REDMAIDS' HIGH SCHOOL
FOR GIRLS·BRISTOL
Teacher of German
(0.5-0.7 FTE) Two Year Fixed Term
Closing Date: Monday 1 June 2026
THE SUNDAY TIMES
SCHOOLS GUIDE 2026
Redmaids' High School GDST: A company limited by guarantee, company number
- Registered address: 10 Bressenden Place, London SW1E 5DH. Registered charity number: 306983
TOP BRISTOL SCHOOL FOR ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
About The Role
We are seeking an engaging and inspirational German specialist with a genuine passion for the subject to join a highly successful Language Department. A second language of French, Spanish or Russian would be beneficial and there is potential to be Lead of Subject dependent on experience. You will take an active part in delivering the aims of our curriculum statement as follows:
Our aim is to provide a languages curriculum that enables students of all abilities to fulfil their potential for language learning and empowers them to become confident and articulate linguists. Through the systematic teaching of vocabulary, grammar and phonics and extensive practice of this knowledge, students are equipped to attain a high degree of competency in communicating in the target language, both in speaking and writing. Lesson content is both rigorous and stimulating and includes study of the culture, history and literature of the language studied.
Our students are encouraged to be creative and to express themselves through the languages they study, in classes conducted overwhelmingly in the target language. We believe that opportunities to interact with native speakers and to visit the country of the language studied are integral to enjoyment and progress in the language learning process. To this end we work closely with our committed team of assistants and the department runs trips to France, Germany, Spain and Estonia.
The study of another language allows students to develop an appreciation of different ways of thinking and diversity in all its forms and prepares them to live and work in an international community.
Job Details and Remuneration
Hours: 0.5-0.7 FTE Salary/Scale: PL1/PL2: £37,617 - £53,781 pro-rated
Starting salary for new joiner will be on the GDST teacher pay scale and will depend on the experience and qualifications of the successful candidate. We offer a competitive salary and benefits package and a strong professional development programme.
Benefits:
Competitive salaries and pay progression.
Access to extensive professional development opportunities.
Training grants for qualifications.
Generous contributory pension scheme (Flexible Pension Plan administered by Aviva).
Free life assurance benefit.
Free school lunches.
An Employee Assistance Programme with free helpline and counselling provision plus financial guidance and support.
Retail and lifestyle discounts.
A discount of up to 50% (based on your FTE) on fees for children at GDST schools.
About the Department
The Modern Languages department is a dynamic team of enthusiastic and dedicated linguists who share a common purpose: to encourage and stretch students of all abilities to fulfil their potential for language learning. The Modern Languages department belongs to the Languages Faculty, which includes the Classics department. French, Russian and Spanish are taught from Year 7 up to ‘A’ Level. For 2026-7 German will be taught from Year 8 to ‘A’ Level.
In Years 7 to 9 all students study two of French, German, Russian, Spanish and Latin.Students are encouraged to take at least one language to GCSE, and several choose to continue both languages. In French, German and Spanish, we follow the AQA specification at GCSE and in Russian Edexcel. At ‘A’ Level students take the Edexcel qualification in French, German and Spanish and AQA in Spanish. Year 10 and 11 students receive extra conversation practice in small groups once per fortnight with the language assistant and Sixth Form students have a weekly one-to-one conversation class. There are currently eight members of teaching staff in the department and four language assistants. The department has four large teaching rooms, one per language, and a smaller languages room in the Sixth Form.
Recent successes in national competitions include winning entries in the Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators and the Sheffield University Translation Competition for Sixth Form students and prizes in the Association for Language Learning European Day of Languages Creative Writing Competition. In the annual regional Modern Languages Sixth Form Debating Competition, our Sixth Form teams frequently win their debates against other schools in the Southwest.
Our students regularly choose to pursue languages at university, and a number of students have gained places at Oxbridge in recent years.
About Redmaids’ High School GDST
Occupying a spacious, green and open site near to Bristol city centre, Redmaids’ High School is the oldest girls’ school in Britain with a history that dates back to 1634. Formed out of a merger between the Red Maids’ School and Redland High School in 2016, we are one of the leading independent day schools in the UK. We offer an exceptional educational experience for girls and young women from 7 to 18 years, focused on aspiration, inclusivity, happiness and support for others. This has earned us year on year placement in the top schools’ rankings for our GCSE and A level results. A true all-through school, there is an incredibly close link between Junior and Senior Schools, with the vast majority of junior students (90%+) moving into Year 7 each year.
A proud member of the Girls' Day School Trust, the leading family of girls’ schools in the UK, we share a common ethos and commitment to fearless, girls’-first education, supporting staff and students alike through collaboration and empowerment across the network.
We are fortunate to have superb facilities across our interlinked Junior and Senior School sites. Our dedicated Sixth Form Centre provides first-rate quiet study and recreation space, while the main hall provides an outstanding venue for productions and concerts. We are equally proud of our sporting facilities including ‘The Lawns’, our specialist sports site for hockey, netball, cricket, tennis and athletics, which underpins our teams’ regular sporting successes at regional and national level.
