Job Description

Highgate School

Haringey
38,663 - 65,199 per year

Job type:

Full Time, Part Time, Maternity Cover

Start date:

10 November 2026

Apply by:

18 September 2025

Job overview

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An able and enthusiastic History teacher is required for a fixed-term maternity cover (10 November, 2025, until 21 May, 2026). The position could either be part-time (0.6) or full-time. The successful applicant will join a large and successful department and teach across the ability range at this academically selective, coeducational North London day school.

The successful candidate should be academically well qualified: it is expected that applicants will have an excellent History degree; a Master's degree is a further recommendation, but is not essential. The Department has significant experience in successfully training teachers who enter the profession without formal teaching qualifications and in providing suitable opportunities for continued professional development for experienced teachers. The School has in place DfE recognised arrangements for the Induction Year and the confirmation of ECT status. For all teachers new to Highgate, regardless of experience, there is a strong and supportive framework of induction to the School.

The Department

All pupils study History in Years 7 to 9, and approximately 70% of pupils in Years 10-11; History is also a very popular option at A Level, with pupils opting for either our medieval or modern routes. The root of History's popularity is our effort to show pupils that history is an ongoing debate about what happened in the past. This informs our teaching at each Key Stage: our message to pupils is that they are historians-in-training and by the time they reach the Sixth Form, we want them to develop a detailed and extensive knowledge of a history in which they have developed a particular interest. Whatever their level of attainment, we want our pupils to become adept at reading and evaluating texts and images, forming persuasive arguments, and doing so independently with increasing confidence. We want to promote a love of reading history and historical fiction, and to help them develop sophisticated vocabularies.

As a result, our pupils achieve outstanding results in public examinations. In 2025, 85% of Y11 Historians achieved Grades 9-8. In the same year, 83% achieved A/A grades at A Level, with 49% at A. Since 2018, 25% of our pupils who apply to read History at university have received offers from Cambridge and Oxford. We have a vibrant Sixth Form Extension Programme, and approximately a third of our Sixth Form cohort apply for History or History Joint Honours at university.

The History Department places pupil progress at the heart of our weekly discussions and planning, and all members of the department keep abreast of the latest historical publications, which inform their lesson planning and captivating talks to the History Society. Each staff member is equipped with a Microsoft Surface device, which wirelessly connects to the audiovisual system in every classroom. Colleagues share expertise and resources, and embrace a culture of regular mutual observations. They also volunteer for extra responsibilities when necessary, including the organisation of our educational visits. All pupils in Year 9 benefit from a trip to the WW1 Battlefields in northern France to complement their classroom lessons, and there is an optional annual visit to Berlin for Year 10 historians. In addition to historical walking tours of London, our Sixth Form historians also have the option of joining a visit to Paris to complement their A Level courses.

There is a History Society and a Middle School History Society, both of which are very popular and meet regularly. The Department has its own office which is very well-resourced with its own regularly updated library.

Please note that applicants may be interviewed before the advertisement closes.
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About

Highgate School

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Highgate School

North Road, Highgate
London
N6 4AY
United Kingdom

+44 20 8340 1524

Established in 1565, Highgate is now one of the UK's leading co-educational independent schools, with around 1,700 pupils aged 3-18.

Academic excellence

Academic standards at Highgate remain high, as our most recent exam results demonstrate. In 2023 over 50% of all our GCSE entries were graded 9, and 78.9% were 9 or 8. Within our Sixth Form, in 2023, 46.5% of all our exam entries were awarded an A at A level (or Pre-U equivalent) and 82.8% were A or A. In 2023, 30 pupils matriculated at either Cambridge or Oxford colleges, whilst others took up places at prestigious Art, Architecture and Medical schools. Every year, the vast majority of our leavers enter Russell Group universities or other elite Higher Education establishments, including in the US and Canada.

Beyond the classroom

Alongside their studies, Highgate pupils are offered a wide range of co-curricular activities which enhance both their childhood experience and their future aspirations. We are also exceptionally fortunate when it comes to sport with extensive facilities, excellent staff and a wide range of activities available.



At Highgate, we encourage social responsibility through our charity work, both locally and further afield. For example, we are the principal education sponsor for the London Academy of Excellence Tottenham and support Great Lakes High School in Uganda.

Location

Our School is situated in one of the most attractive and popular areas of North London, a short distance from central London and adjacent to Hampstead Heath. We endeavour to be a sustainable school and are well served by good public transport links.

Management

Our Head, Mr Adam Pettitt, leads our Senior School and is also responsible for the overall direction of our Pre-Preparatory and Junior Schools.

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