Teacher of English or 2nd in English Department

Sawston Village College, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB22 3BP

6 days remaining to apply

• Start date details

  September 2026

• Closing date

  17 May 2026 at 11:59pm

• Date listed

  11 May 2026

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Job details

• Job role:
  • Teacher
  • Suitable for early career teachers
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Key stage: Key stage 3, Key stage 4
• Subject: English
• Working pattern: Full time: Monday to Friday. Part-time working will be considered for suitable candidates.
• Contract type: Permanent
• Full-time equivalent salary: £32,916.00 - £ 51,048 per annum
• Pay scale: M1 to UPS3
• Additional allowances:

  With the possibility of a TLR2 opportunity for 2nd in English for suitably experienced candidates.

What skills and experience we're looking for

Qualifications and Training

Essential:

• Good honours degree in a relevant subject.
• Qualified Teacher Status

Desirable:

• Evidence of continued professional development.

Experience

Essential:

• Recent experience of teaching English Language and English Literature to GCSE level, or for ECT applicants, evidence of teaching a range of English classes during training placements.
• Evidence of ability to develop positive and effective relationships with pupils, staff, parents/carers and other stakeholders.
• Clear understanding of current curriculum developments and issues.
• Evidence of the successful use of ICT within teaching and learning.

Desirable:

• Experience of teaching additional relevant subjects or qualifications, such as Functional Skills or Media Studies
• Experience of contributing to extra-curricular English or literacy activities
• Evidence of effectively using ICT to support teaching and learning.

Skills and Knowledge

Essential

• Excellent teaching, pastoral and behaviour management skills, with evidence of strong pupil outcomes
• Strong classroom practitioner with high expectations that advance learning and motivate pupils
• Excellent subject knowledge and a strong understanding of effective approaches to teaching English, including adaptive and responsive teaching strategies that support all learners.
• A clear commitment to ongoing professional development to further improve teaching and pupil outcomes
• An excellent communicator, able to work effectively with pupils, parents/carers, colleagues and external agencies
• Ability to build productive working relationships and contribute positively to team working
• Commitment to equality of opportunity and high aspirations for all pupils, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds
• Evidence of a commitment to safeguarding the welfare of children and young people

Desirable

• Demonstrates creative thinking.
• An awareness of new technologies, their use and impact within teaching and learning.
• Willingness to contribute to enrichment and wider curriculum opportunities within English.

Personal Qualities

Essential:

• Enthusiasm, energy and personal dynamism.
• Approachable, friendly and patient.
• Able to prioritise and meet deadlines.
• High level of integrity, honesty and fairness.

Desirable:

• Good sense of humour.
• Demonstrates personal enthusiasm for the learning process.

What the school offers its staff

Employee Benefits

Anglian Learning offers the following benefits to staff.

• Career Average Revalued Earnings Pension Scheme (CARE)
• Free membership to all Anglian Leisure Sports Centres – Bassingbourn, Bottisham, Sawston, Joyce Frankland, Linton and Netherhall
• 20% discount on Adult Education classes run by Anglian Learning schools
• Employee assistance programme via Health Assured
• Cycle to work salary sacrifice scheme
• Discounted eye care vouchers
• Annual flu jab vouchers
• Investment in personal development
• Access to a wide range of discounts on high street and online shopping via ‘Teacher Discounts’ and the ‘Blue Light’ card
  

Flexible working opportunities

We are open to discussing flexible working arrangements with the right candidate.

Further information about the job

The candidate will be required to undergo a full enhanced DBS check and must be eligible to work in the UK.

Visas cannot be sponsored.

If you're interested in teaching or training to teach in England as an international citizen, we can help you understand your next steps.

We are seeking to appoint an enthusiastic and inspirational Teacher of English to join our successful English Faculty at Sawston Village College from September 2026. The department has a strong reputation for its collaborative and supportive ethos, excellent outcomes for pupils, and its commitment to fostering a love of literature, language and literacy in young people.

This role offers an exciting opportunity for the successful candidate to further develop their classroom practice and contribute to a thriving and ambitious faculty. For a suitably experienced candidate, there may also be the opportunity to undertake Second in Department responsibilities with an additional TLR allowance. If you are interested, please request the job description and person specification for the 2ndin English Department role.

Applications are welcomed from both experienced teachers and Early Career Teachers. We are looking for a teacher who is passionate about delivering high-quality teaching and inspiring pupils across Key Stages 3 and 4. We are happy to consider applications from candidates seeking either full-time or part-time working arrangements and encourage applicants to state their preferred working pattern within their application.

The English Faculty

The English Faculty at Sawston Village College is a successful, hardworking and friendly team. We work collaboratively to share resources and teaching ideas, and are committed to developing pupils’ English skills and their enjoyment of the subject. The Faculty has a long history of strong GCSE performance, extending back beyond the pandemic. On all key measures, GCSE achievement has been above national averages in each of the past five years.

In 2025, 32% of pupils achieved a grade 7 or above in English Language and 30% in English Literature. In English Language, 65% achieved a grade 5 or above and 77% secured a grade 4 or above. The equivalent figures for English Literature were 69% and 78% respectively.

Reasons to join us:

High Standards

The attainment of pupils is well above the national average and the English team work hard to support pupils in achieving their target grades. Our record of exceptional performance at key stage 4 is testament to the commitment, professionalism and excellent teaching of the Faculty. As a faculty, we are keen to ensure all groups including pupils in receipt of Pupil Premium and those with SEND achieve strongly.