Redmaids’ High is an inclusive environment, and we continue to take steps to enhance and improve our diversity and equality of opportunities. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds.
Mission Statement
Redmaids’ High is an inclusive community, based on happiness, aspiration, and support for others.
Our statement is supported by our Values, which outline the core aspects that will help us fulfil our mission. These are:
To know and understand each individual student.
To help students to understand themselves and their strengths.
To inspire students to forge a future of lifelong learning, in all its guises.
Our mission and values are simple, and deliberately so. We are proud of the achievements and destinations for all of our students, and this is the result of the hard work by all members of the community to ensure that students feel known and valued for who they are, as well as inspired about what they can be. We want all students to leave with the strong sense that they can go on and make a difference in their world, whatever they go on to do. A student’s definition of success is their own, but what we instill in them is a feeling that their sights should never be lowered by external forces.
Role Purpose
All teachers are involved in the planning and delivery of lessons that promote strong understanding and a love of subjects among our students. Ours is a collaborative school, with colleagues within and across departments supporting one another in the planning of schemes of work or provision of resources, as well as the development of teaching and learning.
As a classroom teacher, you will be working with groups across the school, from Years 7 to 13, responsible for the progression of students, in line with departmental approaches and in preparation for any public examinations. This will include the monitoring of academic progress of students, the provision of regular feedback, and the refining of approaches in response to student progression where appropriate.
All teaching members of staff are also expected to be Form tutors, working closely with students in your tutor group to monitor their pastoral care and well-being. Forming positive relationships with all students is a crucial part of our role, and this is just as important in the classroom as it is in the Form room.
How We Work
We set high expectations for our students and give them the tools they need to be successful.
Carefully chosen modelled examples, retrieval practice and interleaving are integral in our lesson planning.
Resources are selected to ensure that all students are appropriately challenged and gain experience in problem solving and working in unfamiliar contexts.
Students are expected to work on areas of relative weakness, and we support them by setting targeted intervention work and running weekly Clinics.
We offer lunchtime and other extra-curricular activities, such as trips to Berlin, Nice, Malaga and Tallinn, the regional Sixth Form MFL debating competition, the UK Linguistic Olympiad, the Association for Language Learning (ALL) European Day of Languages creative writing competition and the ALL lectures at Bristol University.
Our Curriculum
In Year 8 students follow the Echt I and 2 courses
In Year 9 students complete the Echt 2 course
In Years 10 and 11 students prepare for German GCSE (AQA)
A-Level (Edexcel)
Sixth form students preparing for competitive university places are offered lunch time sessions to help them prepare for admissions tests and interviews.
Key Responsibilities
Under the direction of the Head of Faculty
Planning and delivery of lessons across all Key Stages.
Providing regular feedback to students, in-line with the school and department marking and feedback policies.
Inputting into schemes of work or providing subject-specific resources.
Participating in department-specific trips or enrichment opportunities.
The registration, pastoral care and well-being of students in their tutor group, including academic monitoring conversations and feedback on a 1:1 basis.
Participation in the school extra-curricular programme.
Provision of regular feedback about student progress or pastoral matters to parents, through attendance at Parents’ Evenings, completion of reports and picking up individual matters where appropriate.
All teachers are also asked to attend department, tutor and whole staff meetings. The timetable at Redmaids’ High is constructed on a two-week basis.
All school staff are expected to:
Work towards and support the school vision and the current school objectives outlined in the School Development Plan.
Support and contribute to the school’s responsibility for safeguarding students.
Work within the school’s health and safety policy to ensure a safe working environment for staff, students and visitors.
Work within the GDST’s Diversity Policy to promote equality of opportunity for all students and staff, both current and prospective.
Maintain high professional standards of attendance, punctuality, appearance, conduct and positive, courteous relations with students, parents and colleagues.
Engage actively in the performance review process. Adhere to policies as set out in the GDST Council Regulations, Notes of Guidance and GDST circulars.
Undertake other reasonable duties related to the job purpose required from time to time.
Person Specification
The successful candidate will demonstrate the following skills and competencies:
A warm communicator
A well-qualified German specialist
Keen to be involved with trips and enrichment opportunities beyond the classroom
Passionate about education
Attentive to ongoing developments, debates and training relating to the development of teaching and learning of Languages curriculum.
Experienced in dealing with pastoral matters
A team player
A creative thinker
An excellent teacher
Well-organised and with a keen eye for detail
Comfortable in overseeing and responding to progress data and reports
Compassionate, reflective and open-minded
The closing date for applications is Monday 1 June 2026 9am. Interviews will be held during week commencing 8 June 2026.
The GDST are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection checks appropriate to the post, including online searches, and checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service.
We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applicants from all qualified individuals. To be eligible for employment, candidates must provide proof of their right to work in the UK.