The Head of History will lead a thriving department made up of ten full- and part-time members of staff. There is a wide range of historical specialisms within the department and a strong sense of collegiality. All staff are dedicated to teaching academically rigorous and inspiring lessons, with a strong focus on developing a lifelong love of learning.
The subject is compulsory in Junior Part (Year 9) where pupils study a broad curriculum which explores the growth and impact of empires from the fifteenth to the twentieth centuries. At IGCSE the department follows the twentieth-century option of the CAIE syllabus, including a Depth Study on Weimar and Nazi Germany and at A Level the department follows the OCR syllabus. Currently, all teachers are able to choose their A-level topics, resulting in a rich offering from the Renaissance to the Witchcraze to the Changing Nature of Warfare.
All pupils study history in Year 9 and more than half the cohort choose the subject for IGCSE. Around thirty students a year select history for A Level. Over the past two years results have been strong, with an average of 70% of IGCSE candidates achieving a grade 8 or 9, and the same proportion achieving an A or A* at A Level. Every year around a dozen students apply for history at university and, in the past two years, seven pupils have gone on to read history at Oxbridge.
There is a rich extra-curricular offering which includes a vibrant pupil-led history society, various reading groups, and frequent overseas trips, most recently to Berlin (Year 10) and Venice (Sixth Form). The subject also benefits from being able to use in its teaching the wonderful college collections housed in the Treasury, Fellows’ Library and Archives.
Winchester College seeks to employ professionals who carry out their duties responsibly and with regard for the best interests of the pupils and College. Consistently high-quality teaching is the aim of every teacher and the entitlement of every pupil. The teacher in this academic leadership role is accountable for the pedagogy of others and for creating within the department conditions for high standards, wellbeing and progress for every pupil.
The Head of Department plays an instrumental role in ensuring Winchester College meets its strategic aims. They should share in the ethos and vision of the College and support its strategic aims and indeed contribute to them.
They should then lead and demonstrate this strategic vision within their department.
In addition to the general duties and responsibilities of a teacher at Winchester College, the successful candidate will strive to lead a high-achieving department with outstanding progress and outcomes.
In the following areas, the Head of History will:
The successful candidate will be/have:
This appointment will commence in September 2025.
Winchester has its own generous salary scale, which is above the national scale. In addition to salary, the school allocates a Special Responsibility Allowance (SRA) to Heads of Department.
Accommodation may be available with this position.
The school is fully committed to the induction, training and development of all our staff, with staff supported to grow and reach their full potential. All staff are well assisted when they arrive, with help and advice available from Heads of Department, Housemaster/mistress, the Dean Academic and Strategy, who has specific responsibility for overseeing the induction process, and the Director of Studies.
All members of the Common Room are encouraged to pursue continuing professional development. We provide extensive training opportunities both internally and externally, delivered by both our own staff and external providers, varying from highly practical First Aid courses to seminars and learning lunches on many aspects of teaching and learning.
There is an annual professional development review offering the opportunity to reflect on professional practice and development opportunities.
The successful applicant will be enrolled in the school’s Corporate Health Scheme in accordance with the current rules of the scheme. Membership of the scheme does not extend to family members and is a taxable benefit in kind.
A generous pension scheme (either Teachers’ Pension Scheme or Defined Contribution (DC) Scheme) and Life Cover (4 times salary) are part of the package.
At Winchester College, teachers may choose to participate in the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS), for which the cost to the College of employer pension contributions is capped at 23.68%. The required employer contribution to the TPS is currently 28.68%, and the 5% differential is deducted from the employee’s gross salary.
Alternatively, teachers may choose to join the Direct Contribution Scheme for which the default employee and employer contributions are 9% and 21.5% respectively. Under this Scheme, you have the flexibility to reduce employee and employer contributions, with a minimum contribution of 5% for employee and 5% for employer contributions. If you choose an employer contribution lower than 21.5%, the difference, net of additional employer payroll costs, will be paid as non-pensionable salary via salary exchange.
The first twenty-four months of employment will be a probationary period. Regular reviews with line managers take place over the probation period with the opportunity to discuss progress, identify any areas for action and ensure there is appropriate guidance and support in place to enable successful completion of the probationary period.
During the probationary period, the notice required by either party to terminate employment will be one month within the first term of employment. After the first term, the notice required by either party to terminate employment will be one full term.
Once employment is confirmed, the notice period will be one full term.
This teaching position follows the academic calendar, with periods of independent work and research expected during designated school holiday periods.
