What goes in the headline of a Teacher CV?

Your name, QTS status, key stage and subject specialism, your STPCD pay point or career stage (ECT2, MPS5, UPS2, Lead Practitioner) and your location. For example: 'Rebecca Atkins · Secondary Maths Teacher · UPS2 · West Yorkshire'. This lets the Headteacher or School Business Manager place you on their pay-scale model in the first three seconds. If you have a leadership role (Head of Department, SLT), include it. Avoid generic strapline taglines such as 'passionate about education' — these add nothing and read as filler.

Should I include pupil-outcome data on my CV?

Yes, where you can do so without breaching school confidentiality. Whole-cohort metrics (your subject's GCSE results, Progress 8 score, KS3 working-at-expected-standard rates) are fine to share. Avoid naming individual pupils or sharing data that could identify a small SEND cohort. If you teach in a Sixth Form, A Level grade distribution and value-added scores are powerful. If your school's results are publicly available on the DfE performance tables, you are not revealing anything secret by referring to them on your CV.

How do I show contribution beyond classroom teaching?

Use a 'Whole-school contribution' section covering form tutoring, extracurricular clubs, intervention programmes, INSET delivery, ECT mentoring and any cross-school work (trust working groups, exam-board moderation, partnership-school visits). Headteachers hire teachers who do more than the minimum, especially in tight budget years where every contribution counts. Be honest about scope — running a chess club for six pupils is a contribution; presenting it as 'led whole-school enrichment strategy' is the kind of overclaim that loses you offers in interview.

CV Example · Public Sector & Education · UK 2026

Teacher CV Example UK

Teaching CVs in 2026 are read by Headteachers and SLT, not by HR systems. They scan for QTS status, ECT year, key stages and subjects, and they want to see real classroom impact rather than a list of CPD courses. The state-school market and the academy market are hiring on the same fundamentals: pupil progress, behaviour management, contribution to whole-school life, and pastoral judgement. Address the STPCD pay-scale point you are on and your subject specialism in the headline so the Head can place you instantly. Independent and international schools have their own conventions — flag those if relevant.

By Alex · 12-year UK recruiter · Updated April 2026

Example header

Rebecca Atkins · Secondary Maths Teacher · UPS2 · 7 years · West Yorkshire

Personal statement / Professional summary

QTS-qualified Secondary Maths Teacher on UPS2 with 7 years' experience across two 11-18 comprehensives. Currently Head of KS3 Mathematics at an Ofsted Good academy of 1,240 pupils, leading a team of four teachers and the curriculum for Years 7-9. Year 11 GCSE Maths results in 2025: 78% Grade 4+ and 38% Grade 7+, both above national average and the strongest in the department's recent history. Looking for a Second-in-Department or Head of Department post in a school with a strong commitment to inclusive curriculum and a supportive SLT.

Bullet point examples

Strong bullets follow the same shape: action verb, specific scope, quantified outcome. Use these as patterns, not as copy-paste templates — the numbers must be your own.

Pupil outcomes

Year 11 GCSE Maths results in 2025: 78% Grade 4+ (national average 72%) and 38% Grade 7+ (national average 22%); Progress 8 score for the cohort +0.42.
Lifted KS3 working-at-expected-standard rates from 64% to 81% over two years through a redesigned KS3 curriculum and a fortnightly low-stakes assessment cycle.

Curriculum and leadership

Head of KS3 Mathematics, leading four teachers and owning the curriculum, schemes of work and assessment for Years 7-9.
Designed and rolled out a new KS3 mastery curriculum aligned to White Rose Maths, adopted across the department and shared with two partner schools in the trust.

Whole-school contribution

Led the school's Year 11 maths intervention programme reaching 64 pupils across two terms; intervention cohort outperformed predicted grades by an average of 0.7 grades.
Form Tutor for a Year 9 mixed-ability form for three years; consistently 96%+ attendance and zero permanent exclusions in the form group.

Teaching and learning

Lesson observations consistently judged Good with Outstanding features by SLT; selected to model adaptive-teaching strategies in two whole-staff INSET sessions.
Mentored two Early Career Teachers across the 2024-25 academic year, supporting both through successful ECT2 progression with the Education Endowment Foundation framework.

Pastoral and behaviour

Designated Mental Health First Aider; supported 18 pastoral cases in 2025 in partnership with the Head of Year and external CAMHS referrals where needed.
Behaviour-points data for own classes consistently in the top quartile across the school; zero internal exclusions from own teaching in 2024-25.

Skills section — what to list

Mirror the skills exactly as they appear in target job ads. The ATS reads this section literally — synonyms hurt match scores.

Qualified Teacher Status (QTS)Secondary Mathematics specialism (KS3, KS4, KS5)GCSE and A Level Maths examiner experienceCurriculum design and schemes of workAdaptive teaching for SEND and EAL pupilsECT mentoring and inductionBehaviour management at scaleForm tutoring and pastoral careUse of data (4Matrix, SISRA, Arbor)Safeguarding (KCSIE 2024 trained)Mental Health First AiderDepartment and team leadershipParental engagement and reportingCurriculum alignment with Ofsted EIFWhole-school CPD delivery

Teacher-specific CV mistakes that get you binned

× Leaving QTS, ECT year and subject off the headline — Heads should not need to read paragraph three to work out where you sit on STPCD.
× Listing every CPD course you have ever attended — cluster the meaningful ones (NPQ, NPQH, Mental Health First Aid) and drop the half-day webinars.
× Vague claims of 'good results' — share Progress 8, Attainment 8 or grade-distribution data so SLT can benchmark.
× Forgetting safeguarding and KCSIE — every Headteacher reading a CV in 2026 wants to see this named explicitly, not assumed.
× Hiding pastoral and form-tutor work — this is half the job in most secondary schools and SLT will weigh it as heavily as your subject teaching.

Common questions

What goes in the headline of a Teacher CV?: Your name, QTS status, key stage and subject specialism, your STPCD pay point or career stage (ECT2, MPS5, UPS2, Lead Practitioner) and your location. For example: 'Rebecca Atkins · Secondary Maths Teacher · UPS2 · West Yorkshire'. This lets the Headteacher or School Business Manager place you on their pay-scale model in the first three seconds. If you have a leadership role (Head of Department, SLT), include it. Avoid generic strapline taglines such as 'passionate about education' — these add nothing and read as filler.
Should I include pupil-outcome data on my CV?: Yes, where you can do so without breaching school confidentiality. Whole-cohort metrics (your subject's GCSE results, Progress 8 score, KS3 working-at-expected-standard rates) are fine to share. Avoid naming individual pupils or sharing data that could identify a small SEND cohort. If you teach in a Sixth Form, A Level grade distribution and value-added scores are powerful. If your school's results are publicly available on the DfE performance tables, you are not revealing anything secret by referring to them on your CV.
How do I show contribution beyond classroom teaching?: Use a 'Whole-school contribution' section covering form tutoring, extracurricular clubs, intervention programmes, INSET delivery, ECT mentoring and any cross-school work (trust working groups, exam-board moderation, partnership-school visits). Headteachers hire teachers who do more than the minimum, especially in tight budget years where every contribution counts. Be honest about scope — running a chess club for six pupils is a contribution; presenting it as 'led whole-school enrichment strategy' is the kind of overclaim that loses you offers in interview.