This is a rare and exciting opportunity to be part of an exceptional comprehensive school. As a teacher of Science, you would be joining a highly successful and innovative team, with excellent outcomes at both GCSE and A-Level. You will work with talented colleagues to focus on 'getting it right' with younger students so that we avoid 'fire-fighting' with year 11s later on. You will have the opportunity to teach at Key Stage 3, 4, and 5, as well as being involved in enrichment and STEM activities. We have strong links within the city, including the museums and the universities as well as with the Culham science centre and with European centres for science. There will be significant development opportunities available as the school continues to grow. Science teachers are a vibrant part of our school community, contributing to excellent outcomes as well as wider school life.

Science is a highly successful subject at The Swan School - outcomes are excellent at both GCSE (the highest within the River Learning Trust) and A-Level, and all three science subjects are oversubscribed in the sixth form. The science department benefits from state-of-the-art laboratory/classroom facilities and IT equipment. Science teachers are supported by a team of technicians.

This is ideally a full time role but flexible working may be considered for the right candidate

What skills/experiences are required?

The successful candidate will share our ambitions for our students. You will relish the challenge of working in a new school that is different to other comprehensive schools in the city. You will be a highly motivated team player with leadership potential, a creative thinker who is unafraid to try new approaches, and a reflective practitioner, keen to continue learning in order to achieve the best possible outcomes for our students.

We would welcome applications from both experienced teachers and those who are at the start of their teaching careers (ECTs) - this is an excellent environment in which to develop your practice and hone your craft.

How to apply
If you have any questions or would like to speak to someone about this post, please contact us via headteacher@theswanschool.org.uk or on 01865 416070. You are advised to visit our website to find out more about working at The Swan. We would be delighted to arrange an opportunity to visit the school and or speak to existing members of staff.
Applications for this post should be made through the My New Term recruitment portal. Please contact us if you have any queries regarding the application process.
The deadline for applications is 08:00am on Monday 18th May 2026, with interviews to be held at the end of the week.
About the school

The Swan School, part of the River Learning Trust, is Oxford's first new secondary school for over 50 years, and opened in September 2019. When full, we will have approximately 1,200 students on roll, of whom around 300 will be in the Sixth Form. Our students are drawn from a local catchment area and the school is at the heart of the community.

Learning from the most successful approaches at the best schools, The Swan School provides a uniquely challenging and structured experience in a caring and disciplined environment. The ethos is academic; we regard an excellent academic education as the entitlement of all young people, no matter what their background or previous experiences of learning. Students are inspired and nurtured, acquiring the knowledge and skills to think critically and creatively. They will learn to be confident, resilient and ambitious, and will have high expectations in terms of their own achievements and their contribution to wider society.

Student outcomes at The Swan School are exceptional - our first cohort of GCSE students achieved a Progress 8 score of +0.55, placing The Swan in the highest category of schools across the country. In 2023, the school was graded by OFSTED as outstanding for Behaviour and Attitudes, Personal Development, Leadership and Management, and Sixth Form.

The Swan School is part of the River Learning Trust, which facilitates collaboration, professional development, and opportunities across a wide range of other highly successful schools.

About the River Learning Trust

Education has the power to change lives, communities and society for the better. At RLT we believe that we can achieve more for our pupils, trainees, staff and communities by working together rather than alone. Schools in RLT are united by a common belief in the benefits of working together, and by our commitment to shared principles.

OUR VISION is for our schools and SCITT to improve rapidly, continuously and sustainably: to be better faster together.

OUR 'WHY?' is that children and young people 'only get one go' in school and therefore as part of RLT we aim to ensure the best possible 'go' for our pupils.

OUR 'HOW?' is through the highest support and challenge for our schools and each other, underpinned by our principles.

Our employees benefit from a wide variety of support including extensive continuing professional learning and development opportunities, wellbeing and staff networks and access to Defined Benefit Pension Schemes (TPS and LGPS) for all staff. For more information on what it is like to work for the Trust, and the benefits you could access, please see our " Working in RLT " guide.

River Learning Trust and The Swan School are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and preventing extremism. We are an exempt employer under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act.

This role includes regulated activity relevant to children. We conduct checks and online searches in accordance with Keeping Children Safe In Education guidance. It is an offence to apply for certain roles within schools if you are barred from engaging in regulated activity relevant to children.

For documentation, please see RLT Safer Recruitment Documents. Visit our website www.riverlearningtrust.org for up-to-date policies including our Child Protection and Behaviour policies. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020.

We actively value the "different contributions" you can make. We want you to be at your best during the application process; if you require any reasonable adjustments, please let us know.

Note: We do not accept CVs; please apply via My New Term.
Applications will be considered as they are submitted and the school reserves the right to withdraw the advert early if a suitable candidate is found.

The Swan School jobs

Teacher of Science

Cover Supervisor