Teacher of MFL (Spanish)

Ark; Greater London; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 47,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary above main pay scale

Extra training days

Generous pension

Ark rewards

Job summary

ARK Greenwich Free School in London is seeking an enthusiastic MFL teacher to join our Modern Foreign Languages department. You will support the Head of Department in delivering a rich GCSE Spanish curriculum, with French at KS4 and Mandarin provision, and lead extracurricular language activities to boost student progress.

You will collaborate with colleagues to sustain high standards, contribute to safeguarding, and participate in a weekly coaching culture, with ongoing CPD and staff wellbeing

Qualifications

• Qualified MFL teacher aligned with Ark Greenwich values and ethos.
• Experience delivering GCSE Spanish and contributing to a language department.
• Ability to lead, develop and manage curriculum delivery and enrichment activities.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the MFL curriculum delivery for GCSE Spanish.
• Support Head of Department in developing and managing the MFL provision.
• Coordinate Mandarin and French options where applicable and drive extracurricular activities.

Skills

Spanish GCSE

Mandarin programme

Curriculum development

Extracurricular involvement

Job description

About The Role

The MFL provision at AGFS is very strong. All students begin studying Spanish in Year 7, with 70-90% continuing their language studies through Year 11. The curriculum is generously allocated, providing students with 3 hours of Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) instruction each week. The top 30% of students also participate in the prestigious Mandarin Excellence Programme alongside their Spanish studies. Our distinctive pedagogical approach ensures high progress and outcomes. In 2026, 74% of students achieved a grade 7 or higher at GCSE in their MFL GCSE, with 100% securing at least a grade 5. Typically, 10-20% of students continue studying a language at A Level or International Baccalaureate.

Our department is heavily influenced by cognitive science and best practices from other leading MFL departments across the UK.

All teachers in the department offer Spanish to GCSE level, with French currently still being taught at Key Stage 4 and Mandarin also available.

As an MFL teacher, you will support the Head of Department in leading, developing, and managing the effective delivery of the MFL curriculum. A passion for your subject, strong subject knowledge and a commitment to extracurricular activities are essential.

Applicants must be fully aligned with the school’s values and ethos as set out in this document and on our website: www.arkgreenwichfreeschool.org.

We’re proud to share that our school has been recognised as a top-performing secondary school nationally, receiving Top 10% badges for Pupil Effort and Employee Line Management, alongside a Top 5% badge for Employee Agency, in the Spring 2026 census with The Engagement Platform (TEP).

Benefits

• Salaries 2.5% higher than main pay scale.
• Twice as many training days as standard.
• Generous pension scheme.
• Access to Ark rewards – a scheme offering savings from over 3,000 major retailers
• Interest-free loans – up to £5,000 available for season ticket or to buy a bicycle.
• Gym discounts – offering up to 40%.
• Access to Employee Assistance Programme – providing free, confidential counselling, legal advice and a range of different support.

About Us

How is Ark Greenwich different?

• We are part of the Ark family of schools and benefit accordingly from outstanding networking and career opportunities and first-class CPD.
• Staff wellbeing is one of our main priorities. We provide breakfast for staff each morning, lunch for early careers staff and have a 6pm/weekend work-related communication cut off. We do not do knee jerk reactions, fads or last-minute deadlines. Our systems and processes for communication, marking and feedback and assessment are streamlined and the approaches we take are research led and based on our local context. We offer a WFH day to HoDs for curriculum design and also offer external marking of scripts to support workload. Our full approach to staff wellbeing/workload can be found here.
• This is a small school model (600 scholars aged 11-16) because we believe that our close-knit family community provides the optimum conditions for success.
• Scholar behaviour is exceptional with clearly defined and embedded routines. This means our teachers can focus their time on the things that matter – planning and delivering brilliant lessons for our scholars.
• This is a strict no excuses, no mobile phone school. Phones are not permitted onsite at all. Scholars wear business dress to prepare them for a professional career.
• Our curriculum is traditional and academic, and we do not take shortcuts to seek to boost our position in school league tables – we do not, for example, offer equivalencies such as Btecs or Vcerts.
• We put high-quality teaching at the heart of what we do. We are committed to providing staff with weekly high-quality training. We run coaching for staff who want to see rapid progress in their discipline. Live coaching and current best practice in the field of education is central to our approach.
• We don’t grade individual lessons or ask for lesson plans but we do place a primacy on curriculum design, independent learning and formative assessment.
• Our scholars enjoy a compulsory co-curricular program on a Wednesday afternoon which includes a strong focus on community volunteering and we facilitate 6 drop-down days per academic year ensuring scholars benefit from a range of life-enriching experiences.

Alignment with the school’s vision, values and approach to education is essential.

Diversity and inclusion:

We aim to build a diverse and inclusive organisation where everyone – staff and students – can do their best work and achieve their full potential. We want to reflect and represent diverse perspectives across our organisation because we know that doing so will make us stronger and more effective. To know more about Ark’s diversity and inclusion commitments, please click on this link.

Safeguarding statement:
Ark is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people in its academies. In order to meet this responsibility, its academies follow a rigorous selection process to discourage and screen out unsuitable applicants.

Ark requires all employees to undertake an enhanced DBS check. You are required, before appointment, to disclose any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975. Non-disclosure may lead to termination of employment. However, disclosure of a criminal background will not necessarily debar you from employment - this will depend upon the nature of the offence(s) and when they occurred. To read more about Ark’s safer recruitment process, please click this link.

Please note we will be reviewing applications on an on-going basis and this role may close earlier than advertised depending on the level of response. We strongly encourage to submit your application at your earliest convenience.