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Job profile
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Job details
Job details
Job reference
WREQ000458
Date posted
27/03/2021
Application closing date
14/04/2021
Location
Blank
Salary
Winchester's own salary scale
Package
Generous benefits package
Blank
Blank
Job category/type
Blank
Blank
Assistant Head of English
Job description
The English Department
The English Department at Winchester is at an exciting moment in its history as we reconfigure the delivery of English across all year groups. Since September 2020, Year 9 (Junior Part) English has been delivered exclusively within the Div curriculum, which has been designed both to develop the skills the pupils will need to succeed
in their GCSEs while also retaining the breadth and cultural range that Div affords. From September 2021, all boys will study both the OCR English Literature and English Language GCSEs, having previously studied the CAIE English Language IGCSE. The introduction of the Literature GCSE is a particularly significant moment in the development of the department as it marks the first time that a GCSE English Literature course has been publicly examined at Winchester. This leads into the teaching of the OCR A-level English Literature course in the Sixth Form, which we began teaching in September 2020. Our examination results are strong: in June 2019, 81% of pupils achieved a grade 7-9 in IGCSE English Language, and at Pre-U, 65% of candidates achieved a grade D3-D1 (A-A* equivalent).
The successful candidate will join an eleven-strong, enthusiastic, expert and highly experienced department teaching small classes in the historic setting of our classrooms in Flint Court. Our teaching is enriched by the use of the school’s collections, particularly the Fellows’ Library. All boys from Year 9 to Year 11 (V Book) visit the Fellows’ Library each term, where they work with antiquarian books, first editions and manuscripts from the medieval period to the modern to understand better the history of the English language and its literature. In Year 12 (VI Book 2), all boys have a weekly Fellows’ Library class, where they study Shakespeare in the context of print history, source material and editorial practice using the school’s First Folio, first editions of Holinshed’s Chronicles and North’s translation of Plutarch and a 1612 edition of Golding’s translation of Ovid, as well as Lewis Theobald’s manuscript annotations. There are also opportunities for the boys to express their creative talents in the school’s Spirit Lamp magazine, and to participate in creative and non-fiction writing competitions, as well as the Queen’s Medal Poetry Recitation competition. The Empson Society meets regularly, with visiting speakers on a wide variety of topics; there are frequent trips to the theatre as well as residential trips further abroad.
Role and Responsibilities
The Assistant Head of English reports to, and assists, the Head of English in the discharge of his/her responsibilities.
In Maths and Science, the equivalent role has specific responsibility for the oversight of the Lower School curriculum. The Lower School curriculum is undergoing significant changes (see above) and the management of this change demands creativity and administrative rigour. The Assistant Head of English will play an active role in integrating the use of the school’s collections in English teaching across all year groups, as well as assisting the Head of English in arranging trips and visiting speakers. The position would be especially well suited to a candidate keen to acquire the requisite experience to become a Head of Department.
The Assistant Head of English will have specific responsibility for:
1. Tracking of student progress throughout the Lower School
They will ensure that the tracking of student progress is taking place effectively. Where students of concern are identified, they shall be discussed at department meetings. The Assistant Head of English will work with the Head of Department to ensure that this is communicated to Housemasters and the Director of Studies, and liaise where necessary with the school’s SEN and EAL provision. The Assistant Head of English will then ensure that appropriate intervention is taking place. They will liaise with Housemasters to ensure that concerns are communicated to parents.
2. Assisting the Head of English in managing requests from the registrar’s office
This will include interviewing candidates for entry into the school and ensuring that we have standard assessments prepared for deployment with non-standard entry points. This is becoming a growing demand on the English department. Pupils entering the school at these times will need to be closely monitored.
3. Ensuring that every member of the English Department undergoes Professional Review on an annual basis
The Assistant Head of English will assist the Head of Department in conducting DPR within the English department by:
• Undertaking a preliminary assessment of the work of the colleague (including work scrutiny and compilation of mark books).
• Undertaking lesson observation of the colleague alongside the Head of Department.
