Wadebridge School — Current Vacancies

Teacher of Science

Start Date: January, February or after Easter | Pay Scale: MPS/UPS | Full Time

Inspire the Next Generation at Wadebridge School

Are you an enthusiastic, passionate Teacher of Science with a proven track record of strong outcomes looking to join a successful and supportive school? Wadebridge School is seeking a qualified Teacher of Science to join our well-resourced and thriving Science department. This role would be suitable for an experienced teacher or early career teacher (ECT).

Why Wadebridge?

Wadebridge School is an oversubscribed highly successful 11-16 academy with a strong reputation for academic excellence and student support. We are proud to be a Single Academy Trust, meaning we can focus on what matters most – our students, staff, and wider community. As a school, we invest in professional development, encourage innovation, and provide a collaborative and supportive working environment.

About the Role

• Teach Science across the full ability range at Key Stages 3 and 4.
• Support our AQA Trilogy GCSE Science curriculum.
• Deliver Biology, Chemistry, and Physics courses for students who choose the GCSE Separate Science pathway.
• Join a committed team of ten teachers, three technicians, all led by an experienced management team.

A School that Cares – About Students & Staff

At Wadebridge School, we balance an unwavering focus on progress and achievement with a strong commitment to student wellbeing. We work tirelessly to support our young people in every aspect of their lives, ensuring they develop the skills and strategies needed to succeed academically and personally.

We also prioritise the health and wellbeing of our staff. In 2020, our work in this area was recognised with a Gold Award from the Carnegie Centre of Excellence for Mental Health in Schools. Some of the wellbeing strategies we have implemented include:

• Over 110 staff trained as Mental Health First Aiders through MHFA England.
• An extensive and highly effective student support team.
• A dedicated team of Health Champions promoting positive staff wellbeing.

Our CARE Values

• Community and Cooperation – We work together to create a strong, supportive, and inclusive school.
• Ambition and Achievement – We inspire our students to aim high and reach their full potential.
• Respect and Responsibility – We foster a culture of kindness, integrity, and accountability.
• Enjoyment and Endeavour – We believe learning should be engaging, challenging, and rewarding.

Live and Work in a Stunning Part of the Country

This is an exciting opportunity to live and work in one of the most beautiful regions in the UK. Wadebridge is a vibrant town in North Cornwall, offering a fantastic quality of life with a strong sense of community. The school is well-connected, with easy access to both Cornwall and Devon, making it an ideal location for those who love both the coast and the countryside.

Whether you enjoy exploring rugged coastlines, sandy beaches, or scenic countryside, you’ll have plenty of opportunities for outdoor activities such as surfing, hiking, and cycling. The area is also rich in history, culture, and local events, creating an excellent work-life balance for staff and their families.

Join Us!

Following the appointment of a new Headteacher in September 2024, join us at an exciting time as we continue to drive our school and wider community forwards.

Wadebridge School has 1,050 students aged 11 to 16 and has been an academy since 2012. We were successfully inspected by Ofsted in April 2025 – the full report is available on our school website: www.wadebridge.cornwall.sch.uk

Informal school visits and discussions with the Head of Science can be arranged – please contact jbrown@wadebridge.cornwall.sch.uk

Application Deadline: 3pm Wednesday 3rd December 2025

Interview Date: Week commencing Monday 8th December 2025

How to Apply: Complete the Wadebridge School Teaching Application Form and email it to jbrown@wadebridge.cornwall.sch.uk

The school is committed to safeguarding children, and the successful applicant will be required to provide an enhanced DBS disclosure. All shortlisted candidates will be subject to appropriate online/social media searches.

Governance Professional

Flexible hours, Approx. 220 hours p.a. | Grade G — £26,159–£31,021 pro rata (self-employed option £20–£25 per hour)

Governance Professional - Role Description

We are seeking an efficient, organised and reliable Governance Professional (GP) to support our Board of Trustees. Our long-standing GP is retiring after many years' service to our Board, and the successful candidate will play a crucial role in continuing and further developing our governance.

You will provide procedural guidance to the Trust board on governance, constitutional and procedural matters.

