Temporary Teacher of English with Drama
Heckmondwike Grammar School, Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire, WF16 0AHThis job expired on 22 April 2026 – see similar jobs
Job start date
1 September 2026
Closing date
22 April 2026 at 9am
Date listed
27 March 2026
Job details
Job role
- Teacher or Lecturer
- View all Suitable for early career teachers (196)jobs
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Key stage
- Key stage 3, Key stage 4
Subjects
- Drama, English
Working pattern
- Full time
Contract type
- Fixed term - 1.0FTE Temporary from September 2026 to August 2027
Pay scale
- Commensurate with skills and experience
What skills and experience we're looking for
Are you an innovative, enthusiastic and passionate Teacher of English?
Then this will be the job for you.
This post provides a unique opportunity to work within a high-performing and growing 11 to 18 grammar school with a large sixth-form and exceptionalstudents.
We are proud to be Secondary School of the Year for Academic Excellence 2025, Ranked No 1 in the North of England - The Sunday Times Schools Guide 2025.
We would like to appoint an outstanding Temporary Teacher of English. The department is always looking at ways of developing its curriculum and widening the experience for students so expert subject knowledge and a passion to lead extra-curricular activities in English are highly desirable.
The successful candidate will teach English up to GCSE alongside some KS3 Drama. Hence, experience teaching English is essential, and experience teaching Drama would be highly desirable. All lessons for Drama would be fully planned and resourced to support the development and wellbeing of the successful candidate.
The English department consists of a hard-working and dedicated group of teachers who have a passion for teaching the subject. We currently have nine English Specialists working under the direction of the Subject Leader. The department is well equipped with resources: all of the classrooms are equipped with interactive whiteboards, with access to the Internet. This new space helps us to operate as a very close-knit group, sharing ideas and supporting each other as we constantly aim to evaluate our performance and our practice. We are looking for someone who is eager to join our enthusiastic team as we aim to build on our foundations and strive for further success.
English classes are taught in mixed ability groups at both Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4. We currently have eight GCSE groups of about 24-25 students. We enter all students for both AQA GCSE English Language and English Literature. At A-level, we offer English Literature and English Language (AQA specifications in both).
We pride ourselves on our comprehensive book stock, as we celebrate Literature and use it as a springboard to access all the diverse areas of the English curriculum. In addition, we always aim to provide our students with enrichment activities such as opportunities for Public Speaking and creative writing competitions, as well as supporting the House system in drama, debating and the Spelling Bee. Our constant aim is to underline the importance of English and develop its significance within the school.
We take great pride in providing our students with a first-class education and instilling them with a love of learning.
For the English department at Heckmondwike, commitment, attitude, ideas, potential and enthusiasm are important qualities.
We are looking for an enthusiastic and committed teacher—whether experienced or an Early Career Teacher (ECT)—who is eager to develop their teaching expertise in an outstanding school.
You will need to:
- believe in our school values of Respect, Responsibility and Excellence and follow our school ethos embedded in our motto of ‘Nil Sine Labore’ - Nothing Without Work
- be a reflective practitioner wanting to develop and hone your craft to the highest level
- be an inspirational teacher who builds excellent relationships and motivates students
Responsibilities
Specific responsibilities are outlined in a detailed job description.
In addition to this, teachers at Heckmondwike Grammar School are expected to be effective and reflective professionals who challenge and support all pupils to achieve their best. They should:
- Inspire confidence, build team commitment, and engage and motivate students.
- Think analytically about their work and take positive action to improve the quality of pupils’ learning.
- Encourage high standards of academic and personal achievement.
- Act as positive role models for students.
- Contribute actively to the policies and aspirations of the school and the English department.
What You Will Bring to the Role
- A degree in a relevant discipline and a recognised teaching qualification.
- Up-to-date knowledge of the11-18 curriculum and educational best practices.
- A strong classroom presence with the ability to inspire and motivate students from KS3 to KS5.
- Effective ICT skills and an understanding of how technology can enhance teaching and learning.
- A willingness to contribute to extracurricular activities and the wider school community.
- Confidence in contributing to curriculum development, including schemes of work and teaching materials.
- Energy, enthusiasm, and a passion for English.
- A suitability to work with children, with a commitment to safeguarding and student well-being.
What the school offers its staff
What We Offer
- Motivated, ambitious students who are eager to learn and succeed.
- A supportive and creative team dedicated to student progress.
- Well-equipped, specialist classrooms to enhance teaching and learning.
- A learning-centred school where best practice is a priority.
