Head of English

Shaftesbury School, Shaftesbury, Dorset, SP7 8ER

39 days remaining to apply

• Start date details

  September 2026

• Closing date

  13 April 2026 at 10am

• Date listed

  5 March 2026

Job details

• Job role:
  • Head of department or curriculum
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Working pattern: Full time
• Contract type: Permanent
• Full-time equivalent salary: £32,916.00 - £51,048.00 Annually (Actual) Teachers' Pay Scales (M1 - UPS3) plus TLR 1.1 (£10,174)

Head of English job summary

Salary: Teachers' Pay Scales plus TLR 1.1 (£10,174)

Contract: Full-Time, Permanent

Are you an ambitious and inspirational English leader ready to make a significant impact? Shaftesbury School invites you to lead our passionate English department and help shape the future of literacy and language across our school community. This is a rare chance to combine subject leadership with whole-school influence through an Associate Assistant Headteacher role for the right candidate. If you thrive on nurturing talent, driving academic success, and embedding a love of English, we want to hear from you.

For the right candidate, we offer the exciting opportunity to step into senior leadership as an Associate Assistant Headteacher (Leadership Scale 6 - 10), with a clear leadership portfolio to influence teaching and learning beyond English. This role is ideal for an outstanding practitioner who wants to combine classroom excellence with strategic impact.

Shaftesbury School is a mixed secondary school and sixth form with a proud Church of England foundation, serving pupils aged 11-18 in Dorset. Rated Good in all categories by Ofsted (2023), we are committed to our vision for every pupil to “be the BEST they can be”, underpinned by our core Christian values of Belonging, Empathy, Service, and Thrive (BEST).

We celebrate a diverse community where around a quarter of our pupils are disadvantaged, and we offer tailored support to ensure all pupils, including those with SEND and EAL, flourish. Our school ethos is inspired by the parable of the Good Samaritan - we live by the principle to “Love thy neighbour as thyself” and foster a nurturing, respectful environment.

As part of SAST, we are on an exciting journey to strengthen curriculum quality, raise standards, and develop a thriving sixth form in strategic partnership with local schools. We are proud of our supportive, hardworking staff and our commitment to high expectations, excellent behaviour, and a positive academic ethos.

As Head of English, you will lead a dynamic and committed team, championing a rigorous and engaging curriculum that inspires pupils from Key Stage 3 through to A-levels. You will be at the heart of driving strong outcomes in English Language and Literature, while also embedding a whole-school literacy strategy that enhances oracy, reading, and writing skills across all subjects.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading and developing a high-profile English department
• Shaping an ambitious curriculum aligned with the latest curriculum review
• Leading literacy initiatives that improve reading, writing, and oracy
• Managing departmental resources and budget effectively
• Teaching English Language and Literature across all key stages
• Collaborating with middle and senior leaders

You will be a passionate and skilled educator who believes in the transformative power of English. You will:

• Inspire and motivate pupils and staff with energy, empathy, and professionalism
• Demonstrate excellent classroom practice across Key Stages 3-5, including examination courses
• Be committed to inclusive education and student wellbeing, fostering an environment where every pupil can thrive
• Have strong leadership skills with the ability to support, develop, and empower your team
• Be organised, adaptable, and solutions-focused, ready to embrace challenges with positivity and patience
• Share our Christian values and contribute to the life of a busy, successful school community
• Be eager to grow professionally and collaborate across the school and Trust

Experience in middle or senior leadership, curriculum development, and literacy initiatives is highly desirable, but not essential. We welcome candidates who are committed to learning and developing within a supportive environment.

At Shaftesbury School, you will join a vibrant community dedicated to high standards and continuous improvement. We provide:

• A supportive and collaborative working environment with a strong focus on professional development
• Access to a well-resourced English department including Drama and Film Studies expertise
• Membership of Sherborne Area Schools Trust, with opportunities for cross-school collaboration
• A thriving sixth form with strategic partnerships and shared leadership
• Excellent facilities including a resourced library, ICT suites, and sports amenities
• Staff wellbeing initiatives, free refreshments, and a positive, inclusive school culture

We warmly welcome applications from candidates who share our vision and values.

