Assistant Head - Attendance and Head of English

Nicholas Chamberlaine School; Bedworth; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Nicholas Chamberlaine School is seeking an exceptional leader to join our Senior Leadership Team as Assistant Headteacher, with strategic responsibility for whole‑school attendance alongside leadership of our English department. This is a significant opportunity for an experienced English practitioner to impact attendance, inclusion and outcomes across the school.

You will lead, coach and develop colleagues, use data to drive improvement and build strong partnerships with families, external

Qualifications

• Outstanding or highly effective English teacher with excellent subject knowledge.
• Proven track record of successful leadership and improving pupil outcomes.
• Ability to lead, motivate and develop colleagues.
• Strong understanding of the relationship between attendance, inclusion and safeguarding and academic achievement.
• Data-driven decision making and using evidence to inform strategic decisions.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development, implementation and evaluation of a whole-school attendance strategy.
• Provide inspirational leadership of the English department and secure high teaching standards.
• Drive improvements in attendance, inclusion and pupil outcomes through data‑driven interventions.
• Coach and develop colleagues, monitor performance and ensure safeguarding integration.

Skills

English leadership

Leadership

Data analysis

Coaching and development

Organisational skills

Communication

Job description

As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, you will play a central role in shaping the strategic direction of the school and delivering our school improvement priorities.

Strategic Leadership of Attendance

• Lead the development, implementation and evaluation of a whole-school attendance strategy.
• Drive sustained improvements in attendance and punctuality, with a particular focus on reducing persistent and severe absence.
• Provide strategic leadership and oversight of the attendance team, ensuring robust systems, effective intervention and clear accountability.
• Work collaboratively with pastoral leaders, Heads of Year, SEND and safeguarding teams to identify and address barriers to attendance.
• Develop effective partnerships with families, external agencies and the local authority.
• Use data intelligently to identify trends, evaluate the impact of interventions and inform strategic decision-making.
• Promote a positive culture of attendance, belonging and inclusion across the school.
• Ensure that attendance systems and practices meet statutory expectations.

Leadership of English You Will:

• Provide inspirational leadership of the English department, securing consistently high standards of teaching, learning and achievement.
• Lead the development of an ambitious, inclusive and well-sequenced English curriculum.
• Drive improvements in GCSE English Language and Literature outcomes, including achievement at grades 4+, 5+ and the highest grades.
• Development of KS3-KS5 curriculum.
• Establish high expectations for teaching, assessment, feedback and adaptive practice.
• Develop and support colleagues through effective coaching, professional development and quality assurance.
• Use assessment information to identify gaps, target intervention and improve outcomes for all pupils, particularly disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.
• Champion a love of reading, literature and language, contributing to the school's wider literacy priorities.
• Build a positive, collaborative and ambitious departmental culture., Two teacher training days are disaggregated to enable staff participation in the Effective Formative Assessment program's twilight sessions.
• Curriculum planning is centralised within departments, allowing teachers to adapt from base lessons, instead of starting from scratch.
• We provide outstanding professional development opportunities, including NPQs and Trust funded Masters programs, with-in school support.
• Teachers are encouraged and supported to become exam markers.
• Departments have a minimum of three meeting per half term to facilitate the sharing of practices and subject knowledge.
• We minimise emails with one Staff Comms and one MLT Comms per week.
• Detentions are centralised to allow teachers more preparation time.
• We support staff in balancing family needs through part time and flexible contracts, as well as paid/unpaid time off.
• All colleagues enjoy free access to a modern on-site gym.
• We foster a sense of community with weekly staff breakfasts on Fridays.
• Sharing good practices and collaborative work with other departments is actively encouraged.

Nicholas Chamberlaine School is seeking an exceptional, ambitious and inspirational leader to join our Senior Leadership Team as Assistant Headteacher, with strategic responsibility for whole-school attendance alongside leadership of our English department.

This is a significant and exciting opportunity for an experienced and successful English practitioner who is ready to make an impact beyond their subject area, combining a passion for high-quality teaching and learning with a commitment to improving attendance, inclusion and outcomes for all pupils. We are looking for a leader who understands that excellent attendance and excellent teaching go hand in hand, and who has the vision, determination and interpersonal skills to drive improvement across both areas.

We are seeking an exceptional leader who:

• Is an outstanding or highly effective English teacher with excellent subject knowledge.
• Has a proven track record of successful leadership and improving pupil outcomes.
• Can demonstrate the ability to lead, motivate and develop colleagues.
• Has a strong understanding of the relationship between attendance, inclusion, safeguarding and academic achievement.
• Is confident using data and evidence to inform strategic decisions and evaluate impact.
• Has excellent organisational, communication and interpersonal skills.
• Is resilient, solution-focused and able to balance competing priorities effectively.
• Has high expectations of pupils and staff and an unwavering commitment to educational excellence.
• Is ready to contribute fully to the strategic leadership of a large and ambitious secondary school.

Previous whole-school attendance leadership experience would be advantageous, but we particularly welcome applications from strong English leaders who can demonstrate the skills, strategic thinking and ambition required to succeed in this wider leadership role.

Nicholas Chamberlaine School is a vibrant and ambitious school community, committed to ensuring that every pupil receives an excellent education and has the opportunity to flourish. As part of Griffin Schools Trust, we benefit from a shared commitment to excellence, collaboration and professional development. You will join a dedicated Senior Leadership Team at an important stage of our improvement journey, with the opportunity to shape whole-school strategy, lead a key curriculum area and make a lasting difference to the lives of young people. If you are an ambitious leader with a passion for English, a commitment to inclusion and the determination to make a difference across a whole school, we would be delighted to hear from you. Nicholas Chamberlaine School and Griffin Schools Trust are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. The successful candidate will be subject to appropriate safeguarding and pre-employment checks, including an enhanced DBS check.

What the school offers its staff

The Griffin Schools Trust is committed to building staff teams of interesting people, who are motivated to advance their own knowledge and skills, as well as their students' achievement. The Griffin Schools Trust provides regular pedagogical CPD and delivers its own leadership programmes from NQTS, aspiring to Executive Heads. We also offer a funded research-based Master's programme.

• We never use all of 1265
• We have reduced data drops to allow for more teaching and learning.
• During the summer term, we prioritise staff time for core priorities and essential CPD rather than rolling over the timetable.