Required for: September 2026

Location: Deans Yard - Westminster School

Contract: part-time, permanent. Candidates must be available to teach a minimum of 0.4 across three days. Our preference is Wednesday to Friday, however this can be negotiated with the successful candidate.

Salary: Westminster 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 09:00 on Monday 23rd February 2026. Interviews will take place in-person on Friday 27th February 2026.

We are looking for a well-qualified candidate who will be able to teach Theology and Philosophy to all year groups, but with a focus on exam classes. With the advent of co-education throughout the School, we are particularly interested in hearing from applicants who can bring a breadth of perspectives to the work of the department, alongside subject and teaching expertise. This may be someone who has spent some time out of teaching, who teaches at a university, or is just starting their career.

They will inspire enthusiasm in their pupils as well as helping to maintain Westminster’s very high academic standards. Teaching experience is a positive attribute, but the successful candidate might well be new to teaching. We have previously employed both qualified and unqualified teachers and there is a great deal of support within the department and through the School’s Professional Studies programme, for people looking to begin a career in teaching. A degree in either Theology, TPRS (Theology, Philosophy of Religion and Religious Studies) or Philosophy is essential.

As well as teaching Theology and Philosophy at all levels within the School, the successful candidate will need to be calm under pressure, a well-organised self-starter, efficient and able to work effectively with staff, pupils and the wider community. They will be expected to take a proportionate share in the teaching timetable of the department and of extra-curricular activities as directed by the Head of Theology and Philosophy.

The Teacher of Theology and Philosophy is expected to:

• Plan, prepare, teach and evaluate lessons, activities and learning and teaching strategies in line with Schemes of Work.
• Apply, where appropriate, technology capability to enhance learning and teaching.
• Provide a safe, secure and stimulating environment in which consideration is given to the individual development of all pupils.
• Differentiate 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 Director of Teaching and Learning/SENCO, or on the pupil’s personalised learning plan.
• Contribute to and maintain consistency with internal and relevant external marking schedules and moderation procedures.
• Engage pupils fully in the assessment and self-evaluation process.
• 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.

All teachers at the School 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 Senior Management
• Cover classes for absent colleagues as directed by Senior Management.
• Attend staff meetings, parents’ evenings and other meetings and school events, such as the Carol Service and school concerts, outside normal hours.
• Attend relevant school trips, normally including one residential visit per year.
• Undertake any other duties or tasks as the Head Master, the Under 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.
• Respect all members of the school community, irrespective of position, gender, age, ethnic background or any other protected characteristic.

Pastoral care and pupil management.

• Put pupils at the centre of everything you do, taking a pastoral interest in pupils around the School, so that they feel valued and cared for.
• Monitor the welfare of class pupils, providing guidance, advice and support, and fostering self-esteem.
• Motivate pupils through rewards opportunities. 
• 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 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.

About the Department

Theology and Philosophy are flourishing disciplines at Westminster. We engage learners in robust and in-depth critique of theological and philosophical concepts; equipping them to ask astute questions, to draw meaningfully on the bank of the historic canon, alongside contemporary scholarship and perspectives, and to turn their minds adeptly to emerging applications of philosophy and ethics. We aim to be open-minded and thoughtful in our approaches to the subject and pedagogy and seek to embed this in our teaching practice.

The subject takes on different characteristics in different year groups, from Religion and Philosophy in the Lower School (Years 9 to 11), and via the iGCSE in Religious Studies, to the distinctive dual-tracts of Theology and Philosophy in the Upper School (Years 12 and 13), with preparation for the OCR Religious Studies A Level at the end of the course. Our pupils are highly responsive, proactive and often looking for academic bridges into their learning in different disciplines. They often create their own academic journals, websites or other associated literature. We currently teach over 60 pupils in the Upper School and the subject plays a very important role in contributing to the academic success of students at leading UK Universities (including Oxford and Cambridge) and US Liberal Arts Universities. Many of our pupils go on to study Philosophy, Philosophy and Theology, Law or PPE, as well as Philosophy with Science, or other literary disciplines.

There are currently two full-time and four part-time members of the department, and we are looking to recruit a part time position over three days. We are interested in continuing to evolve our curriculum and meet the ever-expanding interests of our pupils and contemporary social realities. We are interested in applicants who can both teach excellently to the specification and also find ways of expanding knowledge far beyond the curriculum. We host in-house Philosophy Conferences, many of our pupils take part in academic competitions (winning the Oxford University Uehiro Practical Ethics Competition last year). and we are always looking for new ways to engage with the academic world outside Westminster through the Young Philosophers Conference, and Philosophy Fortnight, for example. We are interested to hear from a well-qualified candidate, looking to embark on a career in an academically stimulating, challenging, open and supportive environment.

Equal Opportunities

We are an equal opportunities employer. We therefore encourage candidates to apply irrespective of age, disability, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion and belief, gender identity, sex or sexual orientation.

Safeguarding and Child Protection

Westminster School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Working at Westminster

Westminster School is a busy, purposeful and vibrant place to be and an excellent workplace. The community is made up of around 750 pupils, 120 teaching staff and 108 support staff.

Our staff are friendly and welcoming, and all newcomers quickly become part of the rhythm of life here.

There is a real sense of community here as, being a boarding school many members of staff and pupils live on site and the School’s premises are very much treated as a home away from home. School life starts before breakfast and continues way beyond the working day; as a result, there is always a lively atmosphere in and around School and always someone to share a tea and biscuit with in the Common Room. Support staff as much as teaching staff are encouraged to embrace the School’s day-to-day activities, whether that be attending an evening concert or a morning service in the Abbey.

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 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 School is an independent day and boarding school for boys aged 13-18 and girls aged 16-18, with a long history, a distinctive ethos, and a unique sense of place in the very heart of London. Pupils achieve exceptional examination results and entrance to some of the top universities in the world. It is a busy, passionate and purposeful place where independent and deep thinking is enjoyed, encouraged and respected by all, and where holistic excellence is nurtured and valued.

While the School is one of the foremost centres of academic excellence in the country, its commitment to academic life does not make it a hothouse for passing examinations. Pupils’ success at examinations and entry to leading universities is instead a result of their enjoyment of academic enquiry, debate and search for explanation, well beyond published syllabuses. Pupils are intellectually, socially, ethically and politically engaged and our aim is to ensure that their enthusiasm for learning is developed further, allowing them to take full advantage of the opportunities presented to them in the future. At Westminster, pupils have the freedom to lead on projects outside of the classroom and embrace a whole range of extra-curricular activities and interests. A host of pupil-led societies take place every week at the School, often with expert guest speakers, and pupils can choose to study an additional language, play an instrument or two, volunteer in local primary schools, row along the Thames, take part in plays and musicals, and much more. 

The School’s ethos resides in the enduring values of the liberal tradition reflected in the 1560 Charter of Westminster’s Elizabethan foundation, where it is stated that: ‘the youth which is growing to manhood, as tender shoots in the wood of our state, shall be liberally instructed in good books to the greater honour of the state’. Whilst academic and cultural attainments are highly prized at Westminster, the School is fully committed also 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 2028, the School will welcome both girls and boys at 13+ entry, offering a Westminster education to all. By 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, all year groups at Westminster School and Westminster Under School, from ages four to 18, will be fully co-educational, reflecting the School’s dedication to inclusivity and excellence.