Head of Department - English

Upper Batley High School, Batley, West Yorkshire, WF17 0BJ

30 days remaining to apply

• Start date details

  01 September 2026

• Closing date

  10 April 2026 at 1pm

• Date listed

  11 March 2026

Job details

• Job role:
  • Teacher
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Subject: English
• Working pattern: Full time
• Contract type: Permanent
• Full-time equivalent salary: MPS/UPR plus TLR1a £12,516 per annum
• Additional allowances:

  MPS/UPR plus TLR1a £12,516 per annum

Head of Department - English job summary

Batley Multi Academy Trust’s sole purpose is to provide a great education for Primary and Secondary learners throughout a local family of schools. The Trust is passionately committed to the communities of Batley, Birstall, Dewsbury and our surrounding areas, serving our local learners and their families in order to secure excellent educational outcomes, partnered with high aspirations. Batley Multi Academy Trust currently comprises Batley Girls’ High School; Batley Grammar School; Field Lane Junior, Infant and Nursery School; Healey Junior, Infant and Nursery School; Hyrstmount Junior School; Manorfield Infant and Nursery School; Purlwell Infant and Nursery School and Upper Batley High School. The Trust also operates two community centres called The Fields and the Yorkshire Rose Teaching Partnership for adult education and the Smart Academy. We provide high quality education for all our young people regardless of their background or starting point. Collaboration across our Trust family of schools enables us to share expertise, knowledge and best practice to ensure academic and pastoral excellence, with all schools embracing the same overall ethos and values, whilst maintaining their own unique characters.

Upper Batley High School is proud to be recognised as a Beacon School in the Northern Challenge report, celebrating the exceptional progress of our disadvantaged learners. We are committed to excellence in education and learner wellbeing, as reflected in our prestigious Carnegie Centre of Excellence Gold Award for Mental Health & Wellbeing, the PSHCE Charter Mark, and the Careers Quality Standard. As a lead school within the Kirklees Careers Hub, we are one of the few schools in the UK to consistently achieve 100% in all Gatsby benchmarks. Our outstanding careers programme has been praised by Ofsted as a "real strength of the school", placing us in the top 17% of schools nationally.

We are a dynamic, multicultural 11-16 school, conveniently located near the town centre with excellent motorway links. At Upper Batley High School, we are dedicated to unlocking the potential of every learner, fostering a culture of high aspirations and achievement. Our inclusive and vibrant learning community provides inspiring opportunities both inside and outside the classroom, making our school a truly exciting and rewarding place to learn and grow.

Our curriculum is both ambitious and creative, offering learners a broad and enriching educational experience. In addition to studying traditional academic subjects, learners have the opportunity to engage in hands-on, immersive learning through our Forest School, Horticulture area, and Barnyard, where they work with nature and animals. They also develop their health and fitness in our fully equipped school gym, ensuring a well-rounded and dynamic learning journey that nurtures both academic and personal growth.

By joining Upper Batley High School, you will become part of a supportive and close-knit team—a school that feels like one big family. We are proud that 100% of our staff in a recent survey said: "I feel valued by the school" and "I feel proud to be part of the school."

If you want to be part of a school that is shaping futures and transforming lives, we would love to hear from you!

Due to the current postholder receiving an internal promotion into a Leadership role, we are now seeking to appoint an innovative and enthusiastic Head of English, to lead our successful, supportive and hardworking department.

If you are a highly effective classroom practitioner with excellent leadership and communication skills and are keen to make a difference to the learning and aspirations of our learners, then we would welcome your application.

The successful candidate will:

• Lead the English Team to become an outstanding department with excellent outcomes.

• Ensure all learners are high achievers in English

• Continue to develop the English curriculum

This is an exciting opportunity to join a supportive forward thinking school and Trust, who in return for your commitment and hard work, will support you to achieve your own career goals and aspirations.

Please contact the People and Talent team at: recruitment@batleymat.co.uk, if you have any questions or to arrange a visit.

Batley Multi Academy Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all young people and expects all colleagues and volunteers to share this commitment. The post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check for Regulated Activity and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed.

Batley Multi Academy Trust is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community.

Further information about the job

The candidate will be required to undergo a full enhanced DBS check and must be eligible to work in the UK.

Visas cannot be sponsored.

If you're interested in teaching or training to teach in England as an international citizen, we can help you understand your next steps.

Commitment to safeguarding

Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff, volunteers and trustees to share this commitment.

Our recruitment process follows the keeping children safe in education guidance.

Offers of employment may be subject to the following checks (where relevant):
childcare disqualification
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
medical
online and social media
prohibition from teaching
right to work
satisfactory references
suitability to work with children

You must tell us about any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.

Applying for the job

This school accepts applications through their own website, where you may also find more information about this job.

CVs will not be accepted for this application.

About Upper Batley High School

• School type: Academy, ages 11 to 16
• Education phase: Secondary school
• School size: 789 pupils enrolled
• Age range: 11 to 16
• Ofsted report: View Ofsted report
• School website: Upper Batley High School website
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/upper-batley-high-school-batley

School location

Get a job alert when similar jobs are listed

Find more school jobs in West Yorkshire