Head of English
Lavington School, Devizes, Wiltshire, SN10 4EB3 days remaining to apply
Start date details
As soon as possible
Closing date
8 November 2024 at 11:59pm
Date listed
23 October 2024
Job details
Job role
- Other leadership roles
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Working pattern
- Full time
Contract type
- Fixed term
Full-time equivalent salary
- £31,650.00 - £49,084.00 Annually (Actual) MPS/UPS plus TLR 2c (depending on experience).
Head of English job summary
Lavington School is a proud member of EQUA Mead Learning Trust. Our family of like-minded schools collaborate to provide mutual support, share best practice and learn from each other, whilst retaining and developing each school’s distinctive character. We believe all children and young people have the right to a great education and we seek to improve the life chances of all those we serve; it is our mission to give Every Child, Every Chance of success.
Across our Trust, we want our children and young people to be inspired by their learning, and to instil in them a motivation and aspiration to succeed in all they do. Our schools are highly inclusive and we are proud to have high expectations of our children and young people, encouraging and preparing them to do their very best in their learning both within the curriculum and beyond.
High quality teaching is a priority, coupled with strong nurturing support, where adults genuinely care about the wellbeing of the children and young people in their care. It’s our aim to meet the needs of each child individually and we provide the resources and staff to achieve this. Our dedicated team is committed to providing a wonderfully creative learning environment to fascinate every child. Aspirations for excellence underpin all that we do; our schools are highly inclusive and we are proud to have high expectations of our children and young people.
Children and young people in our schools are happy and safe, motivated to reach their full potential and equipped to become resilient, independent learners. They are prepared to live responsibly and peacefully in the spirit of understanding, and opportunities to develop their creativity, confidence and communication skills are woven into all aspects of school life.
Inclusion is the beating heart of our organisation, and we cherish it in our staff just like we do in our children. We are committed to creating a workforce that is reflective of our communities and welcome applications from anyone with the skills and experience to do the role they are applying to, regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, disability or any other protected characteristic. We recognise the value and contribution every member of our staff makes to our schools, and in return for their dedication and commitment we provide:
A clear vision with purpose and values that are supported by all our staff
An ambitious and vibrant place to work, with enthusiastic staff and children in all of our schools
A highly organised and very supportive team
High quality professional development opportunities from Day One,
A clear, comprehensive induction process
About Us
Lavington is a high achieving school that is imaginative and creative in its approach to teaching and learning and is keen to look for continued and sustained improvement. We are fully committed to providing high quality education for children whatever their age. We benefit from a wonderful rural setting, surrounded by beautiful and historic countryside. The majority of our students live in nearby villages, and thrive in our supportive, positive, nurturing environment, achieving academic excellence for all.
The school enjoys a very good reputation within the community and throughout the county and continues to demonstrate the highest standards of achievement. Much of this success is due to the active partnership of home, school and community, which allows a happy working atmosphere to prevail, where hard work and good behaviour is the expectation. Our students are happy and well-motivated and respectful. They are nurtured through superb individual care, a culture of high aspirations, an extensive leadership and enrichment programme and recognition of their unique talents.
About the Department
The English Department at Lavington School is an enthusiastic and successful team of committed individuals. This is a team which possesses a range of strengths and expertise. The success achieved is down to sharing and collaborating with each other in order to ensure that young people are given the opportunity to achieve or exceed their potential.
English is taught in a suite of rooms, all of which have interactive whiteboards. The department also has its own computer room which is timetabled across all classes so that all groups have access at least once a week. This is a well-resourced department which also has regular timetabled access to the Library/Resource Centre.
Curriculum overview
Year’s 7 to 9 students are taught in seven banded classes, grouped into two top, two middle and two lower band classes. Class sizes tend to be around 32 for the upper groups and are incrementally smaller for the lower band. Lower ability groups are supported, wherever possible, by teaching assistants.
The department provides a broad and balanced curriculum, embracing the National Literacy framework’s teaching objectives and approaches. The department is committed to developing and refreshing existing programmes of study, a core focus every Term 6 during development time. All current Key Stage 3 schemes of work and assessments have been overhauled in recent years to effectively mirror the skills now rigorously tested and assessed at GCSE. In addition to English teaching, the department enriches the curriculum by using the school library on a weekly basis with all Key Stage 3 classes. This lesson is designed to improve reading skills and literacy, and involves a carousel of various literacy learning opportunities, and reading and comprehension.
All students follow the AQA English Language and Literature course, with a small cohort of students also completing the AQA Step Up to English Gold and Silver qualifications. The students benefit from having five fifty minute lessons a week. Students are taught in banded groups with the upper ability classes consisting of 30 to 32 students.
For further information on the role please see the job description and person specification attached.
This role will involve contact with children and the post holder will be engaged in regulated activity relevant to children and will be subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check before appointment is confirmed. We will only submit a DBS application to the relevant disclosure service when a position is accepted.
This Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We follow Safer Recruitment procedures and all interviews, regardless of role, will include questions about approaches to safeguarding. Our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy is available on our website and follows all guidance in the most recent Keeping Children Safe in Education.
All posts involving direct contact with children are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. However, amendments to the Exception Order 1975 (2013 & 2020) provide that certain spent convictions and cautions are ‘protected’. These are not subject to disclosure to employers and cannot be taken into account. Guidance and criteria on the filtering of these cautions and convictions can be found on the Ministry of Justice website.
Please note that by submitting an application, you acknowledge that we reserve the right to view any publicly available information published online (including social media platforms) as part of our shortlisting process, in line with current KCSIE guidelines.
Commitment to safeguarding
Lavington School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare and well-being of its students and expects all staff and volunteers to share this committment.
Applying for the job
This school accepts applications through their own website, where you may also find more information about this job.
CVs are not accepted.
About Lavington School
- School type
- Academy, ages 11 to 16
- Education phase
- Secondary
- School size
- 886 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 11 to 16
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report (opens in new tab)
- School website
- Lavington School website (opens in new tab)
Lavington School is a mixed comprehensive school and currently has 965 students on roll, aged 11 to 18. It is situated on the western edge of the village of Market Lavington, about six miles south of Devizes, in the heart of rural Wiltshire. Numbers on roll have grown over the years with the school being over-subscribed. In 2018 the school opened its Sixth Form as a satellite centre of Devizes School.
School location
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