Support the Chair in ensuring the smooth running of governance meetings.

Play a key strategic role in supporting the next stage of the school, and more specifically the trust board’s development.

Be responsible for preparing agendas, maintaining accurate minutes of trust board and committee meetings, and also ensuring that all necessary records pertaining to the Trust Board and the Members are accurately maintained.

Maintain and keep updated our GovernorHub platform for trust board communication.

All board and committee meetings are on Wednesdays (4.00pm onwards) with some face to face in school and some virtual. Other, occasional meeting commitments that require clerking will be on an ad hoc basis as required; for example, Governors Disciplinary Committee in the event of a student’s permanent exclusion.

Starting date and employment status

This is a flexible post, and the start date is also flexible. We are looking to appoint from now, October 2025 until Easter 2026; within that timeframe, our current Governance Professional is willing to continue supporting us until this appointment is made. If there is a brief overlapping, succession period, so much the better for all parties, but this is not essential particularly if you have prior Governance Professional experience.

Our current Governance Professional is self-employed, and we contract him on an annual basis; that works very well giving both the Governance Professional and the school flexibility within a framework of assured employment. We are very willing to explore with you other employment arrangements.

Over the last twelve months, we have significantly changed the structure of our committees – we have four Full Board meetings per annum (face to face, in school) with three committees each meeting virtually, on Teams, once per term. Similarly, we are developing our working practices as a board, and so we are in a period of evolution. For example, we have two Governance weeks per annum where trustees pursue a particular line of enquiry and spend time in school with staff and students. To date, we have not involved the Governance Professional in this work, but that may change as we evolve.

The most recent DfE guidance regarding the role of a Governance professional is here: Working with governance professionals (clerks): resources

Salary: Zero hours contract with agreed yearly hours or freelance if preferred, expected to be 15-20 hours per month. Grade G, which is £26,159 - £31,021 pro rata for hours worked and paid through the school payroll. A self-employed hourly rate is from £20-£25. Pattern of hours to be discussed at interview.

Hours: 220 hours per annum – see text above

Contract: Flexible

Equipment: School will supply a laptop if required or you can use your own if you prefer

About Wadebridge School

Wadebridge School is an 11-16 secondary Single Academy Trust (SAT) with 1040 students. We are typically oversubscribed, and we have a strong reputation for academic excellence and student support. We are proud to be a Single Academy Trust, meaning we can focus on what matters most – our students, our staff, and our wider community.

Our status brings many advantages as compared with being a maintained school or being in a Multi Academy Trust, but there are some downsides, too, most particularly around administrative capacity as society’s expectations of the role of a school in the community expands. The board comprises 17 trustees at present, with four of those newly elected by the parent body just six months ago (from a field of seven). The documentation provided to prospective trustees is attached for your perusal and gives, I hope, much of the information that you want as our prospective GP. As a SAT, we have two staff elected trustees. If you have MAT experience, you will know that elected parent and staff representation is not usual – as a community centred secondary school serving a large rural area, we consider this to be a real strength of our governance model. A number of our trustees also serve as members or trustees on local MATs too.

Following the appointment of a new Headteacher, Mr Mat Winzor in September 2024 you will be joining us at an exciting time as we continue to drive our school and wider community forwards; Mat previously worked as an Executive Headteacher in a Wolverhampton based MAT. We were successfully inspected by Ofsted in May 2025 – the full report is available on our school website. From a governance perspective, we were delighted to have our governance validated both in our meetings with HMI, and in the final report: “Trustees know the school well. They have effectively held leaders to account [during this period of significant change].” The ways in which we have developed as a board in recent years and achieved ‘holding leaders to account’ have been in no small part down to the advice and guidance of our GP, and we look forward to building on our strengths as we work with you, our new Governance Professional.

Application Deadline: Sunday 30th November 2025 at 18:00

How to Apply: Complete the non-teaching application form and email to jbrown@wadebridge.cornwall.sch.uk

Please contact the Chair of Trustees, David Barton, for more information or to discuss the role further: dbarton@wadebridge.cornwall.sch.uk