Head of Modern Foreign Languages

Lancaster High School

Lancashire

£38,790 - £56,922 per year

Salary:

MPS/UPS + TLR 2b

Job type:

Full Time, Permanent

Start date:

01 January 2026

Apply by:

17 October 2025

Lancaster High School is seeking to appoint a Head of MFL. The role is pivotal in supporting all pupils within our school fulfil their potential. The successful candidate will ensure the curriculum intent is equally ambitious for all learners and is effectively implemented, ensuring positive impact on pupil progress through strategic leadership of the MFL department.

Post: Head of Modern Foreign Languages

Range MPS/UPS + TLR 2b

Start date: 1 January 2026

Application Deadline: 9:00 on Friday 17 October 2025

Interview Date: w/c Monday 20 October 2025

Please visit for all documentation or email for any queries.

All staff are expected to model the following values, behaviours and attitudes:

• Putting pupils first and being positive about young people
• Committing fully to the safeguarding of pupils
• Having a commitment to excellence and high standards in everything we do
• Having, and communicating, the highest expectations of young people academically and personally
• Having a commitment to social justice and equality of opportunity
• Being committed to ethical behaviour: demonstrating integrity, honesty, resilience, professionalism, kindness and humility
• Behaving in a professional manner with staff and pupils at all times, treating all members of the school community with dignity and respect
• Contributing to the overall aims of the school by complying with and implementing school policies and by working collaboratively as part of pastoral and academic teams
• A willingness to contribute to school life beyond the curriculum.

To be effective in the classroom, all teachers are expected:

• To be accountable for pupil progress in the classes they are responsible for
• To have a secure knowledge and understanding of the relevant curriculum area and to keep up to date with current developments
• To plan and teach challenging, well-organised lessons and sequences of lessons across the age and ability range in line with our Teaching and Learning Policy
• To maintain the highest standards of pupil behaviour and conduct both inside and outside of the classroom and to follow the Behaviour Policy
• To encourage resilience and hard work amongst pupils
• To keep up to date with the assessment requirements for the subjects taught, including those relating to public examinations.
• To use both school and national data to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching, to monitor progress and to raise attainment
• To use assessment and prior attainment as part of teaching to diagnose pupils' needs, set realistic and challenging targets for improvement and plan future teaching
• To set and mark homework and to give feedback which is meaningful, in line with school policy
• To contribute to the work of the department as instructed by the Head of Department in the development of syllabuses, teaching materials and schemes of learning.

To develop professionally, all teachers are expected:

• To be reflective practitioners and engage with further research to inform and improve teaching
• To receive and act on feedback to build on strengths and improve performance
• To take ownership of their own professional development, engaging in professional development activities as appropriate to the teacher's career stage
• To contribute to the professional development of others as appropriate to the teacher's own career stage
• To develop knowledge and understanding of technology to support teaching
• To keep up to date on current teaching, learning and behaviour management strategies and know how to adapt them, including how to personalise learning to provide opportunities for all learners to achieve their potential.

To manage young people effectively, all teachers are expected:

• To understand how young people develop and to make effective personalised provision for children with specific learning needs including higher prior attaining pupils
• To act in the capacity of a House Tutor
• To manage pupils' behaviour constructively by establishing and maintaining a clear and positive framework for discipline, in line with the school's behaviour policy
• To promote the self-control and independence of pupils through a range of behaviour management strategies and through developing pupils' social, emotional and behavioural skills
• To know how to identify potential safeguarding issues and follow safeguarding procedures.

To provide the best possible learning environment, all teachers are expected:

• To establish a purposeful and safe learning environment which enhances learning
• To be responsible for the safety of those working in the classroom; this includes ensuring that the room is free from clutter and untidy storage, that faults are reported according to procedures laid down; in the case of teachers of practical subjects, this includes awareness of the dangers of equipment and material being used, availability of first aid materials, and knowledge of procedures in case of accidents.

Key accountabilities (and specific duties / responsibilities):

Individual roles and responsibilities are assigned below; however, the academy exists as an entity and to ensure effectiveness it will be crucial to understand that all areas of work and responsibility are interrelated and interdependent. Members of the school leadership will have an overarching duty to work closely with other leaders and not be independent of them.

