Lead Practitioner - English

Paxman Academy, Colchester, Essex, CO2 9DB

22 days remaining to apply

• Job start date

  1 September 2026

• Closing date

  1 March 2026 at 11:59pm

• Date listed

  4 February 2026

Job details

• Job role:
  • Other leadership roles
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Working pattern: Part time, full time
• Contract type: Permanent
• Full-time equivalent salary: £55,747.00 - £61,534.00 Annually (Actual) Leadership Pay Scale, L4-L8

Lead Practitioner - English job summary

Join a Team That is Committed to ‘Building Brighter Futures’ at Paxman Academy

Are you a collaborative professional who thrives in a supportive community? Ready to help students fulfil their full potential?

At Paxman Academy, we're dedicated to creating an ordered, stimulating learning environment where every student is valued, respected, and encouraged to achieve their best.

We’re pleased to announce the creation of a new Lead Practitioner: English role. This role represents a significant investment in our English Faculty and a new opportunity for an experienced educator to join our wider Teaching and Learning leadership team.

The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in ensuring that high-quality, research-informed pedagogy is consistent across the faculty and the wider school, directly influencing both student outcomes and the professional growth of our staff.

This post is offered on a full time basis (100% FTE), though part time will be considered for the right candidate.

The Role

As a Lead Practitioner, you will balance a reduced teaching timetable with strategic responsibilities aimed at elevating standards of teaching and learning. This is a role for a practitioner who remains committed to classroom excellence while possessing the leadership capacity to mentor others.

Key areas of responsibility include:

• Pedagogical Leadership: Modelling outstanding, evidence-based practice and developing innovative schemes of learning that reflect the academy’s curriculum intent.
• Strategic Research: Evaluating recent academic research and external evidence to inform faculty policy, particularly regarding the use of technology and assessment practices.
• Quality Assurance: Working alongside the Senior Leadership Team to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of teaching through structured observations, work sampling, and data analysis.

What We're Looking For:

We are seeking a dedicated professional who combines exceptional classroom expertise with the strategic mindset required to drive faculty-wide improvement. The successful candidate will be a Qualified Teacher (QTS) with a proven track record of securing successful student outcomes at GCSE level.

Professional Expertise and Leadership

The ideal candidate will be an outstanding practitioner currently working in a secondary setting. You will possess the ability to lead and quality assure systems that guarantee the best outcomes for both students and staff. We are looking for a leader who can demonstrate:

• Strategic Use of Data: A proven ability to use national and local data to inform actions, evaluate progress, and raise student achievement.
• Staff Development: Significant experience in coaching, mentoring, and performance management, with the ability to support colleagues in refining their professional practice.
• Effective Change Management: The skills to form and lead high-impact teams, managing challenges effectively while maintaining a commitment to inclusivity and diversity.
• Operational Excellence: A high level of competence in planning, delegating tasks, and managing school resources effectively.

For full details, please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification.

Why Choose The Sigma Trust?
We believe in investing in our staff and fostering a culture of collaboration. We offer a competitive salary and a comprehensive package designed to support your professional and personal life.

Professional Development:

• A robust CPD training program that empowers you to flourish.
• Unrivalled opportunities to collaborate with colleagues across the Trust, sharing ideas and building strong professional relationships.

Employee Benefits:

• A competitive salary and excellent pension scheme.
• A Health Cash Plan and Employee Assistance Programme for your well-being.
• Exclusive perks like the Cycle to Work scheme, discounted gym memberships, cinema tickets, and eligibility for a Blue Light Card.

Commitment to Safeguarding & Diversity

The Sigma Trust is committed to safeguarding and protecting the children and young people that we work with. As such, all posts are subject to safer recruitment processes, including the disclosure of criminal records, online checks and other vetting checks. We ensure that we have a range of policies in place which promote safeguarding and safer working practice across our schools.

The Sigma Trust is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunities regardless of any protected characteristics. This is embedded in our vision ‘To Be Greater Than The Sum Of Its Parts’, where we believe we are strong and more successful working together, creating a workplace which celebrates diversity.

To Apply:

Ready to take the next step? Find out more about the role and apply by midnight on Sunday 1st March via My New Term.

Interviews are set to be held on Friday 6th March.

Please note that we reserve the right to close this advert early should we receive an overwhelming response. Candidates may be invited to interview prior to the closing date, so an early application is advised.

We politely request that recruitment agencies do not contact us regarding this vacancy.

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 Paxman Academy

• School type: Free School, ages 11 to 16
• Education phase: Secondary school
• School size: 886 pupils enrolled
• Age range: 11 to 16
• Ofsted report: View Ofsted report
• School website: Paxman Academy website
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/paxman-academy

School location

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