Head of English

Head of English

MPS/UPS + TLR (Salary dependent upon qualifications and experience)

Start date: September 2024 / January 2025

We are seeking to appoint an inspiring and well qualified Head of English to lead a very dynamic and highly successful team. We are looking for a passionate and committed leader, who will be able to enthuse our students, and who is keen to continue to develop professionally.

You will be an inspirational leader who is committed to the school's founding vision of delivering an outstanding education to our students. You will have the capacity to raise attainment through motivating and inspiring young people, and will help enhance our culture of high expectations and achievement across the school. Expectations for teaching, learning and attitudes are exceptionally high across the school.

You will be joining a supportive, successful and highly motivated team that have our school motto of, ‘Aspire to become elite’ at the heart of their enhanced, rich curriculum model. The students are role models and ambassadors for our school’s ethos. Our English department is high performing, securing GCSE and A results well above national average in both English Language and Literature. We offer English Language, English Literature and Film Studies A level in the department. Our curriculum is broad and challenging, introducing students to a range of literary texts from the start of Key Stage 3. Our first unit on Northern Lights begins as students collect their copies of the novels on their summer transition visit day, and arrive in September ready to analyse the text as new year 7. The department has been highly praised for its unequivocal focus on reading, as students follow the Accelerated Reader programme, supported by our on-site library and school librarian. Our reading test data informs our teaching and intervention. Our annual summer Shakespeare Festival sees all our year 7 students perform an abridged play, in the open. Families and members of the community come to watch the performances. Our Spelling Bees, Mock Trial competition, reading club and annual trip to Harry Potter studios all further enhance our curriculum and enrich the students’ experience in the classroom. .

We are currently a boy’s secondary school for students aged 11-18, with a co-educational 6th Form. The Forest will be co-educational from September 2024, with our first cohort of girls starting in year 7. Staff at The Forest School teach in modern, well-equipped classrooms and are offered a tailored CPD programme. Staff are allocated a laptop, have access to the school’s sporting facilities as well as the lively staff social calendar. The school has continued to invest in new technology with projects including a brand new school WiFi network, Show My Homework, GCSE Pod, Chromebooks for students to support learning and reduce staff workload. The school's drive on technology was invaluable during the lockdowns as the school had already established Google classroom. The school has a newly refurbished subject block and subsequently every classroom across the school now has a ViewSonic interactive screen. In addition, we have invested in our all facilities across the school: new heating system reducing our carbon footprint, revamped technology including food room, whole school repainted, new interactive whiteboards, in addition to sporting facilities; upgraded our indoor swimming pool, invested in our sports hall, all weather pitches: MUGA, an all-weather football dome and our new performance and conditioning centre of excellence. Academically the school has a positive progress measure and the boys achieve above national average. Our curriculum is clearly mapped and was a strong “good” as part of our Ofsted 2021.

The Forest School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of students and young people, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All appointments are subject to an Enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service clearance being received.

For further information, please see our website for the Job Description and Teachers

Application Form. Please return your completed application form via email to

mailto: recruitment@forest.academy. Please complete the application form in

full; CVs will not be accepted. 

The Interview Process

If selected, the interview process will test and assess your fulfilment of the requirements for this position. As part of this process, you may be expected to teach a class of pupils and attend a panel interview. The interview process will include consideration of your suitability to work with children and the interview panel will ask questions on safeguarding children/young people.

Please apply as soon as possible as shortlisting/interviews will be ongoing up until the closing date. Should a suitable candidate be appointed, the advert may close early.

The school will complete online searches on all shortlisted candidates and reserves the right to do so on receipt of all applications.

CLOSING DATE FOR RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS Is Wednesday 29th May with interviews Thursday or Friday.

It is our normal procedure to request references on shortlisted candidates prior to interview.