Head of Spanish

The Society of Heads; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

King’s Ely in Ely, Cambridgeshire, invites applications for Head of Spanish to lead a thriving department within a top co-educational day and boarding school. The role combines academic leadership with strategic development of Modern Foreign Languages across the School.

The successful candidate will drive high-quality teaching and pupil achievement, work closely with the Head of MFL, and inspire colleagues through collaborative leadership and professional development.

Responsibilities

• Write and review Schemes of Work.
• Set high expectations of pupils both in academic achievement and behaviour.
• Commitment to continuous improvement and innovation in the teaching of Spanish.

Job description

Summary

We are seeking an exceptional teacher and inspiring leader to join King's Ely as Head of Spanish. This is an exciting opportunity to lead a thriving department while contributing to the wider strategic development of Modern Foreign Languages.

An introduction to King’s Ely

King’s Ely exists to make the most and best of childhood, and in particular to give the very best education, opportunities and pastoral care to as diverse a community of children as we can. In doing so we aim to prepare each one to live positive, productive, successful and fulfilled lives, for the betterment of themselves and the world around them. We achieve this through the operation of a family of schools centred around a 2-19 co-educational day and boarding school in Ely, aiming to draw fully on our exceptional environment, history, physical, cultural, spiritual and human resources in doing so.

King’s Ely can trace its origins from at least 970AD, making it one of the oldest schools in Europe. The School was first established to educate the choristers of the worshipping community of Ely and throughout our history we have maintained strong links with Ely Cathedral.

In 1541, King Henry VIII founded a College of Canons at Ely Cathedral to replace the monks whose monastery has been dissolved in 1539 and the School received its Royal Charter, later becoming known as "The King’s School".

In recent years King’s has expanded rapidly, becoming co-educational in 1970, and today educating around 1100 children aged 2-18 at Ely, including 185 boarders.

The school is divided into three sections: King’s Ely Senior (age 13-18) and King’s Ely Prep (age 7-13), which occupy adjacent campuses and benefit from shared facilities, and King’s Ely Acremont and Nursery (ages 2-6) which have their own self-contained campus about 400m from the main site. Additionally, Fairstead House School in Newmarket (for pupils aged 1-11) joined the King’s Ely family of schools in 2022.

The main campus extends to around 75 acres and contains buildings spanning the thirteenth to twenty-first centuries, including many of the historic monastic buildings adjacent to Ely Cathedral as well as more recent, purpose-built facilities and almost 40 acres of playing fields.

King’s Ely plays a key role in the local community. We are one of Ely’s largest employers and contribute greatly to the local economy, and we also continue to educate the choristers of Ely Cathedral. King’s Ely also offers a number of bursaries to enable pupils from all walks of life to benefit from the education it offers.

In its recent ISI Inspection (March 2025), King’s Ely was found to meet or to exceed all regulatory standards. In addition, the Inspectors judged the School to have significant strength in the way in which its high quality pastoral care is interwoven with a dynamic enrichment programme. This enables "pupils of all ages to develop their independence, intellectual curiosity, creativity and socialization particularly well".

The School is rightfully proud of the Inspection. It is testament to the community spirit of King’s Ely and the commitment and respect shown each day by pupils, staff and their families.

King’s Ely is affiliated with the HMC, Society of Heads, IAPS, the Boarding Schools’ Association and the Choir Schools’ Association.

Job Description

We are seeking an exceptional teacher and inspiring leader to join King's Ely as Head of Spanish. This is an exciting opportunity to lead a thriving department while contributing to the wider strategic development of Modern Foreign Languages. We are looking for a leader who combines academic excellence with warmth, integrity and vision; someone who is passionate about developing both young people and colleagues and who will help shape the future of languages at King's Ely.

Reporting to the Head of Modern Foreign Languages, the Head of Spanish will provide strategic, academic and operational leadership for Spanish across the School, ensuring the highest standards of teaching, learning and pupil achievement. The successful candidate will enjoy significant autonomy in leading the Spanish curriculum, developing teaching and learning, and promoting the subject. At the same time, they will work in close partnership with the Head of Modern Foreign Languages, contributing positively to the shared vision, strategic priorities and collective success of the department.

