Director of Learning - English

About the role: We are now recruiting for the role of Director of Learning - English for Strood Academy; a truly rare leadership opportunity within a very successful and financially sound, mature and geographically local multi-academy trust that combines management freedom for effective leaders with secure central support that encourages collaboration for success. 

We are seeking to appoint an individual who can build a rapport with our students and engage them in the subject as well as leading and inspiring an established and collaborative team. We consistently provide excellent career opportunities for those who demonstrate ambition and drive. 

The role of Director of Learning consequently warrants a high profile position within the academy, and we believe that our offer reflects this. Overseeing existing TLR holders you will be responsible for securing the best possible outcomes for our students. We expect all of our students to be challenged, to be inspired and to achieve beyond expectation; this will be your focus. 

What we are offering:

For our successful candidate, being a member of staff at Strood Academy and the wider Trust means you’ll receive access to a great range of employment benefits from day one. Click here to view the current benefits package , and be mindful that the list is always growing. 

We’d like to hear from candidates who are:

• An excellent leader who is passionate about learning and has strong subject knowledge within the English remit
• Collaborative, able to build strong professional relationships
• Able to motivate and inspire students and staff to achieve their full potential
• Energetic and have a can-do attitude
• Confident and has strong career aspirations
• Committed to safeguarding and the happiness and wellbeing of everyone at the Academy
• Prepared to be involved in leading co-curricular activities either within or outside of their teaching subject​​​​​​​ 

Please click here for the full Candidate Briefing Pack. 

Working for Strood Academy: Since opening in 2009, our academy has transformed the educational opportunities and outcomes for girls and boys in Strood. The improvement in academic performance has been driven by a talented and committed workforce, the hard work of our students, and support from parents and our community. Our new buildings in Carnation Road were designed in partnership with Nicholas Hare and built by BAM as our main contractor at a cost of £26m. They opened in September 2012 and have outstanding learning environments and outside play areas as well as fantastic sports facilities. The buildings reflect our education vision of creating a mature and purposeful educational environment where children of all abilities can learn and thrive.

Our vision is to be an inclusive community where we are all kind, respectful and resilient in our journey towards excellence. Our students thrive through an enriching and diverse curriculum that offers a global perspective, empowering all to become inquisitive lifelong learners.

Our core values are to be:

• Inquisitive
• Respectful
• Resilient
• Kind​​​​​​​

Our purpose at Strood Academy is to:

• nurture students’ aspirations and build resilience within an environment of tolerance, respect and empathy;
• shape leaders within a global community;
• develop and celebrate knowledgeable and inquiring minds to promote lifelong learning and;
• help young people develop into well educated, considerate and caring citizens.

We have a growing roll call of 1400 children, including 200 in Sixth Form. Working in our academy takes a lot of dedication and hard work, but for the right individuals, it can be an incredibly rewarding experience and contribute significantly to personal and professional development. 

Why work at Strood Academy?

• Centralised behaviour system and detentions - simple for teachers to follow allowing disruptive free classrooms.
• Our commitment to the development of all staff - CPD on Wednesday afternoons and the opportunity to collaborate with staff from other schools in the LAT. Also all staff at Strood receive regular coaching feedback through our on-line platform on-track.
• Strood academy is easily accessible by A2 and the high speed train can allow for travel into London in less than 30 minutes.
• We have a common sense approach to workload. All teachers are expected to feedback or live mark. We also work closely as a Trust allowing for centralised resources to be shared across our secondary schools.

Naturally, we are seeking to appoint the best possible candidate and therefore the application process will reflect our desire to undertake all necessary measures to achieve this.

Suitable and interested candidates are invited to complete an online application detailing why they are suitable for the role. This can be submitted on Jobtrain via the following link; 

Application closing date: 17th January 2022 

Interview date(s): Week commencing Monday 17th January 2022 

If you have any queries on any aspect of the application process or need additional information, please contact Holly Neve (LAT Talent Team) on holly.neve@latrust.org.uk or 01634 412 263.

Our commitment to safeguarding: Leigh Academies Trust and all of our academies are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our pupils, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We adopt a fair, robust and consistent recruitment process across all academies and business units. All offers of employment are subject to an Enhanced DBS check, references, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check. 

Our commitment to equality and diversity: As a Trust we are passionate about diversity and recognise that as individuals, we all bring something unique to the role regardless of any protected characteristics which is why we treat all of our people equally, without compromise. We are committed to providing equality and fairness throughout our recruitment and employment practices and not to discriminate on any grounds.

Based on the quality and quantity of applications received, Leigh Academies Trust reserves the right to close this vacancy sooner than the specified closing date. Applicants will be notified of this where possible. Therefore, early applications are encouraged.