Head of Psychology, Secondary School (August 2026)

Job Description

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Job Overview

The Arbor School seeks a special individual for an exciting opportunity that has arisen within our school. The successful candidate will play a key role in fulfilling the school’s ecological and sustainability vision, as well as challenging students to fulfil their potential within the academic disciplines. The Arbor School is seeking a highly motivated Head of Psychology (Secondary School) – an experienced teacher with a passion for this growing subject to enhance and develop our psychology curriculum.

The successful applicant will be a subject specialist, able to teach students of all abilities and demonstrate a proven track record of securing outstanding student outcomes. Experience of teaching Psychology at both GCSE and A‑Level is essential. The ability to teach A Level Sociology is desirable.

Enough For All, For Ever

The Arbor School opened in 2018 with a very different vision of what education could and should be – experiential, authentic and inspired by the natural beauty, human ingenuity, and profound ecological and social challenges of the Arabian Peninsula.

The cultivation of a learning community uniquely committed to understanding and restoring the health of ecological and human communities as interconnected parts of a whole requires equal parts optimism, ambition, and humility. A fundamental belief in the inner goodness of people and their capacity to act with empathy and compassion underscores the sense of hope that is fundamental to learning for a sustainable future. The resilience and determination to tackle challenges that have grown to global proportion is essential to finding sustainable solutions and orchestrating the social changes needed to grow them to scale. The realisation that we are all students – never a master – drives our commitment to ignite a lifelong love of learning.

Role

Recognising the interconnected nature of the cognitive, affective, and participative domains, and their roles in shaping learning, we are pursuing a holistic approach to teaching and learning, designed to prepare learners to:

• understand the interconnected concepts of sustainability, individual and collective well‑being, and environmental and social justice;
• find purpose, meaning and joy in their interactions with the natural world and with each other, and to seek to understand people who are different to themselves;
• experience a sense of accomplishment and self‑efficacy through their actions at home, in school and in the wider world.

The Arbor Promise

Arbor teachers are part of a community which is inclusive, fun‑loving, and active. Arbor teachers enjoy authentic friendships with their colleagues, positive relationships with school leaders who care for their wellbeing, and are a team in the true sense. Arbor teachers are resilient in the face of challenge, are stable and calm in the face of change, and creative and flexible when solving problems. Arbor teachers bring their passions and interests to enrich our school and are clear that there is an expectation to do so. We commit to meeting agreed deadlines, to communicating proactively with an assumption of positive intent, and share a passion to provide an education of the highest quality to our students.

Job Summary

The successful candidate will be proficient and experienced in teaching Psychology, with experience across GCSE/I‑GCSE and A Level or IB. They will foster a dynamic learning environment, facilitating engaging lessons to ensure all students achieve their full potential, with a particular focus on challenge, pace, high‑order questioning and thinking skills to facilitate students accessing the highest grades at KS4 and KS5. They will demonstrate exceptional subject knowledge, coupled with a passion for delivering psychology education in an imaginative and enthusiastic manner. Additionally, they will contribute to the broader school community through extracurricular involvement and collaboration with colleagues.

Key Responsibilities

• Safeguard and promote the welfare of students in line with Arbor’s Safeguarding framework/policy/Code of Conduct.
• Positively and actively promote the Arbor vision, mission and values.
• Ensure practice is in line with the Arbor Staff Handbook and the Arbor Support Teacher: A Framework for Outstanding Support.
• Implement, where appropriate, school policies, procedures and expected practices, as identified by the Senior Leadership Team at the Arbor School.

Required Candidate Profile

• Native‑level English language skills.
• Bachelor’s degree in Psychology or similar, with a PGCE in Education with QTS or equivalent.
• A minimum of 3 years’ experience teaching Psychology (including Sociology) in the UK or a reputable British school overseas.
• A track record of outstanding GCSE and/or A Level examination results.
• A track record of outstanding teaching and learning and an ability to create a caring and nurturing classroom environment.

Remuneration

A competitive tax‑free compensation package will be provided in accordance with School policy and UAE labour law regulations.

Application

To apply for this position, please complete the application on TES and upload:

• An up‑to‑date CV with a recent photograph to be included.
• A letter of application, no longer than two pages in length, which outlines your educational philosophy and suitability for the Arbor School.

The Arbor School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all the students in our care and expects all applicants to share this commitment. We hold ourselves to a high standard of effective, safer recruiting practices with specific attention to child protection. All appointments are subject to CV and qualification checks, interview, identity checks, criminal record checks, and successful references. All appointments are subject to the approval of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority and the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation.

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2026-02-28 08:10:14