Director of English

Director of English 

L6-10 (salary negotiable, with the opportunity to become a Specialist Leader of Education with further salary enhancement)

January, Easter or September 2019 start

‘This is an outstanding school. Teachers have high expectations of their students, who respond by producing excellent work.’ (OFSTED, June 2015)

‘The behaviour of students is outstanding. They are exceptionally keen to learn, and show real enthusiasm in lessons.’ (OFSTED, June 2015)

Do you want to be part of a team where you will help make a lasting impact on our students, many of whom are disadvantaged, and rapidly accelerate their progress?

Do you want to work in a school where you are free to teach, with impeccable student behaviour and unhindered by bureaucracy?

This is an excellent opportunity for an ambitious practitioner, who wants to lead the rapidly growing English curriculum area and make a real impact on further driving up attainment and progress in English. You will also have the opportunity to support other English departments as part of our Teaching School and Support School work.

Despite being a ‘secondary modern’ in a selective grammar school borough, our mind-set is that we are a ‘grammar school for all’. We are unapologetically ambitious for every child, no matter what their background, prior attainment or needs. Our goal is to prepare every student to be able to go to university or high-powered alternative. We believe in the traditional values of hard work and kindness.

Our Academy is a vibrant and exciting place to work and was graded as outstanding in all areas by Ofsted in June 2015. In 2016, Magna achieved a Progress 8 score of 0.52, placing us well within the top 5% of highest performing schools nationally. In 2017, Magna achieved a Progress 8 score of 0.4, placing us in the top 15% nationally. We are very excited about our record 2018 outcomes – our Progress 8 score might possibly be in the top 1% of schools nationally.

We have very high expectations of our staff, but we value them highly, and treat work load very seriously. Our systems ensure you can really focus on your core purpose – teaching, in a sustainable way, unhindered by bureaucracy or poor behaviour.

What we offer:

• A professional progression model to enable you to progress to Assistant-Principalship
• Great students who behave impeccably – you can make a massive difference to them
• Tight, robust ‘no excuses’, ‘warm and strict’ behaviour systems
• Same-day centralised detentions, including homework detentions (you do not need to organise/run/chase them at all), helping to underpin impeccable behaviour, so you are free to teach
• A feedback policy focused on whole class feedback – we do not have onerous/impossible marking policies
• A centralised homework system at KS3 – you do not need to check/mark KS3 homework
• No formal graded lesson observations – just ongoing ‘no-stakes’ feedback, helping you to continuously develop – we believe that trusting our staff with autonomy helps to develop a strong staff culture
• Collaborative planning with centralised, shared units of work and resources
• CPD starts as soon as you are appointed
• State of the art facilities and a very pleasant location in beautiful Dorset

The successful candidate will be:

• an excellent teacher of English, with proven middle leadership experience, or TeachFirst Ambassador, who will play an important role in leading English into its next stage of development
• someone who does whatever it takes to ensure the life chances of all our students are maximised. They will blend extreme personal humility with intense professional will.
• totally aligned to our values and mission. If you are the type of person who fits with our culture, you will love working here.

It is an excellent opportunity for an ambitious practitioner wishing to further develop their career. You would be a member of the extended Senior Leadership Team, be able to study for the NPQML/NPQSL and have excellent progression opportunities to become an Assistant Principal as the Academy, National Teaching School, National Support School and MAT continue to grow. As a Teaching School you would also have the opportunity to become a Specialist Leader of Education. 

We actively welcome visits and would be delighted to show you around our Academy to fully appreciate our excellent learning environment.

To apply, please click on the “quick apply” button to submit an online application.

Please contact zchallis@magna-aspirations.org or 01202 604222 to arrange a visit or an informal, confidential discussion about the role. 

Closing date for applications: 9am Friday 12th October 2018.

Learn more about Magna Academy at: www.magna-aspirations.org

Magna Academy is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. The successful candidate will be subject to an enhanced DBS check before taking up the post.