We are looking for someone who is organised, committed and able to motivate our young people, whilst also leading a dedicated and strong team of English teachers. We want someone who will go the extra mile. In return, you will join a school and a Trust that is full of activity, opportunity and optimism. The school has a centralised behaviour management system, supporting staff workload. We have bespoke Internal Alternative Provision on site for students who struggle with the mainstream lesson setting. The school has a thriving 6th Form and fantastic facilities, including a Techno Gym Suite (staff use free of charge), AstroTurf, Multi-Use Games Area, a full-scale climbing and bouldering wall, wonderful grass pitches that drain well, tennis courts, five ICT suites, a 6th Form/Staff Café, a fully resourced Library, free staff refreshments every day, a multi-faceted Steps to Support programme for our young people, a staff well-being charter and staff counselling.

For more information about our wonderful school, please click here to view our careers page.

To find out more about the benefits of working for SAST, click here

Should you wish to arrange a visit to view our school, please do not hesitate to contact Channon Bruton, Office Manager on Channon.Bruton@shaftesburyschool.co.uk and she will be happy to arrange this for you.

SAST will conduct online searches of shortlisted candidates. In line with KCSIE guidance, this will be part of safer recruitment checks, and the search will purely be based on whether an individual is suitable to work with children. As care must be taken to avoid unconscious bias and any risk of discrimination, a person who will not be on the appointment panel will conduct the searches and will only share information if and when findings are relevant and of concern.

Safeguarding responsibilities associated with this role may include engagement in regulatory activity, such as administering first aid or supporting an upset child. It will have contact with young people on a day-to-day basis. SAST is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will have to meet the person specification, and the post is subject to safeguarding checks, including an enhanced DBS check and Children’s Barred List check. The post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020.

SAST recognises the benefit of having a diverse workforce and is committed to building a workforce which reflects diversity from the communities it serves. SAST values the contributions from all staff from a wide range of different backgrounds and actively seeks to promote an environment that is free from discrimination and harassment and at the same time supports fair promotion and cultural acceptance. Under the provision of the Equality Act 2010 SAST welcomes applications from everyone and operates a recruitment process which is fair and does not discriminate against or disadvantage anyone because of their age, disability, gender reassignment status, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race or nationality, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

This role is UK- based and your right to work will need to be established as part of the appointment process.

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

Safeguarding responsibilities associated with this role will include engagement in regulatory activity, such as administering first aid or supporting an upset child. It will have contact with young people on a day-to day basis. SAST is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will meet the person specification and is subject to an enhanced DBS and Children’s Barred List check. The post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020.

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 Shaftesbury School

• School type: Academy, Church of England, ages 11 to 18
• Education phase: Secondary school
• School size: 864 pupils enrolled
• Age range: 11 to 18
• Ofsted report: View Ofsted report
• School website: Shaftesbury School website
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/shaftesbury-school

In our most recent inspection in March 2023, we were delighted that we were judged by Ofsted as being “Good”. The report reflects the wonderful quality of education we provide, the nurturing environment we have cultivated, and the positive impact we make on the lives of our students. The inspectors commended our commitment to excellence, the strength of our teaching and learning, and the exceptional progress our students have made under the guidance of our team. Our SIAMS inspection also highlighted that we have areas of excellence across the school community and we are a place where young people thrive.

At Shaftesbury School we hold an educational vison close to hearts of everyone “being the best they can be”. Just as Jesus used the parable of The Good Samaritan to explain, “love thy neighbour as thyself”, we too have this at the root of our ethos. This vision and ethos is brought to life through our core values; Belonging, Empathy, Service and Thrive. Staff have the highest expectations of every student and guide them to ensure they become confident learners, who will leave Shaftesbury School with an excellent level of knowledge, skills and experience to flourish in an ever-changing world.

We are pleased to be part of SAST. There is real strength in coming together with a collective responsibility for all of the children’s development and progress between 0-19 years. We believe in preserving schools in the local community. This means that there will be considerable local expertise to support staff with the chance to make a contribution to any wider developments.

Shaftesbury School is a great place to work and is a beautiful town itself; most students come from Shaftesbury and the surrounding area. The school is set on the edge of the town, close to the A303 and within easy commuting distance from the south coast of England, Bath, Salisbury, Yeovil and Wimborne.  

School location

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