Teacher of History and Politics

Why work at MGS?

The School

The Manchester Grammar School is an exciting, stimulating and rewarding community in which to work.

The School was founded in 1515 to prepare able boys from the Manchester area, regardless of their background, to go to Oxford or Cambridge. MGS has gained an international reputation for academic excellence and enjoys a strong record of success with top universities, both in the UK and overseas.

We take our motto, Sapere Aude, (‘Dare to be Wise’), as meaning that we must challenge our pupils and expect to be challenged by them, and this is one of the things which makes teaching at MGS so rewarding.

Our teachers

We value our teachers and offer a wide range of benefits, including:

- The Manchester Grammar School has its own generous salary scale, significantly     above main scale rates

- Membership of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme

- Access to private medical insurance

- Approximately 16 weeks school holiday a year

- An extensive range of bespoke professional development opportunities

- Salary sacrifice scheme for cycle to work

- Significant discount on School fees

- Employee assistance programme

- Use of the School’s extensive library facility

- Free use of the onsite gym and swimming pool

- Staff-led activities such as yoga classes and book clubs

- Free car parking on site

People who teach at MGS come from every walk of life, but all have a love of their subject and the ability to inspire and challenge able pupils.

Every year, we welcome ECTs as well as experienced teachers into the Staff Common Room. We expect all applicants to have an excellent degree; however, a teaching qualification is not essential, and we provide support for those who wish to become qualified after appointment. We are deeply committed to the professional development of our staff. Teachers who have taught for a number of years often join us to gain extra experience before moving on to become a head of department or take up a pastoral role elsewhere. Many colleagues leave us to take up deputy headships and headships; likewise, many staff choose to stay with us.

Our co-curriculum

The co-curriculum is central to the ethos of MGS. Life outside the classroom is extraordinarily vibrant, both in terms of its diversity and quantity. It is a source of great enjoyment and challenge for our pupils and staff alike. It includes a great range of sport, music, drama, adventure, volunteering and intellectual activities.

The School values the passion and commitment of its teachers in sharing their interests and enthusiasms with pupils outside of the classroom and seeks to enable staff to play to their passions whenever possible. Staff are given significant autonomy over the activities they organise, and our pupils are given equal freedom to develop passions of their own. All staff are expected to commit to our co-curricular programme and you can expect to be asked about this at interview.

We have lunchtime clubs and societies (many run by pupils) covering every possible area of intellectual interest. We have 24 musical groups with 280 participants, and typically stage a dozen drama productions each year, in our superbly equipped theatre and drama studios. We have 95 sports teams and 40 different sports. In outdoor pursuits every year we have numerous treks in the UK and overseas, as well as four camps involving 250 pupils. We offer a wide range of outdoor pursuits and are one of the largest centres for D of E in the North West. Alongside this there is a vast range of educational trips and visits, both in the UK and abroad. On average, each pupil spends twelve days a year on trips. Visit our website to find out more.

Our pupils

The School comprises 1650 boys in Years 3 to 13. All boys are assessed for entry on the basis of their potential by observing their individual talents over the course of an assessment day. A formal entrance exam only plays a part in entry to Year 7; pupils awarded places in the Junior School are given entry to the Senior School. Entry standards are high with successful applicants performing well above national averages. Our admissions policy aims to be needs-blind to enable the School to be a diverse community of talented individuals from all backgrounds.

Boys come from across the North-West and from every type of background, and the boys who join the School each year come in equal numbers from maintained and independent primary schools.

Our facilities

Facilities are excellent. Recent developments have included a new sports hall, international standard hockey astro-turf and tennis courts, and the purchase of a new Steinway Model D grand piano for the Memorial Hall. We have an exceptionally equipped theatre and drama studios and award-winning Junior School buildings. A state of the art Sixth Form Centre is under construction and due to open in 2025.

Manchester and the North-West

Manchester is a vibrant and exciting place, as you would fully expect of Britain’s second city. One of the fastest growing cities in Europe, it has a cosmopolitan outlook, a flourishing, varied cultural life and excellent restaurants and nightlife. It is a wonderful, stimulating place to live, with outstanding sport and leisure facilities, catering for every possible interest.

Whilst offering all that you would expect from a major city, Manchester has the advantage of being very accessible and enjoys excellent transport links. London is only two hours away by train and Manchester’s international airport is only five miles from the School. The Peak District National Park, the Pennine Way and the Cheshire Plain are within an hour’s drive, whilst the Lake District and Snowdonia can be reached in less than two hours.

Bursaries and social mobility

MGS’s Foundation Bursary Appeal has been one of the most successful appeal of its kind held by any school and is a cornerstone of our ethos. Its aim is to ensure that a place at MGS is available to any boy who passes our entrance assessments, regardless of his family’s financial background. More than 200 boys currently receive full or partial means-tested bursaries. (The average bursary is 90% of the school fee). Our long-term ambition is to be needs-blind, so that every boy who passes our entrance assessments can take up a place, regardless of his parents’ ability to pay.

Our facilities

Facilities are excellent. Recent developments have included a new sports hall, international standard hockey astro-turf and tennis courts, and the purchase of a new Steinway Model D grand piano for the Memorial Hall. We have an exceptionally equipped theatre and drama studios and award-winning Junior School buildings. A state of the art Sixth Form Centre is under construction and due to open in 2025.

Manchester and the North-West

Manchester is a vibrant and exciting place, as you would fully expect of Britain’s second city. One of the fastest growing cities in Europe, it has a cosmopolitan outlook, a flourishing, varied cultural life and excellent restaurants and nightlife. It is a wonderful, stimulating place to live, with outstanding sport and leisure facilities, catering for every possible interest.

Whilst offering all that you would expect from a major city, Manchester has the advantage of being very accessible and enjoys excellent transport links. London is only two hours away by train and Manchester’s international airport is only five miles from the School. The Peak District National Park, the Pennine Way and the Cheshire Plain are within an hour’s drive, whilst the Lake District and Snowdonia can be reached in less than two hours.