4. Assisting the Head of English in identifying underperformance within the department and working closely with them to address it
This process should be very much supportive and colleagues should be mentored through this process. Underperformance may have been identified through the DPR process or independently of it. There must be clear written records of the approach taken and any measures put into place. There must be preliminary discussion with the Director of Studies before this commences.
5. Promoting the development of innovative T & L and CPD within the department
The Assistant Head of English will work closely with the Director of T & L to ensure that the department is up to date in this area. They will ensure that there is a programme of CPD that will support colleagues in developing their teaching practice. Where a colleague wishes to undertake professional teacher training, the Assistant Head of English could be involved in mentoring that colleague. The Assistant Head of English will pursue opportunities for their own professional development in preparation for a management role such as the HMC’s ISQAM.
The successful candidate will be accountable to the Head of English for the quality, success and development of his/her teaching, all routine activities throughout the working week and providing feedback on any pupil, staff or organisational issues and for external examination results.
In addition to their responsibilities as an Assistant Head of Department, the successful candidate will be expected to:
- teach a set timetable per week
- set and mark work in accordance with school and department policies, and write reports on pupils as required
- be available to provide extra teaching outside the timetable where appropriate and as reasonably required by the school
- monitor the progress of all pupils, giving constructive feedback from oral, written or examinable tasks
- attend meetings, including (but not limited to) staff meetings, chapel services, Professional Development days, and parents’ evenings
- meet weekly with the Head of Department to discuss department matters, and chair department meetings in his absence
- communicate with parents over pupil progress both at planned school events and on an ‘as-needs-be’ basis (either by email or face-to-face)
- assist the Head of Department with the setting and marking of scholarship and entrance examinations as required
- invigilate exams as reasonably requested by the Examinations Officer and in accordance with the regulations of the Examining Boards
Person Specification
The successful candidate will be a teacher looking to be closely involved in the development of the department at an exciting moment in its history; he/she will demonstrate an awareness of and a sympathy with the strategic aims of the department and the culture of the school, and will aspire to become a Head of Department. He/she will possess a strong track record of achievement in:
- demonstrating and sharing knowledge of English Literature and Language teaching, with an intuitive awareness of classroom management skills and an appropriate rapport with pupils
- efficient administration and a commitment to promoting the study of English beyond the parameters of exam syllabi
- developing strong professional relationships within the context of a busy and thriving English department
- communicating both a love of literature and key literacy skills in an articulate, positive and sensitive way to pupils across the age and ability range, developing with them a working relationship of mutual trust and respect
- embracing the use of IT and innovative practices in classroom teaching
- the ability to use an appropriate range of resources and strategies in teaching, to facilitate good learning
- being able to design every lesson individually, to a high standard, conforming to the scheme of work laid out in the department’s working document
- the ability to organise and manage time effectively to meet the demands of the teaching week
- nurturing and supporting pupils’ wellbeing with well-developed pastoral instincts.
Essential
- an excellent Honours degree relevant to the teaching aspects of the role.
Benefits and Terms of Service
Salary
Winchester has its own generous salary scale, which is above the national scale. In addition to salary, the school allocates a Special Responsibility Allowance (SRA) to those with additional roles, ranging from running a sport to Head of Department or House.
Accommodation
Accommodation may be available to those who hold a significant pastoral role within the school. Other colleagues typically either choose to live within the city, or to commute in from the wider rural areas of Hampshire.
Induction and Continuous Training
The school is fully committed to the induction and training of all staff. All staff are well supported when they arrive, with help and advice available from Heads of Department, Housemasters, and the Director of Studies, who has specific responsibility for overseeing the induction process.
All members of the Common Room are encouraged to subscribe to external CPD courses. In addition, we deliver a range of training, run by both our own staff and external providers, ranging from highly practical First Aid courses to seminars and learning lunches on many aspects of teaching and learning.
There is an annual cycle of appraisal offering the opportunity to reflect on professional practice and development opportunities.
For those new to teaching there is the opportunity to work towards a PGCE whilst working with us.
