The posting
At John Wilkinson Primary School, we are looking for an excellent and experienced Class Teacher who is excited by the opportunities of mixed-age teaching and shares our belief that becoming a confident, fluent reader is one of the most important foundations we can give every child.
The successful candidate will initially teach our mixed Year 1/2 class. We are looking for someone who understands how to make mixed-age teaching work exceptionally well: someone who can plan from children’s starting points, sequence learning carefully and provide the right balance of support and challenge so that every child makes strong progress.
Reading will be at the heart of this role. We are particularly looking for a teacher with a genuine passion for early reading and phonics, alongside a wider commitment to developing confident, enthusiastic readers. We use Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, and the successful candidate will become our Reading Champion, helping us create a culture where children learn to read well, read widely and develop a lifelong love of books.
We are looking for a teacher who:
- Is an excellent, experienced classroom practitioner with high expectations for every child.
- Understands the opportunities and challenges of mixed-age teaching and can plan effectively for children working from different starting points.
- Uses assessment and adaptive teaching skilfully to ensure all pupils, including those with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, can access ambitious learning and make strong progress.
- Has a real passion for early reading and systematic synthetic phonics, with the expertise needed to give children the strongest possible start.
- Has experience of Little Wandle, or strong phonics expertise and the commitment to develop this quickly.
- Understands that excellent reading provision extends beyond phonics and values fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, reading for pleasure and a rich reading culture.
- Is excited about becoming our Reading Champion, sharing their passion and expertise and helping us develop something genuinely special for our children.
- Wants to contribute ideas, expertise and creativity to a school that is developing rapidly and has ambitious plans for its future.
Why join us?
This is an exciting time to join John Wilkinson. We have invested over £200,000 in developing our school environment and provision, creating high-quality spaces in which children can learn, explore and thrive.
And we are not finished.
We are now investing a further £20,000 in developing a brand-new library and reading provision, and we want the successful candidate to have the opportunity to help shape it. As our Reading Champion, you will be able to bring your expertise, ideas and passion for books and reading to the development of a space and provision designed to inspire the next generation of readers.
We don't want to appoint an excellent teacher and simply slot them into what already exists. We want you to be part of what comes next.
You will join a leadership team that is ambitious for the school, passionate about improving provision and genuinely wants to work alongside talented practitioners. We value expertise. If you bring great ideas, knowledge and experience, we want to hear them and work with you to turn them into something exceptional.
We can offer:
- A newly developed school environment, following investment of more than £100,000.
- The opportunity to help shape our new £20,000 library and reading provision.
- The chance to become our Reading Champion and influence the reading culture experienced by children across the school.
- A school where experienced teachers are encouraged to bring their expertise, ideas and creativity to the table.
- A leadership team that is ambitious, open to new ideas and committed to creating excellent provision alongside its staff.
- High-quality professional development and opportunities to collaborate across the wider 3-18 Education Trust.
- Enthusiastic children who deserve the very best and are ready to be inspired.
This is a permanent, full-time position on M3-UPS and is not suitable for ECTs.
If you are an experienced teacher who loves teaching children to read, understands the craft of mixed-age teaching and wants the opportunity to help shape a school rather than simply step into an existing model, we would love to hear from you.
We may begin shortlisting and interviewing suitable candidates during the advertising period. However, the vacancy will remain open until the stated closing date and all applications received by that date will be considered.
A school tour can be arranged by calling 01952 882950 or by emailing the school admin address: [email protected]
Want to find out more?
A Job Description and Person Specification document for this opportunity is included below.
To learn more about our school, visit our Careers Page or School website. If you need paper copies of any documents to support your application, we can email or post these to you. If you have any questions about this opportunity or the application process, please contact [email protected] and a member of the team will come back to you as soon as possible.
John Wilkinson Primary School is part of the 3-18 Education Trust. We work collaboratively across our schools to create interesting, exciting opportunities for colleagues to share ideas, resources and expertise—making a real difference for the students and communities we serve.
In addition to a comprehensive induction and a commitment to your ongoing training and career progression, we also offer a range of employee benefits. To find out more information please visit our Trust's Careers Page or Website.
The 3-18 Education Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to an Enhanced DBS check and, where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (2013, 2020 and 2023). Guidance on disclosing convictions can be found on the Ministry of Justice website. Under the Immigration Act 2016, candidates for customer-facing roles must meet the necessary standard of spoken English. It is an offence to apply if barred from engaging in regulated activity relevant to children. Employment is subject to medical fitness, satisfactory references, right to work in the UK, and an Enhanced DBS check. Online social media checks will be carried out on successful applicants.
