
Job start date
1 January 2026
Closing date
31 October 2025 at 8am
Date listed
24 October 2025
Job details
Job role
- Head of department or curriculum
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Key stage
- Key stage 3, Key stage 4, Key stage 5
Subject
- Spanish
Working pattern
- Full time
Contract type
- Permanent
Pay scale
- MPS/UPS
Additional allowances
TLR for Department Lead
What skills and experience we're looking for
Oakwood Park Grammar School is seeking an outstanding and enthusiastic Head of Spanish to lead our successful department and contribute to the strategic development of Modern Foreign Languages across the school.
This is an excellent opportunity for a passionate linguist and skilled classroom practitioner who is ready to take the next step in their career. You will work closely with the Head of MFL and Head of French to ensure the continued success of a thriving and well-resourced department.
About the Role
The successful candidate will:
- Provide inspiring leadership for the teaching and learning of Spanish across Key Stages 3–5.
- Deliver a broad, engaging, and challenging curriculum that promotes high standards and fosters a love of languages.
- Support and develop staff within the department, promoting professional growth and collaboration.
- Monitor standards of teaching, learning, and achievement, ensuring that all students make strong progress.
- Work closely with the MFL leadership team to plan assessments, including the delivery and moderation of speaking examinations.
- Play a full part in the life of the school, contributing to its ethos and wider enrichment opportunities.
About You
We are looking for someone who:
- Is an excellent classroom teacher with a strong subject knowledge and a genuine passion for Spanish.
- Has experience of leading others or is ready to take on their first leadership role.
- Is committed to high expectations for all students and to continuous improvement.
- Can work effectively within a collaborative and supportive team.
What the school offers its staff
Why Join Oakwood Park Grammar School?
- A forward-thinking, oversubscribed grammar school with a strong reputation for academic excellence and pastoral care.
- A supportive and well-established MFL team committed to innovation and professional development.
- Excellent facilities and resources to support high-quality teaching and learning.
Further information about the job
Commitment to safeguarding
Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff, volunteers and trustees to share this commitment.
Our recruitment process follows the keeping children safe in education guidance.
Offers of employment may be subject to the following checks (where relevant):
childcare disqualification
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
medical
online and social media
prohibition from teaching
right to work
satisfactory references
suitability to work with children
You must tell us about any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.
Applying for the job
Please complete the online application.
CVs will not be accepted for this application.
Apply for this jobUpload additional documents
If you need these documents in an accessible format, please contact the school.
About Oakwood Park Grammar School
- School type
- Academy, ages 11 to 18
- Education phase
- Secondary
- School size
- 1088 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 11 to 18
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- School website
- Oakwood Park Grammar School website
- Email address
- jnichol@opgs.org
Oakwood Park Grammar School is a five-form entry (usually 160 in each year) Boys’ Grammar School of approximately 1100 students, including the Sixth Form. We have a co-educational Sixth Form with a pan of 180 in each year group. Entry at 11 to the school is through the Kent Test (11+) where students sit three papers in Mathematics, English and Reasoning.
We have been on the site since 1959 and we share an attractive campus with two schools (St Augustine Academy and St Simon Stock) and a college of Further Education (Mid-Kent College). We remain committed to improving school facilities and providing high quality learning environments for our students. Our teaching and support staff are dedicated and hardworking and very loyal to the school.
Oakwood Park Grammar School has a wealth of extra-curricular activities for its students. Sport is very strong with national success in football, alongside rugby, cricket, basketball and athletics. We also cater for rowing, fencing, table tennis and climbing. Music and Drama are also popular with an annual production and brand new facilities which opened in October 2023. Other extra-curricular opportunities include robotics, debating and chess.
Academic standards are high at both GCSE and A Level. In the Sixth Form, on average, well over half of our students who apply to universities will secure offers from prestigious Russell Group universities and we regularly send students to Oxbridge colleges.
In 2024, an ungraded inspection made clear the school continues to be ‘Good’ overall by Ofsted. However, our grading of Outstanding for our Behaviour and our Sixth Form provision remains.
We are a welcoming, open school with a clear focus on developing staff, with teaching and learning at the heart of our professional development.
School location
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