Private Health Care and Pension
The successful applicant will be enrolled in the school’s Corporate Health Scheme in accordance with the current rules of the Scheme. Membership of the Scheme does not extend to family members and is a taxable benefit in kind.
All academic members of staff will be included in the Government Teachers’ Pension Scheme (unless a valid opt out form is completed). Particulars of the scheme are provided by the Teachers’ Pension Scheme.
Probation, Notice Periods
The first twenty-four months of employment will be a probationary period. Regular reviews with line managers take place over the probation period with the opportunity to discuss progress, identify any areas for action and ensure there is appropriate guidance and support in place to enable successful completion of the probationary period.
During the probationary period, the notice required by either party to terminate employment will be four weeks. Once employment is confirmed, the notice period will increase to one full term.
Disclosure Check
As Winchester College is an educational establishment, a condition of employment will be that the successful candidate must consent to the school obtaining an Enhanced Level Disclosure check through the Disclosure and Barring Service. This will reveal all spent and unspent convictions, warnings, cautions and bind-overs. A policy on the recruitment of ex-offenders is available on the school’s website.
The jobholder’s responsibility for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young persons for whom they are responsible, or with whom they come into contact with, will be to adhere to and ensure compliance with the school’s Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy at all times.If, in the course of carrying out the duties of the post, the teacher becomes aware of any actual or potential risks to the safety or welfare of children in the school, they must report any concerns to the school’s Designated Safeguarding Lead or in his/her absence the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead.
References and Other Pre-employment Checks
The appointment will be dependent on the receipt of a successful medical check and satisfactory references. The College will usually seek references from short listed candidates before interview and may approach previous employers for information to verify particular experience or qualifications.At least one referee must be the current or most recent employer. Where applicants are not currently working with children but have done so in the past, one referee must be the person by whom they were most recently employed when working with children.
Data Protection
Winchester College collects and processes relevant personal data as part of its everyday operations and is obliged to process it in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018. The school is the Data Controller of this data under the Act and is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office; its registration number is Z5751669.
Any queries about this policy or how personal data is processed by the school should be referred to the Data Protection Liaison Officer.
Job title
Assistant Head of English
Job reference
WREQ000458
Date posted
27/03/2021
Application closing date
14/04/2021
Location
Blank
Salary
Winchester's own salary scale
Package
Generous benefits package
Blank
Blank
Job category/type
Blank
Blank
Job description
The English Department
The English Department at Winchester is at an exciting moment in its history as we reconfigure the delivery of English across all year groups. Since September 2020, Year 9 (Junior Part) English has been delivered exclusively within the Div curriculum, which has been designed both to develop the skills the pupils will need to succeed
in their GCSEs while also retaining the breadth and cultural range that Div affords. From September 2021, all boys will study both the OCR English Literature and English Language GCSEs, having previously studied the CAIE English Language IGCSE. The introduction of the Literature GCSE is a particularly significant moment in the development of the department as it marks the first time that a GCSE English Literature course has been publicly examined at Winchester. This leads into the teaching of the OCR A-level English Literature course in the Sixth Form, which we began teaching in September 2020. Our examination results are strong: in June 2019, 81% of pupils achieved a grade 7-9 in IGCSE English Language, and at Pre-U, 65% of candidates achieved a grade D3-D1 (A-A* equivalent).
The successful candidate will join an eleven-strong, enthusiastic, expert and highly experienced department teaching small classes in the historic setting of our classrooms in Flint Court. Our teaching is enriched by the use of the school’s collections, particularly the Fellows’ Library. All boys from Year 9 to Year 11 (V Book) visit the Fellows’ Library each term, where they work with antiquarian books, first editions and manuscripts from the medieval period to the modern to understand better the history of the English language and its literature. In Year 12 (VI Book 2), all boys have a weekly Fellows’ Library class, where they study Shakespeare in the context of print history, source material and editorial practice using the school’s First Folio, first editions of Holinshed’s Chronicles and North’s translation of Plutarch and a 1612 edition of Golding’s translation of Ovid, as well as Lewis Theobald’s manuscript annotations. There are also opportunities for the boys to express their creative talents in the school’s Spirit Lamp magazine, and to participate in creative and non-fiction writing competitions, as well as the Queen’s Medal Poetry Recitation competition. The Empson Society meets regularly, with visiting speakers on a wide variety of topics; there are frequent trips to the theatre as well as residential trips further abroad.
