Head of English
Didcot Girls' School, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 7AJ14 days remaining to apply
Start date details
1st January or 15th April 2024
Closing date
9 October 2023 at 8am
Date listed
19 September 2023
Job details
Job role
Visa sponsorship
- No, visa sponsorship not available
Subject
- View all Englishjobs
Working pattern
Contract type
- Permanent
Full-time equivalent salary
- MPS/UPS scale point + TLR1 (2) (currently £10,710 per annum)
Head of English job summary
Didcot
Girls’ School is a dynamic school. In November 2022, the school was judged as continuing to
be Outstanding. As Ofsted recognised, we invest in all of our staff:
“Leaders support staff very well. They have
established a collaborative and respectful working environment. With the trust,
they provide highly valued training and leadership programmes. Staff are
exceptionally proud to work at the school.”
Ofsted also noted the high standards within the
school and commented that “Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary.”
We are a values-driven
school, committed to high quality teaching and learning and respectful
relationships within an inclusive learning community. Developing stimulating
and student-centred teaching and learning is at the centre of our school
development work. We work hard to ensure that all girls’ education enables our
students to develop confidence, leadership skills and high levels of
aspiration.
We are committed to
continuous professional development and have wide-ranging training and
development opportunities. We are also mindful of the competing demands people
face in their lives and make every effort to accommodate flexible working.
Summer 2023 GCSE results were superb with 85% of all students achieving 4+ in English and Maths, and 71% doing the same at 5+. Results at A level in the mixed sixth form shared with our partner school, St Birinus School, are also extremely strong with 34% of grades awarded as A* or A and 66% achieving Grades A*-B. These results place us as one of the highest performing schools in the county.
The Post
This is a key post in our school, leading a high-performing subject area. It is essential that the successful candidate is an outstanding teacher and able to support others to ensure excellent standards of teaching across the whole department. We are looking for a leader who can define and realise a strategic vision for their subject, and who can look outwards to innovate whilst looking inwards to build on existing strengths. The post requires a leader with a relentless drive to improve the department’s shared practice and teamship. This post will provide excellent professional development opportunities for someone ambitious to work at senior leader level in the future.
The Department
The English Department is staffed by a dynamic, talented and extremely supportive group of 15 teaching staff and two part-time English HLTAs. The department is accommodated in specialist rooms with interactive whiteboards and visualizers as well as a team room and work area.
Curriculum
At key stage 3, the English Department teach a mastery
curriculum, which has been developed to provide the foundations from which to
develop excellent students of English. This curriculum includes a rigorous
model for skills progression, explicit first teaching of key English concepts,
and a rigorous model for assessment. It has been conceived to prepare students
for the rigours of the reformed GCSEs, whilst maintaining a balanced and varied
experience of English. Most importantly, it has been created by a team of
practising teachers who are committed to a process of iterative refinement.
In Year 9, the curriculum follows a ‘representative texts,
representative tasks’ model, where challenging content is taught in a way that
enhances student familiarity with the sorts of approaches required at GCSE.
In Years 10 and 11, students follow the AQA specifications for English Language and English Literature. English is a very popular option in the joint Sixth Form; we offer AQA’s Specification A in English Literature and AQA Specification A in Language and Literature.
Outcomes
Results at all levels are very strong. In 2023, 93% of Year 11 students achieved at least one grade 4 or above in Language or Literature, 85% of students achieved a grade 5 or above, and 52% of students achieved grade 7 or above. A level English Literature, and Language and Literature, are very popular. Results are strong, with many students opting to study English at university.
Media Studies
The school has a separate Head of Media who is responsible for the administration, curriculum provision and outcomes of Media Studies GCSE and A level. However, the Media curriculum is currently delivered by teachers from within the English department. As such, effective collaboration and strategic planning with the Head of Media is essential.
Extra-Curricular Activities
The school has a strong culture of Reading for
Pleasure. There are fortnightly Reading for Pleasure lessons in the Library,
regular visits from authors, a strong team of Reading Ambassadors, engagement
with local and national book awards, and student-led book clubs at KS4 and KS5.
There are regular theatre trips across all year groups, and regular university
visits for KS5 students. The department runs successful catch-up provision for
KS3 students, which includes reading mentoring programmes, run by older
students, for struggling or reluctant readers at KS3.
Extra-Curricular Activities
Ridgeway Education Trust is growing, and we will be joined by two further primary schools in the autumn. This post has the potential to include responsibility for directing extracurricular primary PE.
Excellent professional development is available for the successful candidate.
Application process
The application deadline is 8am on Monday 9th October.
To ensure we conduct a fair shortlisting process we use blind
shortlisting whereby personal information (such as name, email address, gender
& ethnicity) are not made available to the short-listing panel.
Please note that the school reserves the
right to interview on receipt of applications, and to appoint prior to the
deadline, so early application is recommended.
Didcot Girls School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects staff working in all its schools to share this commitment. The successful applicant will be subject to an enhanced DBS check along with standard pre-employment safeguarding checks.
Please be aware that you will be required to bring your original qualification certificate(s), proof of residence and photographic ID to interview.
Didcot Girls School is an equal opportunities employer.
Commitment to safeguarding
Applying for the job
Using the application form
This school accepts applications through their own website, where you may also find more information about this job.
About Didcot Girls' School
- School type
- Academy, ages 11 to 18
- Education phase
- View all Secondaryjobs
- School size
- 1614 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 11 to 18
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report (opens in new tab)
- School website
- Didcot Girls' School website (opens in new tab)
Didcot Girls’ School is a dynamic school. In November 2022, the school was again judged to be Outstanding. As Ofsted recognised, we invest in all of our staff:
“Leaders support staff very well. They have established a collaborative and respectful working environment. With the trust, they provide highly valued training and leadership programmes. Staff are exceptionally proud to work at the school.”
Ofsted also noted the high standards within the school and commented that “Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary”
We are a values-driven school, committed to high quality teaching and learning and respectful relationships within an inclusive learning community. Developing stimulating and student-centred teaching and learning is at the centre of our school development work. We work hard to ensure that all girls’ education enables our students to develop confidence, leadership skills and high levels of aspiration.
We are committed to continuous professional development and have wide-ranging training and development opportunities. We are also mindful of the competing demands people face in their lives and make every effort to accommodate flexible working.
Summer 2022 GCSE results were superb with 88% of all students achieving 4+ in English and Maths, and 72% doing the same at 5+. Results at A level in the mixed sixth form shared with our partner school, St Birinus School, are also extremely strong with 44% of grades awarded as A* or A and 68% achieving Grades A*-B. These results place us as one of the highest performing schools in the county.
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