Strategic direction:

• Develop and implement policies for RE in line with our academy's commitment to high-quality teaching and learning
• Promote the subject, its importance, and the value that it brings across the academy
• Have a good understanding of how well the subject is being delivered and the impact it has on pupil achievement
• Use this understanding to feed into the academy development plan and produce an action plan for the subject
• Promote pupils' spiritual, moral, social, cultural, physical and mental development alongside British values in the teaching of the subject
• Consult pupils, parents and staff about the subject and its effectiveness, and assess the feedback against the academy's values, visions and aims
• Work with the special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) to ensure the curriculum matches the needs of different pupils, such as disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)
• Promote careers education through the subject and ensure that teaching and learning illustrates how the subject might lead to career opportunities
• Use additional staff in the subject area to ensure there is a framework for deployments and that teaching assistants are deployed effectively
• Liaise with our feeder primary schools on the transition of the subject to secondary school to ensure that progression is built into the curriculum
• Liaise with the Trust within subject groups on subject-related events, projects and activities

Leading the curriculum:

• Develop and review regularly the vision, aims and purpose for the subject area
• Oversee the planning of the curriculum content, ensuring it is well sequenced to promote pupil progress
• Ensure the planned curriculum is effectively and consistently implemented across the academy
• Make sure there is an effective system of assessment that oversees the progress of pupils to ensure the curriculum has a positive impact on pupils' learning
• Have an overarching responsibility for pupils' achievement and standards in the subject area.

Leading and managing staff

• Establish an effective team and hold regular meetings/CPD on the subject to keep staff informed on any developments or changes
• Provide support to staff regarding teaching and learning, resources, and planning in the subject area
• Monitor teaching and learning by visiting lessons, scrutinising books, and talking with pupils to assess how well the subject area is being implemented and how well it is delivered across the academy
• Provide feedback to staff based on the above observations to identify training needs and provide continuing professional development (CPD) in the subject area
• Coach and model team teaching
• Liaise effectively with exam boards to ensure that teachers understand and are familiar with the syllabuses that are being delivered
• Support teachers to make accurate assessments, manage internal and external moderation, and complete external moderation exercises
• Take responsibility for performance management for your team, appraising staff in line with the academy's appraisal policy
• Contribute to timetabling and manage setting pupils into attainment groups

Efficient and effective deployment of resources:

• Provide support with textbooks and library books in your subject area
• Create a safe, welcoming environment and take care of the classroom accommodation, ensuring classroom displays are stimulating, of high quality, and inspire curiosity in pupils
• Audit, check and manage resources to ensure they are up to date and match pupil and curriculum needs
• Prepare appropriate resources for remote learning to ensure the curriculum can be delivered to pupils learning from home if necessary

Specific and General Duties:

• To ensure that GDPR principles are applied in all areas of work.
• To work flexibly as part of the team to meet any emergencies that may arise
• Promote the safeguarding of all pupils in the school.

It is the Academy's intention that this job description is seen as a guide to the major areas and duties for which the Head of MFL is accountable. However, this may change and the post holder's obligations will vary and develop. The post holder is required to perform other reasonable duties which are assigned from time to time. The job description should be seen as a guide and not as a permanent, definitive and exhaustive statement.

Safeguarding:

The Bay Learning Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects its entire staff to share this commitment. All post-holders will be subject to safeguarding checks and required to have an Enhanced Disclosure from the Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS).

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Lancaster High School

Crag Road, Lancaster

Lancashire

LA1 3LS

United Kingdom

Lancaster High School is a mixed, non-selective, non-denominational, 11-16 comprehensive secondary school, situated in Lancaster in Lancashire. We are a welcoming and close-knit community with very close links to the surrounding areas which it serves. We pride ourselves on offering excellent support to pupils so that they receive the very best of all things during their time with us.

It is our duty to see that we meet the needs of all our pupils – be they academic, emotional, pastoral or extra-curricular – preparing them well for life beyond our doors. It is a duty we take very seriously.

Lancaster High School is built on a foundation of high expectations and unwavering ambition for every pupil. We are a small, supportive school where academic excellence goes hand in hand with a deep sense of community—where strong relationships between pupils, staff, and families create a culture of respect, belonging, and shared purpose.

Inclusion is at the heart of everything we do. As a truly comprehensive school, we ensure that every child is seen, supported, and empowered to flourish. Our commitment extends beyond the classroom: we work collaboratively in service to the city of Lancaster, nurturing young people who are not only successful learners but compassionate young people.

Most importantly, our pupils are taught to be kind -to themselves and to others. Whether in lessons, on the stage, or on the sports field, our pupils are encouraged to be the very best person they can be.

Ofsted

View Central Lancaster High School's latest Ofsted report

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