- Comprehensive CPD opportunities to support professional development and career progression.
- A vibrant, collaborative community of like-minded professionals.
Why Should You Apply?
Heckmondwike Grammar School is a unique learning environment, home to students who are eager to learn, ambitious in their aspirations, and keen to make the most of their educational experience.
We take pride in:
- Our diverse school community, which consistently achieves exceptional results.
- A school culture that supports students' academic success and personal development.
- Strong relationships between staff and students, creating a positive learning environment.
- High expectations, which drive students to excel.
We also offer:
- A competitive salary.
- Membership of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme.
- A range of well-being benefits.
If you are interested in this position, then please visit the vacancies section of our website www.heckgrammar.co.uk/vacancies.
We look forward to receiving your application
Completed applications should be sent by email to: recruitment@heckgrammar.co.uk.
Further information about the school is available on the school website www.heckgrammar.co.uk
Protection of children:
Disclosure of criminal background of those with access to children.
All posts involving direct contact with children are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. However, amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975 (2013 & 2020) provide that certain convictions and cautions are ‘protected’. These are not subject to disclosure to employers and cannot be taken into account. Guidance and criteria on the filtering of these cautions and convictions can be found on https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice.
Shortlisted candidates will be asked to provide details of unspent convictions and those that would not be filtered prior to the date of the interview. You may be asked for further information about your criminal history during the recruitment process. If your application is successful, this self-disclosure information will be checked against information from the Disclosure and Barring Service before your appointment is confirmed.
Flexible working opportunities
We are committed to supporting flexible working and welcome applications from candidates seeking part-time or flexible arrangements.
Further information about the job
Commitment to safeguarding
Safeguarding Statement:
Heckmondwike Grammar School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of its
students and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.
Full details regarding our Safeguarding Procedures can be found on our website in the Safeguarding section, alternatively, please contact Recruitment to obtain a copy.
Additional documents
If you need these documents in an accessible format, please contact the school.
About Heckmondwike Grammar School
- Organisation type
- Academy, ages 11 to 18
- Education phase
- Secondary school
- Size
- 1522 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 11 to 18
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- Email address
- djepsonnorth@heckgrammar.co.uk
Heckmondwike Grammar School is a unique school, with students who are eager to learn, keen to know more and want to enjoy their educational experiences. It is exceptional in many ways: a very diverse school community that produces results of the highest quality. We work effectively with our young people, really care about them and their futures and have an ultimate success measure of enabling them to proceed to where they want to go. Excellent relationships between staff and students are the norm, expectations are high and students perform very well as a consequence.
We are delighted to have been named “Secondary School of the Year”, in the North of England, for 2024 and 2025 in the Sunday Times Parent Power Guide. This is a measure of school performance for GCSE and A level outcomes.
At GCSE our students typically exceed government set target grades by more than 1 grade in each subject and we are ranked second nationally for state coeducational schools.
At A level, we rank in the top 20% of providers nationally for grades AAB or above and typically 3 times the national average of our students attend Oxbridge universities.
We are very proud of our academic heritage.
Misbehaviour is rare; and excellent relationships between staff and students are the norm: teachers are able to ‘get on and teach’. Working here is still challenging, however, but in different ways: expectations are high and potential applicants will need to be able to operate effectively in a top performing environment. However, one of the principal joys of working at this school is our eloquent and motivated students. Consequently, outcomes are amongst the very best in the country, and this is the result of able cohorts being provided with high quality teaching that is supported by strong pastoral care for each student. The school is justifiably proud of the focus on academic attainment and knowledge of each individual that enables education to be tailored to every student’s needs; but also prioritises the support it provides to enable any barriers to progress to be addressed. The focus is and will always remain teaching and learning in the classroom, with staff training and development being the main means of achieving this end.
The school is very popular and heavily oversubscribed, with well over 1500 students applying for entry into Year 7 each year, competing for one of 210 places. Post 16, we are similarly oversubscribed with around 800 applications for one of approximately 225 places in year 12. The majority of our year 11 students continue into the sixth form and are joined by a number of similarly aspirant students from across the region.
We work in partnership with an extensive group of schools, including the Northern Grammar School Alliance (NGSA), and have a significant reputation both locally and nationally. This means we offer our staff opportunities to be involved in professional development on a larger scale and see it as a sign of our high quality when members of our community are promoted to posts elsewhere, or progress internally. As a result, all staff feel very privileged to work here and to work with our young people.
Further information about the school including main school and sixth form prospectus may be found on the school website at www.heckgrammar.co.uk
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