Role and Responsibilities
The Assistant Head of English reports to, and assists, the Head of English in the discharge of his/her responsibilities.
In Maths and Science, the equivalent role has specific responsibility for the oversight of the Lower School curriculum. The Lower School curriculum is undergoing significant changes (see above) and the management of this change demands creativity and administrative rigour. The Assistant Head of English will play an active role in integrating the use of the school’s collections in English teaching across all year groups, as well as assisting the Head of English in arranging trips and visiting speakers. The position would be especially well suited to a candidate keen to acquire the requisite experience to become a Head of Department.
The Assistant Head of English will have specific responsibility for:
1. Tracking of student progress throughout the Lower School
They will ensure that the tracking of student progress is taking place effectively. Where students of concern are identified, they shall be discussed at department meetings. The Assistant Head of English will work with the Head of Department to ensure that this is communicated to Housemasters and the Director of Studies, and liaise where necessary with the school’s SEN and EAL provision. The Assistant Head of English will then ensure that appropriate intervention is taking place. They will liaise with Housemasters to ensure that concerns are communicated to parents.
2. Assisting the Head of English in managing requests from the registrar’s office
This will include interviewing candidates for entry into the school and ensuring that we have standard assessments prepared for deployment with non-standard entry points. This is becoming a growing demand on the English department. Pupils entering the school at these times will need to be closely monitored.
3. Ensuring that every member of the English Department undergoes Professional Review on an annual basis
The Assistant Head of English will assist the Head of Department in conducting DPR within the English department by:
• Undertaking a preliminary assessment of the work of the colleague (including work scrutiny and compilation of mark books).
• Undertaking lesson observation of the colleague alongside the Head of Department.
4. Assisting the Head of English in identifying underperformance within the department and working closely with them to address it
This process should be very much supportive and colleagues should be mentored through this process. Underperformance may have been identified through the DPR process or independently of it. There must be clear written records of the approach taken and any measures put into place. There must be preliminary discussion with the Director of Studies before this commences.
5. Promoting the development of innovative T & L and CPD within the department
The Assistant Head of English will work closely with the Director of T & L to ensure that the department is up to date in this area. They will ensure that there is a programme of CPD that will support colleagues in developing their teaching practice. Where a colleague wishes to undertake professional teacher training, the Assistant Head of English could be involved in mentoring that colleague. The Assistant Head of English will pursue opportunities for their own professional development in preparation for a management role such as the HMC’s ISQAM.
The successful candidate will be accountable to the Head of English for the quality, success and development of his/her teaching, all routine activities throughout the working week and providing feedback on any pupil, staff or organisational issues and for external examination results.
In addition to their responsibilities as an Assistant Head of Department, the successful candidate will be expected to:
- teach a set timetable per week
- set and mark work in accordance with school and department policies, and write reports on pupils as required
- be available to provide extra teaching outside the timetable where appropriate and as reasonably required by the school
- monitor the progress of all pupils, giving constructive feedback from oral, written or examinable tasks
- attend meetings, including (but not limited to) staff meetings, chapel services, Professional Development days, and parents’ evenings
- meet weekly with the Head of Department to discuss department matters, and chair department meetings in his absence
- communicate with parents over pupil progress both at planned school events and on an ‘as-needs-be’ basis (either by email or face-to-face)
- assist the Head of Department with the setting and marking of scholarship and entrance examinations as required
- invigilate exams as reasonably requested by the Examinations Officer and in accordance with the regulations of the Examining Boards
Person Specification
The successful candidate will be a teacher looking to be closely involved in the development of the department at an exciting moment in its history; he/she will demonstrate an awareness of and a sympathy with the strategic aims of the department and the culture of the school, and will aspire to become a Head of Department. He/she will possess a strong track record of achievement in:
- demonstrating and sharing knowledge of English Literature and Language teaching, with an intuitive awareness of classroom management skills and an appropriate rapport with pupils
- efficient administration and a commitment to promoting the study of English beyond the parameters of exam syllabi
- developing strong professional relationships within the context of a busy and thriving English department
- communicating both a love of literature and key literacy skills in an articulate, positive and sensitive way to pupils across the age and ability range, developing with them a working relationship of mutual trust and respect
- embracing the use of IT and innovative practices in classroom teaching
- the ability to use an appropriate range of resources and strategies in teaching, to facilitate good learning
- being able to design every lesson individually, to a high standard, conforming to the scheme of work laid out in the department’s working document
- the ability to organise and manage time effectively to meet the demands of the teaching week
- nurturing and supporting pupils’ wellbeing with well-developed pastoral instincts.
