Lower School Teacher (Reception to Year 4)

We are currently seeking to fill the position of Lower School Teacher (Reception to Year 4).

Required for: September 2026

Location: Vincent Square - Westminster Under School

Contract: full-time, permanent

Salary: Westminster Under School has its own salary scale, and new members of staff are placed at a point relevant to their qualifications and experience. Details of salary will be discussed at interview with those candidates who are shortlisted.

The deadline for applications is midday on Monday 9th March 2026. Interviews will take place shortly after the closing date.

As the School expands on our journey to co-education, we are seeking an experienced, adaptable and enthusiastic teacher to join our thriving and ambitious team. This is an exciting opportunity for a teacher with QTS (Qualified Teacher Status) who relishes teaching across the Reception to Year 4 age range and enjoys the variety that a cross-year role provides.

The successful candidate will teach across Reception to Year 4, delivering high-quality lessons during weekly timetabled slots (for example, covering teachers’ PPA time) and covering classes in the event of teacher absence, rather than having their own class. These regular teaching commitments will take place in consistent classes, enabling strong relationships to be built with pupils and colleagues.

The role will include regular teaching of Reception classes in the first instance; therefore, a genuine enjoyment of teaching in the Early Years is essential. There may also be opportunities to deliver targeted intervention teaching and provide academic support, as directed by the Deputy Master (Lower School). The role will also include supporting class teachers in some lessons, and an understanding of SEND best practice would be beneficial.

Our pupils are bright, curious and ready to learn, and the successful candidate will be confident in delivering appropriately challenging and inspiring lessons across the age range. This position would suit a teacher who enjoys variety, values collaboration and thrives when working with able, engaged learners. The successful candidate will be invited into school during the Summer Term 2026 for transition events.

Role Responsibilities:

• Be responsible to the Deputy Master (Lower School) for all teaching duties and responsibilities.
• Deliver high-quality lessons across Reception to Year 4, in line with agreed schemes of work and planning.
• Provide consistent weekly teaching during designated PPA cover slots, ensuring continuity and high standards of learning.
• Teach a regular Reception class slot, demonstrating an understanding of the EYFS framework.
• Cover lessons for absent teachers, when required.
• Create plans for timetabled lessons or contribute to planning for cover lessons taught, adapting where needed based on assessment for learning.
• Deliver targeted intervention sessions and academic support for individual pupils or small groups, as required.
• Differentiating learning and teaching and associated resources in a manner that challenges and interests the pupils and is appropriate to their needs and skill levels.
• Apply any recommendations and guidance for pupils with specific learning or welfare needs or disabilities, as directed by the SENDCo, or on the pupil’s personalised learning plan.
• Carry out a range of formative assessments of pupils’ attainment to acknowledge and inform progress.
• Record and report on pupil progress and achievements in accordance with the School’s requirements, including formal reporting points such as parents’ evenings and written reports.
• Provide a safe, secure and stimulating learning environment in every classroom setting.
• Maintain high standards of behaviour and classroom management across all year groups.
• Undertake classroom duties including supervision, displays, preparation of resources, and support for educational visits.
• Take part in weekly departmental and staff meetings.
• Supervise afterschool club provision on a rotational basis.
• Assist with Open Days and 4+ Assessment Days.
• Work collaboratively with class teachers, teaching assistants and subject specialists.

Pastoral care and pupil management:

• Put pupils at the centre of everything you do, taking a pastoral interest in pupils around the school environs, so that they feel valued and cared for.
• Monitor the work of class pupils, providing guidance, advice and support, fostering self-esteem, independence and resilience.
• Motivate pupils through praise, while being firm but fair, and in line with the School’s policies.
• Actively maintain the high standards of behaviour and uniform of pupils in the classroom and in all school locations and activities.
• Write and maintain relevant records for individual pupil files and writing reports.
• Communicate, respond to and consult professionally with parents on a regular basis, maintaining records, as appropriate.
• Communicate and consult with other departments or members of staff to implement recommendations, policies or guidance.

All teachers and other staff are expected to:

• Promote and support the School’s Aims and Vision and School Development Plan.
• Adhere to and support the School’s policies and procedures.
• Accept responsibility for the welfare and care of all pupils, at all times.
• Undertake break and supervisory duties, as designated by the Senior Management Team.
• Cover classes for absent colleagues, as directed by Senior Management Team.
• Attend staff meetings, parents’ evenings and other meetings and school events, such as the Carol Service and open days, outside normal hours.
• Attend relevant school trips, normally including one residential visit per year.
• Undertake any other duties or tasks as the Master, the Deputy Master or the Governing Body may reasonably require.
• Engage positively in and contribute to INSET activities offered by the School.
• Be involved in new initiatives within the School as part of ongoing professional development.
• Take an active interest in maintaining subject knowledge, learning networks and current educational research.

Westminster Under School is a busy, purposeful and vibrant place to be and an excellent workplace. The community is made up of around 292 pupils, 43 teaching staff and 50 support staff. Westminster Under School is a friendly and welcoming place to work. There is a real sense of community here and staff members quickly become part of the rhythm of life, both inside and outside the classroom. Social events are regular and varied, with plenty of opportunity to socialise outside working hours.

At Westminster we will always select the best candidate for every position. We do know, however, that we can only truly choose the best person on every occasion if a broad and diverse pool of candidates see the job advertised and are encouraged to apply. As such, we continue to work on how our job roles are encountered, and particularly welcome applications from groups who have traditionally been underrepresented here. Westminster Under School is for everyone, regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or any other protected characteristic. We hope you are encouraged to apply.

The School:

Westminster Under School is a happy, ambitious, nurturing and inspiring world-class preparatory education for seven to 13 year olds. Pupils who love to learn are offered a supportive, dynamic and inspirational environment to fuel their curiosity. Located in the heart of London, the School overlooks the beautiful school playing fields in Vincent Square and is just a few moments’ walk from Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament. It is closely connected to Westminster School; in 1943, Westminster expanded its educational scope by forming the Under School, and the two schools share the same Governing Body and the same ethos of a liberal education.

Westminster Under School's curriculum is broad and diverse, aiming to foster a sense of wonder and inquisitiveness in children and encourage independent thought. The teaching programme goes above and beyond the National Curriculum and teachers are not tightly bound by syllabus. Pupils are taught a wide range of subjects by expert teachers who embrace opportunities for growth and promote diverse thinking, and who encourage them to ask questions about the world around them. While the School's standard of our education is of the highest quality, the School’s focus is not only on academic achievement. Westminster pupils receive a full and rounded education that includes sport, the arts and many opportunities to engage in community outreach; pupils frequently take part in concerts, plays and in both internal and external competitions, and the School hosts festivals and events throughout the year.

Like its older counterpart, Westminster Under School is fully committed to each pupil’s spiritual, moral, emotional and physical development and wellbeing – with a particular emphasis on drawing out individual talent wherever it lies – and to prepare young people for fulfilled private and public lives. From September 2026, Westminster Under School will have opened its brand new pre-prep for girls and boys at 4+ and girls will have joined boys in Years 3 and 7, at the 7+ and 11+ entry points. By 2030, with the introduction of girls into Year 9 at Westminster School in 2028, all year groups across the two schools, from ages four to 18, will be fully co-educational, reflecting the School’s dedication to inclusivity and excellence.