Teacher of English

About the Role

St Mary's is seeking to appoint a full time Teacher of English for September 2026.

The English Department

The English Department comprises eight members of staff. English Literature is a popular subject at A Level, with the department following the OCR syllabus. All pupils undertake the Pearson IGCSE qualifications in both English Language and English Literature.

Person Specification

The successful candidate will be a well-qualified teacher of English. They will have a real enthusiasm for the subject and the ability to communicate a love of English to their pupils. They must be able to work well within a team and should be keen to make good use of ICT within lessons. We are seeking a person with vision, drive and sound judgement. Being able to teach more than one subject is desirable but not essential.

The Line Manager for the Teacher of English is the Head of English.

Responsibilities

• Teach Year 7 to A Level;
• Communicate an enthusiasm for the subject and promote English within the school;
• Plan lessons carefully according to the Key Stage 3 schemes of work, and GCSE and A Level specifications, as appropriate;
• Help ensure that schemes of work are kept up to date and take responsibility for planning new schemes, as required;
• Keep efficient records of all lessons and homework assignments and set and mark homework regularly;
• Assess and report on pupils’ progress according to the school’s systems and policies, adhering strictly to deadlines;
• Help with the organisation of subject resources;
• Help write and mark internal and entrance examinations;
• Promote ICT as a learning tool throughout the department and keep up to date with developing the use of ICT, including artificial intelligence;
• Partake in continuing professional development by engaging in teaching and learning initiatives and lesson observations, attending relevant courses and developing classroom practice;
• Teach and support pupils of all abilities and provide appropriate levels of work for pupils with special educational needs;
• Support the whole school provision for pupils with special educational needs and liaise with the SENDCo as appropriate;
• Support the aspirations of able and gifted pupils;
• Support Sixth Form enrichment provision, in particular the supervision of EPQ projects as reasonably required;
• Deliver university preparation lessons to the Sixth Form pupils as required;
• Support the supervision of private study lessons as required;
• Accept responsibility for pupil welfare and discipline in lessons, within the framework of whole school policies;
• Ensure that appropriate cover work is provided when absent;
• Attend weekly department meetings;
• Maintain an attractive and well-ordered environment, encouraging pupils’ pride in their display of work;
• Attend relevant courses in the interests of staff development;
• Be prepared to cover for staff absence;
• Carry out break and lunchtime duties according to a rota;
• Invigilate public and internal examinations as and when required;
• Support the department in the organisation of day and residential trips to enrich pupils’ curriculum experience;
• Lead a co-curricular club, society or activity depending on interests and experience;
• Attend relevant parent teacher meetings as shown in the school diary;
• Take charge of a tutor group;
• Support and consistently maintain the school’s code of conduct;
• Maintain high academic, ethical and positive behavioural standards consistent with the school’s ethos and values, while cultivating an inclusive environment that encourages pupils’ growth, critical thinking and character development;
• Fulfil other duties as required by the Line Manager;
• Attend any other out of school functions, training or duties as required by the Headmistress.

Other Duties

This job description sets out the main duties of a teacher. No job description can be fully comprehensive and the Teacher of English will be required to support the Headmistress in any work reasonably required to support the operation of the school. Each member of the teaching staff is a tutor and a member of one of the Houses.

Working at St Mary's

A Catholic school. Nearly all pupils and about 50% of the staff are Roman Catholic. It is not a requirement of this post that applicants should be Catholic but all staff at the school are expected to be sympathetic to the religious and boarding character of the school.

Full-Time/Part-Time: This is a full-time appointment.

Accommodation: The post holder is not required to be resident on site and accommodation is not offered with this role.

Salary: The salary for this role will be paid in accordance with the [Employer hidden — sign up to reveal] Pay Scale. All teaching staff enjoy an additional [Employer hidden — sign up to reveal] Allowance which in 2025/26 is £5,880 per annum which reflects the additional commitment required of teaching staff in a full boarding school.

Working Days and Hours: A full-time teacher will be required to work Monday to Friday during term time. The school day begins at 8.10 am and lessons finish at 4.30 pm. The post holder will be expected to deliver a weekly session beyond the timetabled school day up to around 6.00 pm to contribute to the co-curricular offering and/or departmental support. All teachers are also expected to do an evening duty twice per term and to do one day of weekend duties on six weekends per year. There are no lessons on Saturday mornings at [Employer hidden — sign up to reveal].

Additional Days: All newly appointed teachers are required to attend one day of new staff INSET and all teachers are required to attend a further six full days of INSET per year which are currently scheduled in the week before the start of each term. All teachers are required to attend the school’s annual Open Day which currently takes place on a Saturday during the summer term. All teachers must be available as required on or around public exams results day.

Holidays: Holidays must be taken during the school holidays and must not clash with INSET.

Pensions: All teachers are auto-enrolled into the Aviva Pension Trust for Independent Schools (APTIS) defined contribution scheme.

Probationary Period: The first three months of employment is a probationary period during which the notice period by both the post holder and the school is one month.

Notice Period: Following the successful completion of the probationary period, the notice to terminate employment by either side will be one full term.

Meals: Teachers are currently able to enjoy lunch and, for staff on duty, a supper meal in the refectory. This privilege is currently provided free of charge but this is kept under review and the school reserves the right to change the arrangement.

How to Apply

Please complete the online application form selecting Teacher of English from the drop-down menu. https://www.st-marys-ascot.co.uk/recruitmentapplicationform/

A short letter of application addressed to the Headmistress, Mrs Danuta Staunton should be included with your application form. Closing date: 9am on Monday 11 May 2026. Interviews will be held in weeks commencing Monday 11th and Monday 18th May 2026.

We reserve the right to interview suitable candidates before the closing date or to close the vacancy prior to closing date if deemed appropriate. Interested applicants are advised to submit their application as early as possible to avoid missing your opportunity to apply. Applicants must have a valid right to work in the UK.

[Employer hidden — sign up to reveal] is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. Applicants will be required to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers, the Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) and social media checks.

Contact Information

Address: ST MARY’S ROAD, ASCOT, BERKSHIRE, SL5 9JF

Telephone: +44 (0)1344 296600

Web: WWW.ST-MARYS-ASCOT.CO.UK