Careers at Big Life
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Reception Class Teacher
Closing Date: 14/10/2026
About The Big Life Group
The Big Life Group’s mission is to fight for equity in health, in wealth and in life. We are a social business delivering a range of services across the North of England, covering everything from mental and physical health, addiction and criminal justice, to housing, education, family support and much more. What links them together is the way we work – The Big Life Way.
We always stand shoulder-to-shoulder with people, working with them on the things that matter most to them. Everything we do is designed and informed by the needs, priorities and strengths of people and communities.
If you’re looking for more than a job – if you want to be part of a team that’s bold, creative and relentlessly committed to equity – then Big Life could be the place for you.
About Unity Community Primary School
Big Life Schools currently has two primary schools within Manchester, each with an attached nursery: Longsight Community Primary School (Longsight) and Unity Community Primary School (Cheetham Hill).
Unity Community Primary is a two-form entry primary school serving a richly diverse community in Cheetham, North Manchester. Unity is part of the multi-academy trust Big Life Schools, which shares the vision and values of the Big Life group.
We have nearly 400 pupils aged 2-11, coming from many different countries and speaking 38 different languages. Our pupils are happy children who love school, and we want to encourage them to have the best possible start in life. We work hard to be a truly inclusive community. Diversity, respect and tolerance are at the core of our school identity, and we are proud to have the Rights Respecting Gold Award and the Belonging Matters Charter Mark.
As a school we use trauma-informed approaches to support our children’s emotional health and wellbeing. We also put a great emphasis on developing positive relationships between every member of our school community.
The basics
Salary
Teachers’ main pay scale (depending on experience)
Hours
Full-time school hours, term-time only
Maternity Leave Cover from 1st January 2027 – 1st January 2028 (or when teacher returns)
Annual leave
Term-time only + your birthday off
Base
Unity Community Primary School
Line manager
Assistant Headteacher / Phase Leader
Closing date for applications: Wednesday, 14 October at 10am
Interviews: Interviews will take place Thursday, 22 October
We recognise that AI tools can be useful in supporting job applications, for example by helping with spelling, grammar, structure, or clarity. However, the content of your application should reflect your own skills, experience, knowledge, and ideas. You may be asked at interview to expand on or discuss any part of your application.
What you’ll be doing
As a Reception class teacher at Unity Community Primary School, you will be responsible for providing high‑quality teaching and learning within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). You will help to maintain a nurturing, play‑based learning environment that supports children to develop and achieve their full potential.
You be a nurturing and reflective classroom practitioner and act as a positive role model, fostering strong relationships with young children and promoting curiosity and independence. Your role will be to encourage pupil’s positive behaviour, wellbeing and readiness for learning through consistent routines and high‑quality interactions. You will maintain high expectations for all pupils, ensuring development through careful observation and appropriate adaption of learning provisions.
How to apply
For everything you need to know about this role, take a look at our Recruitment Pack. That’s the place where you’ll find the Job Description and Person Specification, as well as a bit more about what it’s like to work at Big Life.
Unfortunately, we’re not able to accept applications after the deadline, and we can’t accept CVs.
