Head of MFL (French)

Head of MFL (French)

Lift Ryde
Pell Lane
Ryde, Isle Of Wight, PO33 3LN
United Kingdom

Salary: Main Pay Range / Upper Pay Range + TLR2b (£6,062) + well-being cash plan + pension scheme (TPS) + additional Lift Schools benefits + possible Relocation Allowance

Hours: Full Time, Permanent

Contract type: Permanent

Start date: January 2026

If you're a French specialist who is passionate about developing an outstanding department, we would love to hear from you.

We're looking for a dedicated teacher to join our warm, supportive team at Lift Ryde. This is a fantastic opportunity for a talented middle leader to step up to lead our Modern Foreign Languages (French) department from January 2026. There is potential flexibility on this start date for an exceptional candidate. You must be a French language expert, as this is the one language we currently offer, however (subject to demand), we could expand the department and offer other languages as well in the future.

This is a chance for you to put your own creative stamp on this small department and develop it. You will be line managing two experienced French teachers and joining a school with a three-year upward trend of excellent GCSE and A level results. The exam board for French is AQA and all students in Years 7, 8 and 9 have one lesson of French each week. For those students who choose French at GCSE, they have three lessons each week. The goal is to raise the profile of MFL within the school; to create excitement about languages through extracurricular activities, including trips; and to raise the number of students opting to take the subject at GCSE.

Within this role, you will benefit from our trust links with other outstanding curriculum leaders across the country, who can inspire and help you mold your strategy and approach. The senior leadership team at Lift Ryde is passionate about staff wellbeing and a healthy work-life balance, so they can offer flexibility on scheduling. For the right candidate, they could potentially offer a full-time role working over four days per week, for those who want to run the after-school clubs. Every member of staff has PPA either first thing in the morning or the last period of the day so that they can start late or finish early.

The Isle of Wight is a beautiful, family-friendly location to live - with very affordable housing, excellent schools (staff at Lift Ryde are guaranteed places for their children), beaches, walks and stunning settings on your doorstep. The senior leadership team are happy to advise anyone who is relocating to the island on where the best neighborhoods, schools and community can be found. They warmly welcome visits from prospective candidates so that you can see all the school and area have to offer. Due to the direct train to London running from Portsmouth Harbour, the island is only two hours and thirty minutes away from London Waterloo.

About Lift Ryde

Lift Ryde, based on the Isle of Wight, is an 11 to 18 years secondary school and is sponsored by Lift Schools. The school is set in spacious grounds and had a completely new state-of-the-art building in 2017. All staff have access to a free on-site gym with a range of fantastic equipment. The school has an excellent reputation within the local area and is oversubscribed.

Known as the "Garden Isle" because of its beautiful landscape, unspoilt beaches, rugged coastline and beautiful countryside; the Isle of Wight is a perfect place to raise a family.
Judged as 'Good' by Ofsted in November 2022, Lift Ryde is a school that pupils feel proud to attend, with a calm and orderly environment. Staff are also proud to work at the school and recognise that leaders are considerate of their workload.

Who is Lift Schools?

We're a diverse and inclusive network of schools with one clear mission; to provide an excellent education to every child - in every classroom, every day. And we do this across each of our 57 schools. As with our students, we want our team to be empowered to do their best work, supported by the best leadership they've ever had.

We acknowledge and appreciate the exceptional efforts of everyone here in making this an incredible organisation.

We offer you:

• Career development and training: Access a wide range of statutory and developmental training to boost your career.
• Our partnership with One World powers our innovative Instructional Excellence Program. We also offer a comprehensive range of CPD programs, including Ambition Institute's
• Early Career and NPQ offerings, tailored to both individual and network needs.
• Generous benefits: From your pension plan to healthcare and financial support, we've got you covered.
• Lifestyle perks: Enjoy discounted gym memberships, travel deals, and even electric vehicle incentives.

The role is due to commence from January 2026. This is a full time, permanent position.

Closing date: Monday 13 October 2025

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early should we receive an overwhelming response. All candidates are advised to refer to the job description and person specification before making an application.

Lift Schools are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our pupils, and we expect all our people and volunteers to share this commitment. We adopt a fair and consistent recruitment process which is inline with Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance. This includes online checks for shortlisted candidates. All offers of employment are subject to an Enhanced DBS check, references, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check.

Lift Schools embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. Job share, part-time and flexible working opportunities will be considered.

We are a Disability Confident Employer and there is a guaranteed interview scheme for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Follow us on Facebook, X, Instagram and Linkedin. Further details can be found on our careers page.

Lift Schools is recruiting for Teacher Training placements. Please click here to view the website for further details.

Downloads

Ryde Head of Department Job Description and Person Specification.pdf

Brochure

Safer Recruitment Statement