Lead Practitioner of English

Harris Academy Orpington, Kent, BR5 4LG

30 days remaining to apply

• Start date details

  January

• Closing date

  15 October 2026 at 11:59pm

• Date listed

  15 September 2026

Job details

• Job role:
  • Teacher or lecturer
  • Head of department or curriculum
  • Other leadership role
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Key stage: Key stage 3, Key stage 4, Key stage 5
• Subject: English
• Working pattern: Full time
• Contract type: Permanent
• Full time equivalent salary: £56,154 - £79,547
• Pay scale: Lead Practitioner Scale 1-16 (Outer London)
• Additional allowances:

  Annual Loyalty Bonus + Pension Scheme (TPS) + Harris Wellbeing Cash Plan + Additional Harris Benefits

What skills and experience we're looking for

Join us in providing outstanding teaching and learning experiences for our pupils. We are looking for a qualified, experienced teacher to join Harris Academy Orpington as Lead Practitioner of English.

The successful candidate will:

• Hold QTS (or equivalent) and a relevant undergraduate degree, and, ideally, be able to show evidence of ongoing professional development
• Demonstrate outstanding teaching practice and excellent behaviour management
• Have experience of lesson observations and giving robust feedback
• Have experience of improvement planning and of implementing a range of strategies to raise student achievement, with evidence of success
• Be able to contribute to improving on the quality of learning and teaching and curriculum
• Have a proven track record of excellent results at KS3 and 4, and, ideally, experience of teaching to KS5
• Have experience of high quality pupil tracking and feedback practices
• Ideally, have experience of working with governors and of working in more than one school

What the school offers its staff

Harris Academy Orpington opened in September 2016, joining the highly successful Federation of Harris academies in London. We are on our journey to outstanding and are ambitious and looking forward to an exciting future as we highlight our work as aHealth Science Specialistschool, with students being given access to recognised professional qualifications and careers.

At HarrisAcademy Orpington, we have the most incredible facilities, staff and students and we are very proud of the work that our students do here. We have developed a curriculum that is ambitious and broad. We believe people need to nurture an appreciation of human creativity and achievement and have designed a curriculum that does just that.

We aim to ensure that every student is inspired and supported to achieve his/her personal best and learning comes first. Our motto is “Together We Can” and if you are interested in joining us, we would be very pleased to meet you.

Teacher Development

At Harris, we have curated professional development pathways that will guide you towards achieving your career ambitions. We have developed a strong culture of collaboration and best practice, with professional development and career planning at its centre. With a strong network of passionate educators, expert development initiatives and a multitude of opportunities for career progression, your journey with Harris could be the most rewarding one yet.

We offer a wide range of high quality teacher professional development programmes via the Harris Institute of Teaching and Leadership.

Benefits

In addition to the opportunities for career development and progression, we also offer a competitive rewards and benefits package which includes our Harris Allowance (usually £2,000 for Inner London and £1,500 for Outer London), an Annual Loyalty Bonus, Teachers Pension Scheme, a Wellbeing Cash Plan, Employee Assistance Programme, and many other benefits. Learn more about our benefits on our website.

Flexible working opportunities

We are committed to fostering a positive and supportive working environment for our staff, recognising that achieving a balance between professional and personal responsibilities is essential. We understand that each individual's circumstances are unique, which is why we offer flexible working options that can be adapted to meet the needs of both the academy and our employees.

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.

You will play a leading and highly visible role in the improvement of teaching and learning of the Faculty and academic success of all students, ensuring the highest standards of teaching, learning and achievement and leading in the monitoring, evaluation and review of standards and provision in the subject area.

The general expectations of this role are:

• To collaborate as a member of the Lead Practitioner Team in order to build and realise the shared vision of excellence and high standards for all students.
• To account for students' performance in line with Academy procedures.
• To provide the Governing Body with relevant and accurate information relating to the Faculty's performance and development.
• To support and participate in the work of the Harris Federation, including strand or subject groups as appropriate.
• To contribute actively towards the formulation of all Academy policies and procedures, ensuring their consistent implementation.
• To ensure high quality teaching and learning in the Faculty or across the Academy.
• To participate in duties at lunch, break, before, during and after school the Academy day.
• To ensure that the subject knowledge of staff in the Faculty is exemplary.
• To ensure that behaviour in the Faculty is exemplary.
• To ensure that Schemes of Learning and Independent Work books are of a high quality.

Commitment to safeguarding

The Harris Federation and all our academies are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, references, an online search, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed.

Applying for the job

Apply for the job by following the link below.

CVs will not be accepted for this application.

Additional documents

If you need these documents in an accessible format, please contact the school.

Lead Practitioner .pdf - 356 KB (opens in new tab)

About Harris Academy Orpington

• Organisation type: Academy, ages 11 to 18
• Education phase: Secondary school
• Size: 499 pupils enrolled
• Age range: 11 to 18
• Ofsted report: View Ofsted report
• Website: Harris Academy Orpington website
• Email address: careers@harrisfederation.org.uk
• Phone number: 01689 819219
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/harris-academy-orpington

Harris Academy Orpington opened in September 2016, joining the highly successful Federation of Harris academies in London. We are on our journey to outstanding, we are ambitious and looking forward to an exciting future. We believe that every student can and should achieve their full potential and our commitment is one of ensuring our students develop a love of learning, a passion for enquiry and a dedication to being the best that they can be.We aim to ensure that every student is inspired and supported to achieve his/her personal best and learning comes first. Our motto is “Together We Can” and if you are interested in joining us, we would be very pleased to meet you.

School location

Get a job alert when similar jobs are listed

Find more school jobs in Kent and Medway