Teacher of Chemistry; Maternity

Teacher of Chemistry (Maternity)

• Job title: Teacher of Chemistry (Maternity)
• Job Type: Full Time, Maternity cover
• Salary: £38,663 - £65,199 per annum
• Department: Chemistry Department
• Reporting to: Head of Chemistry
• Location: Highgate, North London
• Start: April or September 2026
• Closing Date: 26 January 2026 at 8:00 am

An enthusiastic and inspiring Chemistry teacher is required to serve a Maternity Cover at this academically selective, coeducational North London day school. The post is either for two academic terms, starting on 20 April 2026 and ending on 11 December 2026, or for one term, starting on 25 August 2026 and ending on 11 December 2026.

Applicants should be able to teach Chemistry with confidence up to A Level and the ability to assist in elite university applications is a recommendation.

All pupils study Chemistry as a separate subject in Year 8 to Year 11, before following the Edexcel IGCSE course. A General Science course is taught in Year 7, to which all three science departments contribute and which all members of the Science Faculty can be expected to teach. The majority of pupils will take IGCSEs in all three sciences. In the last year of public examinations(2025), 99% of pupils taking IGCSE Chemistry achieved 7-9 grades, and 63% achieved the top grade 9.

In the Sixth Form, the OCR A specification is taught and Chemistry is a popular choice for students, with six classes per year group. Standards of achievement in the Sixth Form are also high: around 80% of pupils achieve A
* or A grades and a number of pupils receive offers from Oxbridge to read Chemistry or Natural Sciences each year (seven in 2025).

The department is located centrally within the school. There are four Chemistry laboratories (all with dedicated experimental areas), a departmental office and separate prep room. Three experienced technicians work in the Chemistry Department. The department invites guest speakers to the school, runs a rigorous and varied Sixth Form extension programme and organises a number of thriving societies that meet on a regular basis, including a Junior Science Club.

Our Sixth Form students enter the annual RSC Olympiad and L6 Chemistry Challenge Competitions, where the majority will gain a medal: gold certificates were awarded to a quarter of our Y12 chemists in last year’s C3L6 paper.

Teachers in the department are passionate about Chemistry and are deeply committed to teaching the whole of the subject to their pupils. Looking beyond the limitations of examination specifications, they prioritise teaching concepts from first principles wherever possible, not just in the Sixth form but in all years, and seek out opportunities to broaden or deepen their own understanding through wider reading and intra-department discussions.

They challenge their pupils to be academically independent and to show resilience in their pursuit of a solution to a problem.

I get to work with brilliantly curious pupils, in an inspiring and inclusive department. The ethos to support pupils to solve problems for themselves makes for satisfying, dynamic lessons.

• Support | A welcoming, comfortable and exceptionally well-resourced environment with significant assistance from a range of support staff.
• Pension | The School pays the employer’s contribution to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme.
• Professional development | Comprehensive induction. Focus on continued learning and development for all employees.
• Holidays | Terms are shorter than in the maintained sector.
• Location | Highgate Village, adjacent to Hampstead Heath, with quaint shops and easy connections across London.
• Facilities | Free access, at stipulated times, to our sports facilities, including a fitness suite and new swimming pool. Staff can borrow from 1,700 books held in the Sir Martin Gilbert Library.
• Lunch | Free tea and coffee A complimentary lunch including hot meals, sandwiches, salads, fresh fruit and dessert.
• Sustainable travel | Access to the Cycle to Work Scheme and a Season Ticket Loan scheme for public transport.
• Flexible working | Flexibility for parents, enhanced maternity pay and paid dependant leave.

• Closing Date: 26th…