Reception Teacher

Start January2024

Closing date for completed applications: 329th October 2023

Interviews to be confirmed.

We encourage you to apply before the closing date as we reserve the right to arrange interviews and close this advert before the closing date if we receive applications from exceptional candidates. We may close the vacancy earlier than the specified deadline if the right candidate is found.

School Context

Devonshire House is a large co-educational prep school (500 on roll) in Hampstead, North London. On the cusp of a transformational period of positive change, intent on offering an outstanding education in every sense for its pupils and their parents. The school has just acquired a fifth building, giving more scope for outdoor play and sport, as well as doubling specialist teaching room capacity. The values of the school are unashamedly traditional, whilst its outlook on teaching pedagogy is very much modern. Devonshire House aims to recruit the best teachers and leaders available and retain them by providing an attractive package and huge scope for career advancement. This is augmented by its engaged governance as part of Dukes Education, which promotes inter-school collaboration and collegiality. 

Summary of the role

The post holder will be responsible for the Teaching a Reception class at Devonshire House School. The post holder will work closely with the Head of Subjects and SLT to ensure the provision at Devonshire House remains at a consistently high standard.

Job Description

Main responsibilities

·        To teach the full curriculum to a Reception Class, or as agreed with the Deputy Head of Early Years. 

·        To prepare weekly lesson plans linking to the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum at the appropriate levels as indicated by the Devonshire House Syllabus.

·        To liaise with other teachers in parallel classes to ensure consistency across the curriculum.

·        To teach lessons at the times stipulated on the school timetable.

·        To maintain a welcoming and friendly atmosphere within the classroom, greeting every child on arrival and keeping parents in touch with day to day matters, as necessary.

·        To maintain order and good discipline among pupils and safeguard their health and safety.

·        To set, mark and record work to be done in school and, once Reading has been established, to maintain the Reading Record ensuring each child reads to a teacher or assistant daily/weekly.

·        To carry out all other duties, in and out of the classroom, including out of school activities and outings, care of the environment, display and overall care.

·        To make regular assessments of pupils’ attainment and progress, and to maintain the Early Years Foundation Stage profile for each child in the class.

·        To write reports on pupils’ attainment and progress twice per year.

·        To attend termly parents’ evenings to discuss pupils’ progress with parents.

·        To work with the classroom assistant in a professional manner, keeping the assistant informed about each weeks lessons, ensuring individual pupils progress is also monitored by the assistant, and that the school’s guidelines on classroom assistants is followed.

Devonshire House Preparatory School 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 and Barring Service. Devonshire House Preparatory School is an equal opportunities employer. If the candidate has lived in a country other than the UK for a period of 3 months or more since the age of 18, a foreign criminal policy check will be required irrespective of whether they worked in those countries. All applicants need to have the Right to Work in the UK to be considered for the role.

In addition, the school may carry out an online search as part of our due diligence on the shortlisted candidates. This may help identify any incidents or issues that are publicly available online, which we want to explore with the applicant at interview. The online check forms part of the school’s wider safeguarding due diligence which aims to prevent and/or deter individuals who may be unsuitable to work with children from working in a school environment.