The Matthew Arnold School
Surrey
£34,398 - £46,839 per year
Job type:
Full Time, Maternity Cover
Start date:
01 January 2026
Apply by:
31 October 2025
Job overview
Vacancy description
We are seeking a Head of Science - Maternity Leave to join our team at The Matthew Arnold School, part of Bourne Education Trust.
Our teachers are responsible for the learning and achievement of all pupils in the class, ensuring equity of opportunity for all, achieving the highest possible standards in work and conduct. All teachers are required to carry out the professional duties and responsibilities of a school teacher as defined by 'Teachers' Standards' and set out in the current 'School Teachers Pay and Conditions Document'.
About The Matthew Arnold School
The Matthew Arnold School is a thriving mixed comprehensive school for 11-16 year olds in Staines-upon-Thames, rated 'Good' in our February 2024 Ofsted inspection where we were recognised as "a school where students and staff are aspirational."
Our philosophy centres on both academic improvement and character development, encouraging students to challenge themselves and embody our motto: "Dream Big, Work Hard and Achieve." Our core values of Respect, Kindness, and Aspiration are embedded throughout school life.
The people make our school special—from inquisitive children growing into confident young adults, to our talented staff who guide them. We provide an ambitious curriculum complemented by excellent facilities and a diverse enrichment programme, while our strong pastoral structure ensures students develop into resilient individuals. Additionally, our newly established purpose-built smallholding, home to goats, chickens, and ducks, provides a unique opportunity for students to cultivate nurturing and caring skills.
As part of the Bourne Education Trust (BET), a successful multi-academy trust comprising twenty-four schools across Surrey, Hampshire, and the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, staff benefit from a robust support network in a collaborative environment. We are committed to creating a community where students, staff, and families proudly contribute to both the school and wider community through "transforming schools...changing lives."
Details
Position: Head of Science - Maternity Leave
Contract: Full time, permanent contract
Start Date: January 2026
Salary: Teachers Main to Upper Pay Scale (Fringe:£34,398 - £46,839)
Benefits
* Generous workplace pension through Teachers' Pension Scheme (Employer contribution 28.68%)
* Condensed school year with two week half term in October
* Ongoing training, learning and development opportunities
* Recognition policies for exceptional performance and long service
* Well-being support, including 24/7 online GP access, Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), online wellness support and free eye tests and flu vaccinations
* Access to savings on your everyday spending including groceries, homeware, entertainment and holidays, through My Staff Shop benefits platform
* Work-life balance, and family friendly policies and processes
* Free on-site parking and cycle to work scheme
* Occupational sick pay
* Free access to onsite gym after school
Key responsibilities include:
* Deliver the curriculum as relevant to the age and ability of the individuals and classes you teach, preparing and developing teaching materials, programmes and pastoral arrangements as appropriate
* Provide pupils with regular feedback, both in real time and through accurate marking, encouraging pupils to respond to the feedback, reflect on progress, their emerging needs and to take a responsible and conscientious attitude towards their own work and study
* Manage classes effectively, using approaches which are appropriate to the pupils' needs in order to inspire, motivate and challenge pupils
* Engage and make positive contributions as a member of the wider school team, planning collaboratively, sharing information, ideas and expertise, raising standards by sharing effective practice
Requirements include:
Essential
* Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) or equivalent
* Ability to demonstrate an awareness, understanding and commitment to the protection and safeguarding of children
* Ability to evidence effective continuous professional development and IT skills
For full job description and requirements, please see applicant pack on our careers website.
Our Culture
At Bourne Education Trust, we value colleagues who are:
* Reflective, optimistic and aspirational
* Collaborative and innovative
* Committed, engaged and professional
* Advocates for equality and inclusivity
How to apply for this role:
Please click 'Apply' to be redirected to our careers site. From there, you can access our applicant information pack and complete our online application form. Please note CVs without a fully completed application form will not be considered.
The closing date for this role is 31st October 2025
Bourne Education Trust is committed to safeguarding and protecting the welfare and safety of its staff and pupils, and follows rigorous safer recruitment procedures. We expect all candidates to meet the highest standard of safeguarding and successful applicants will be required to undertake an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.
Bourne Education Trust is committed to equality of opportunity for all colleagues, pupils and other stakeholders.
Applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships. In advertising our vacancies, we are committed to accommodating diverse needs. If you require the applicant job pack to be supplied in a different format, please don't hesitate to contact us and we will do our best to provide a suitable alternative.
Attached documents
Job Description
18.76MB
Recruiter contact:
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About The Matthew Arnold School
The Matthew Arnold School
Kingston Road, Staines upon Thames
Middlesex
TW18 1PF
United Kingdom
Chief Executive Officer: Alex Russell
Headteacher: Ms. Assal Ruse
"'Transforming Schools; Changing Lives"
About The Matthew Arnold School
In February 2024 The Matthew Arnold School received an Ofsted rating of Good - ''Pupils have warm and friendly relationships with staff'', ''The rules of being 'Ready, Respectful and Safe' permeate all aspects of school life'', ''This is a school where pupils and staff are aspirational''.
Teaching and learning is at the heart of everything we do, and our motto is dream big, work hard, achieve. We do this by focusing on the individual, by taking the time to find out how each child learns best, and by acting on what each child needs from us to help him or her to access a first-class education. We are also uncompromising in our expectations: we expect that students attend 100% of the time, and are actively engaged in every lesson from start to finish.
Our staff are exceptionally supportive and welcoming. We all work co-operatively to ensure that the school is a happy and vibrant place to be; our students are proud to be at The Matthew Arnold School and flourish in a safe atmosphere of mutual respect.
We offer full induction and a comprehensive training package. We look forward to welcoming you to the school
Our Aims
We want our children to achieve his or her very best both inside and outside the classroom, and we have a highly-qualified, dynamic team which is absolutely committed to working with our children all the way through school and to bringing out the very best in them. We would love for you to join us in this journey.
About Bourne Education Trust
Bourne Education Trust ('BET') is a successful multi-academy trust made up of twenty three schools (plus four further associate schools), across primary, secondary and specialist school phases in Surrey, Hampshire and the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.
Specialising in supporting schools to improve their performance, BET continues to grow a community of like-minded academies with the highest aspiration and dedication to achieving the best outcomes for their learners.
At BET, we are responsible for the education of approximately 13,000 students and employ a dedicated team of just over 1,500 staff members. Our organisational structure is designed to facilitate collaboration and innovation, with schools grouped into phases and clusters to further allow specialised and cross-phase work.
The size of our schools range from a one-form entry primary to an eight-form entry secondary school with a sixth form, however schools are equally important and carry the same influence in terms of decision-making in line with our commitment to inclusivity and fairness.
Central to our mission is the belief that every child, regardless of their background, deserves access to a high-quality education and as an employer we know that our people are the key to our success – so for this reason you will find a culture of excellence across our schools, inspiring confidence and belief in our communities
Message from CEO: Alex Russell
I am very proud to be the CEO of the Bourne Education Trust ('BET') and to work with like-minded and ambitious headteachers and board members. It is often said that each child gets one chance of education. Our role is to ensure that our pupils make the most of their opportunities by ensuring that our academies aspire to and reach the highest standards.'
Join Us
If you share our vision, we can offer you a great career with development, growth and progression across our Trust. Please see below for any current vacancies or get in touch with us to express your interest in working at Bourne Education Trust.
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