As Winchester College is an educational establishment, a condition of employment will be that the successful candidate must consent to the school obtaining an Enhanced Level Disclosure Check through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). This will reveal all spent and unspent convictions, warnings, cautions and bind-overs. A policy on the recruitment of ex-offenders is available on the school’s website.
Safeguarding is one of the primary responsibilities of this role. The jobholder is responsible for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young persons for whom they are responsible, or with whom they come into contact with, and will need to adhere to and ensure compliance with the school’s Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy at all times. A Head of PRS should be conversant with the responsibilities and procedures detailed in this policy and with the Department for Education’s Keeping Children Safe in Education. If, in the course of carrying out the duties of the post, the Head of PRS becomes aware of any actual or potential risks to the safety or welfare of children in the school, they must report any concerns to the school’s Designated Safeguarding Lead or in their absence the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead.
The appointment will be dependent upon the receipt of a successful medical check and satisfactory references. The College will usually seek references from shortlisted candidates before interview and may approach previous employers for information to verify particular experience or qualifications. At least one referee must be the current or most recent employer. Where applicants are not currently working with children but have done so in the past, one referee must be the person by whom they were most recently employed when working with children.
Please attach a full CV and covering letter with your application.
Closing date for applications: 28 February 2025.
Please note that applications will be dealt with as they arrive. Winchester College reserves the right to appoint before the deadline passes.
Interviews are expected to take place on during the week beginning Monday 3 March 2025.
Those wishing for an informal conversation about this role are invited to speak to Andrew Reeve, Director of Studies apr@wincoll.ac.uk.
If you have any questions about this vacancy or the recruitment process, please email recruitment@wincoll.ac.uk.
Further information about the school can be found at www.winchestercollege.org.
Winchester College collects and processes relevant personal data as part of its everyday operations and is obliged to process it in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018. The school is the Data Controller of this data under the Act and is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office; its registration number is Z5751669.
Any queries about this policy or how personal data is processed by the school should be referred to the Data Protection Liaison Officer.
Winchester College was a pioneering institution when it was founded in 1382 and continues to be a global leader in education today. Renowned for its intellectual excellence and impressive academic record, Winchester is sought after for its combination of superb teaching, outstanding pastoral care, and an exceptional breadth of sports and other activities.
Winchester currently has 735 pupils from Junior Part (Year 9) to Sixth Book (Years 12 and 13). The majority of these pupils are boarders, with around day pupils (boys and girls) in each year in Sixth Book. The first girl boarders will join in 2026.
At all levels Winchester encourages pupils to look beyond the curriculum. We are famous for Div, our unique programme of cultural studies which promotes independence and flexibility of mind and offers an excellent preparation for university study. In these lessons, pupils engage in wide-ranging inquiry across disciplinary lines, from English Literature to Ancient History to the History of Science.
Pupils in the Sixth Form study linear A-level courses and will ordinarily study three A-level subjects and Div, with the option of Extended Project Qualification (EPQ). Linear A-levels are complemented by the flexibility of both Div and the EPQ where pupils are able to explore their cross-curricular research interests more deeply.
Music has been central to life at Winchester ever since its foundation, and the school is unique in having maintained its Choral Foundation to the present day. The Music Department is now one of the leading departments in the country and offers outstanding opportunities to all.
Sport is a major part of Winchester life, supported by the recent opening of a state-of-the-art Sports Centre. There are many fixtures against other schools and excellent facilities allow all pupils to enjoy and participate in a variety of sports and enable the most talented and driven pupils to train and compete at the highest level.
Much energy is also invested in the Combined Cadet Force, the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, Community Service, and in links with local primary and secondary maintained schools. This commitment provides pupils with many opportunities to work for the benefit of others, inside and outside the classroom, developing the knowledge and skills, and the rights and responsibilities, which will enable them to grow into valuable and productive members of society.
Pupils eat all meals in their boarding houses, talking with their Housemaster/mistress, and interacting with friends, visitors and teachers. We believe that conversational ability, developed both inside and outside the community, equips pupils to talk to anyone, about anything, in practically any situation. This unparalleled combination attracts pupils from across the world, making Winchester a truly international and diverse community which celebrates every pupil’s individuality, passions and potential.
Winchester College is committed to maintaining the Founder’s original intention of offering an outstanding education to any pupil who would benefit from it, regardless of their financial circumstances, and many of the pupils in the College are being helped financially through the school with substantial bursaries.
Winchester College is committed to providing a respectful and inclusive workplace and a fair and supportive environment for all. We attract staff with a diverse range of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives, and we work hard to recruit from the widest possible pool of talent, believing that this is for the benefit of our pupils and every member of our community.
Sustainability :You can learn more about our goal of creating a more sustainable school here.