The successful candidate will be an outstanding classroom practitioner with a genuine passion for languages and a commitment to academic excellence. They will possess excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to inspire confidence, motivate others and build strong professional relationships founded on trust, respect and open communication. They will be a naturally collaborative leader who recognises the strengths that colleagues bring to the department and creates an environment in which everyone feels supported, respected and empowered to contribute their expertise.

They will be committed to creating a positive and inclusive culture in which professional dialogue is encouraged, ideas are shared openly and constructive challenge is welcomed in a respectful and solution-focused manner. They will demonstrate sound professional judgement, resilience, integrity and empathy, always keeping the needs of pupils at the heart of decision-making. They will recognise that leadership is not simply about managing a subject, but about developing people, strengthening relationships and enabling colleagues and pupils alike to flourish within a culture of mutual respect, shared ambition and continuous improvement.

This is an exceptional opportunity for an ambitious and forward-thinking leader to make a lasting contribution to a successful academic department.

Duties

• Writing and reviewing Schemes of Work.
• Setting high expectations of pupils both in academic achievement and behaviour.
• Commitment to continuous improvement and innovation, which leads to the teaching of challenging and differentiated lessons in the classroom.
• Produce high-quality preparation and delivery of lessons to stimulate and encourage pupils’ learning.
• Be responsible for Spanish teachers, supporting their work as subject teachers.
• Encourage, manage and support the professional development of staff within the Spanish Department.
• Encourage consultation and discussion within the Spanish Department and with the MFL Department.
• Setting and marking internal examinations.
• Be responsible for the academic progress of pupils studying Spanish, ensuring effective record keeping of pupil progression and achievement.
• Ensure effective communications with pupils, parents and guardians and staff.
• Endeavour to provide extra-curricular learning opportunities and trips to enhance subject learning beyond the exam specifications.
• Promote the subject with integrity to ensure pupil numbers remain strong.
• Advise pupils interested in pursuing Spanish and related subjects at Higher Education.
• Undertake colleagues’ PDR.
• Carry out regular lesson observations.

This description is not exhaustive and may well be subject to change over time. The intention is to offer candidates an accurate impression of the expectations commensurate with the post and an outline of the role as it is envisaged at this time.

Terms and Conditions

• The School operates a defined contribution scheme for teaching staff. This scheme is the Aviva Pension Trust for Independent Schools (APTIS) scheme. Further details about the defined contribution scheme are available from the School's Chief Financial Officer.
• Members of staff may educate their own children in any of the three parts of the school or at Fairstead House, subject to availability of places and successful admissions procedures. Staff currently enjoy a discretionary discount on fees for children in Reception year onwards, details of which will be provided upon request.
• The School offers a private healthcare insurance scheme, which staff may opt to join shortly after the start of each academic year (the policy starts on 1st November each year). The scheme can only be joined at the start of the policy year, not part-way through the year.
• School lunch provided when at work over lunch time and tea and coffee throughout the day.
• Limited use of school gym facilities (during specific times) and use of the school swimming pool at specific times (during summer school holidays – small fee applies)
• Limited free on-site parking.
• Employees and their dependants have access to a 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme
• Access to Salary Sacrifice Schemes such as: Cycle2Work, Home and Tech Scheme and Local Gym Membership.
• Members of staff are entitled to 10% discount on all King’s Ely school uniform ordered for their own children from Schoolblazer.
• Discounts at local businesses including Poet's House, The Almonry Kitchen & Tearoom, Ely Grazing Company, Sushi and Salad, Griddle Bar and Meathouse, and The Pantry (Newmarket).
• King’s Ely is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure & Barring Service.
• If you are selected for interview, you will need to provide and bring with you photographic proof of identity (eg passport or photo driving license), birth certificate, documentation confirming your National Insurance Number or your right to work in the United Kingdom, proof of address (eg recent bank statement/HMRC correspondence/utility bill) and certification of declared qualifications

We appreciate your effort in completing this application and for your interest in working for King’s Ely.