Strong Curriculum Provision

Pupils in KS3 follow a syllabus compatible with the National Curriculum and English framework with the opportunity for pupils to develop their reading, writing and speaking and listening skills through exposure to a wide range of texts (both fiction and non-fiction).The English Department has recently collaboratively overhauled their KS3 units to make sure pupils are exposed to diverse, exciting and challenging texts and ideas. The Y7 schemes consider the overarching question of ‘what makes us human?’, the Y8 schemes consider ‘what makes us belong?’ and the Y9 schemes, ‘what does it mean to be powerful?’ Long term plans outline half-termly programmes of study, key assessment activities and success criteria, and schemes of learning are well-resourced with accompanying resources for use with IWBs. Progression of skills, knowledge and understanding lie at the heart of our schemes of learning.

Years 7-11 have seven hours of English lessons per fortnight and, at KS3, one of these hours is a library lesson to ensure our pupils read for pleasure. KS3 are currently taught in mixed-ability groups but setting continues throughout KS4; careful consideration is given to grouping depending on the characteristics of the cohort. Year 7 pupils who enter the College at well below the expected level also follow an intensive Literacy course, taught by our specialist teachers, in place of a foreign language. We also withdraw selected pupils from the Y7 English lessons using Direct Instruction to help those less able readers with their reading. Literacy teaching is embedded within our Key Stage 3 curriculum to consolidate pupils’ language skills.

At KS4 we follow AQA GCSE specifications. Almost all pupils are entered for both English Language and Literature GCSEs. All classes follow a carefully designed programme of study with regular internal assessments and external exams at the end of the GCSE course.

Collaboration and Support

Members of the department work very closely and share a staffroom. Teachers are extremely well supported and are expected to contribute, develop and share ideas and resources. This collaborative approach has led to the development of new schemes and accompanying resources. There is a rich dialogue about pedagogy and practice.

Good Facilities and Resources

The Faculty is based in purpose-built accommodation that it shares with several other Humanities subjects. English has seven well-equipped rooms containing plasma screens with integrated audio/visual equipment, large displays and ample storage. Each teacher has their own laptop and there is access to several bookable computer rooms and Chromebooks. There is an excellent College library with its own set of Chromebooks, projector facilities and an extensive range of fiction and non-fiction texts. Each year group has a reading list of twenty books (of which we have multiple copies in the library) to work their way through over the year.

A Rich Language Environment

The English department promotes a rich reading culture through our well-used library, reading initiatives, theatre visits, writing competitions and a range of extra-curricular opportunities, including debating and creative writing activities.

Partnerships

We enjoy strong partnerships with Cambridge University Faculty of Education, CTSN SCITT and local primary schools, supporting teacher training, pupil transition and collaborative professional development opportunities.

Application

If you have any inquiries regarding this opportunity or would like to arrange a visit to our school, please contact the HR team at hrhub2@anglianlearning.org

To apply for this vacancy please complete the application process via our website at https://sawstonvc.org/vacancies/, outlining how your skills and experience will enable you to be successful in this role. Please note that CVs will not be accepted.

If you are interested in the 2nd in English Department role, please indicate this within your application. A separate job description and person specification for the role are available upon request.

If for any reason you need to apply via an alternative accessible format, please contact us by emailing hrhub2@anglianlearning.org

Closing date: Sunday, 17th May 2026 at midnight

Interview date: To be confirmed

Start date: 1 September 2026, subject to pre-employment checks

Please note that we reserve the right to interview prior to the advertised date.

* Please see the attached recruitment pack for further details about this role and our employee benefits.

Commitment to safeguarding

Anglian Learning is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff to share this commitment and those in regulated activity will be subject to an Enhanced DBS Check and online checks. Certificate of Good Conduct and other applicable checks may be requested.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act. Our policies for Ex-Offenders, GDPR, Safeguarding and Recruitment can be found on our website: www.anglianlearning.org.

Applying for the job

Apply for the job by following the link below.

CVs will not be accepted for this application.

About Sawston Village College

• School type: Academies, ages 11 to 16
• Education phase: Secondary school
• School size: 1194 pupils enrolled
• Age range: 11 to 16
• Ofsted report: View Ofsted report
• School website: Sawston Village College website
• Email address: hrhub2@anglianlearning.org
• Phone number: 01223712 777
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/sawston-village-college-cambridge

Thank you very much for your interest in a position at Sawston Village College. We hope the information in this pack will encourage you to apply.
Sawston Village College is a highly successful and welcoming 11–16 academy where pupils are treated with respect and held in positive regard. Named the State 11–16 Secondary School of the Year in The Sunday Times Parent Power list (The Sunday Times, 8 December 2024), we have high expectations and standards and are ambitious for our learners. We work collaboratively to provide an inclusive, safe and calm learning environment in which all pupils can thrive. We have an inspiring and evolving campus with a brand new building opening in 2027.
Our focus is the achievement and wellbeing of our 1,198 pupils within a culture based on community, ambition, respect and endeavour. In 2025, the College achieved outcomes above national averages, including 61% gaining grade 5+ in English and Maths, 37% at grade 7 or above across all subjects and a high Attainment 8 score, enabling pupils to progress successfully to their preferred post-16 pathways.
This success is based on a firm belief that all pupils, whatever their background or ability, deserve to succeed. We are determined to recruit, develop and retain excellent staff through high-quality professional development and a caring, supportive culture. As noted by our Ofsted report in May 2023, Sawston Village College is a highly professional and friendly, caring and enjoyable place in which to work and teach.

Thank you, in anticipation, for the time you will give to your application.

Mr Jonathan Russell
Principal

Arranging a visit to Sawston Village College

To arrange a visit and increase the chance of a successful application email hrhub2@anglianlearning.org.

School location

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