Subject Leader English

Nicholas Chamberlaine School; Brighton; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Nicholas Chamberlaine School invites applications for a senior role to lead the English department, guiding a collaborative team of teachers and driving improved outcomes across Key Stages 3–5.

You will work with senior leadership on improvement projects, lead professional development and champion a culture of reading, writing, and oracy within the wider school community.

Qualifications

• Evidence of successful leadership of a secondary English department.
• Experience in strategic curriculum development and improvement.
• Commitment to developing reading, writing and oracy across the school.

Responsibilities

• Lead the English department’s vision and embedding of our Proud Traditions, Wide Horizons and High Achievement.
• Develop an ambitious, knowledge-rich English curriculum from Key Stage 3 to Key Stage 5 and ensure high-quality teaching.
• Promote evidence-informed practice through coaching and professional dialogue.
• Oversee assessment and QA to secure strong student outcomes and attainment.
• Build partnerships with parents, carers and external organisations to enhance curriculum and practice.
• Champion reading, writing and oracy, with enrichment opportunities linked to Shakespeare and theatre.

Job description

The English Department is a highly collaborative and ambitious team of 14 full-time equivalent teachers, united by a shared commitment to delivering an exceptional English education for every student. We are passionate about developing confident readers, thoughtful writers and articulate communicators, fostering a lifelong love of reading alongside high standards of literacy, oracy and academic excellence.

The successful candidate will lead a talented team supported by an established departmental leadership structure. Colleagues are encouraged to contribute to school and departmental improvement through strategic leadership projects and professional development opportunities. The department has a strong culture of collaboration, professional development and evidence-informed practice, with staff regularly sharing expertise and refining curriculum and pedagogy together.

English is a successful subject across Key Stages 3, 4 and 5. At GCSE, all students study AQA English Language and English Literature, while our Sixth Form offers AQA A Level English Literature. Our curriculum balances academic rigour with a genuine love of literature, exposing students to rich and challenging texts that broaden their knowledge, cultural understanding and enjoyment of reading.

The department is exceptionally well resourced, with modern teaching technology, including visualisers in every classroom, alongside a wide range of carefully selected texts and teaching resources.

Beyond the classroom, English plays a central role in the wider life of the school. Through our Wide Horizons programme, students benefit from theatre visits, workshops, author events and other enrichment opportunities. Our proximity to Stratford-upon-Avon also enables us to make the most of outstanding cultural experiences linked to Shakespeare and live performance.

This is an exciting opportunity to lead a successful department with a talented team, supportive senior leaders and a shared ambition to continually improve outcomes for every student.

Shaping the Future

• Ensure the vision for English is clearly articulated, shared, understood and embedded across the department.
• Develop an ambitious culture of learning, scholarship and achievement, rooted in our shared vision of Proud Traditions, Wide Horizons and High Achievement.
• Lead the strategic development of English, ensuring curriculum, teaching, literacy and enrichment reflect the needs and aspirations of our students and community.
• Use national, local and school performance data to evaluate standards, identify priorities and drive continual improvement in student outcomes.

Leading Teaching and Learning

• Establish a culture of consistently high expectations for all students and staff.
• Lead the design, implementation and continual refinement of an ambitious, knowledge-rich English curriculum from Key Stage 3 to Key Stage 5.
• Promote excellent teaching through evidence-informed practice, coaching and high-quality professional dialogue.
• Ensure teaching meets the needs of all learners through effective curriculum planning, adaptive teaching and appropriate intervention.
• Lead assessment, moderation and quality assurance to secure high standards of teaching, learning and achievement.
• Champion a culture of reading, writing and oracy, promoting reading for pleasure alongside academic success through a rich curriculum and meaningful enrichment opportunities.
• Build strong partnerships with parents and carers to support students' progress and celebrate achievement.

Developing Self and Working with Others

• Lead, coach and develop colleagues through high-quality professional development, collaboration and example.
• Reflect critically on your own leadership and actively pursue opportunities for continual professional growth.
• Build effective partnerships within the school, across the Trust and with external organisations to enhance curriculum and professional practice.

Managing the Organisation

• Produce and implement clear, evidence-informed improvement plans that drive sustained excellence across the English department.
• Ensure departmental systems, resources and routines enable high-quality teaching, learning and curriculum delivery.

Securing Accountability

• Foster a culture of collaboration, professional trust and collective responsibility for student outcomes.
• Hold colleagues to account through supportive challenge, regular review and effective performance management.
• Present accurate and evaluative reports on departmental performance to senior leaders, governors, parents and carers.
• Champion the identity of the English department, reflecting the values of Proud Traditions, Wide Horizons and High Achievement.
• Develop meaningful opportunities for student leadership, participation and enrichment within English.
• Collaborate with colleagues across the Trust and beyond to share expertise, develop best practice and improve outcomes for all students.