Essential
- an excellent Honours degree relevant to the teaching aspects of the role.
Benefits and Terms of Service
Salary
Winchester has its own generous salary scale, which is above the national scale. In addition to salary, the school allocates a Special Responsibility Allowance (SRA) to those with additional roles, ranging from running a sport to Head of Department or House.
Accommodation
Accommodation may be available to those who hold a significant pastoral role within the school. Other colleagues typically either choose to live within the city, or to commute in from the wider rural areas of Hampshire.
Induction and Continuous Training
The school is fully committed to the induction and training of all staff. All staff are well supported when they arrive, with help and advice available from Heads of Department, Housemasters, and the Director of Studies, who has specific responsibility for overseeing the induction process.
All members of the Common Room are encouraged to subscribe to external CPD courses. In addition, we deliver a range of training, run by both our own staff and external providers, ranging from highly practical First Aid courses to seminars and learning lunches on many aspects of teaching and learning.
There is an annual cycle of appraisal offering the opportunity to reflect on professional practice and development opportunities.
For those new to teaching there is the opportunity to work towards a PGCE whilst working with us.
Private Health Care and Pension
The successful applicant will be enrolled in the school’s Corporate Health Scheme in accordance with the current rules of the Scheme. Membership of the Scheme does not extend to family members and is a taxable benefit in kind.
All academic members of staff will be included in the Government Teachers’ Pension Scheme (unless a valid opt out form is completed). Particulars of the scheme are provided by the Teachers’ Pension Scheme.
Probation, Notice Periods
The first twenty-four months of employment will be a probationary period. Regular reviews with line managers take place over the probation period with the opportunity to discuss progress, identify any areas for action and ensure there is appropriate guidance and support in place to enable successful completion of the probationary period.
During the probationary period, the notice required by either party to terminate employment will be four weeks. Once employment is confirmed, the notice period will increase to one full term.
Disclosure Check
As Winchester College is an educational establishment, a condition of employment will be that the successful candidate must consent to the school obtaining an Enhanced Level Disclosure check through the Disclosure and Barring Service. This will reveal all spent and unspent convictions, warnings, cautions and bind-overs. A policy on the recruitment of ex-offenders is available on the school’s website.
The jobholder’s responsibility for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young persons for whom they are responsible, or with whom they come into contact with, will be to adhere to and ensure compliance with the school’s Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy at all times.If, in the course of carrying out the duties of the post, the teacher becomes aware of any actual or potential risks to the safety or welfare of children in the school, they must report any concerns to the school’s Designated Safeguarding Lead or in his/her absence the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead.
References and Other Pre-employment Checks
The appointment will be dependent on the receipt of a successful medical check and satisfactory references. The College will usually seek references from short listed candidates before interview and may approach previous employers for information to verify particular experience or qualifications.At least one referee must be the current or most recent employer. Where applicants are not currently working with children but have done so in the past, one referee must be the person by whom they were most recently employed when working with children.
Data Protection
Winchester College collects and processes relevant personal data as part of its everyday operations and is obliged to process it in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018. The school is the Data Controller of this data under the Act and is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office; its registration number is Z5751669.
Any queries about this policy or how personal data is processed by the school should be referred to the Data Protection Liaison Officer.