Head of English Faculty

Are you an enthusiastic and motivated leader or experienced teacher of English looking for the next step in your career? Braunton Academy is a highly successful and over-subscribed academy, which sits at the heart of its community. Our outcomes are above national average which is recognised in our Ofsted grading and report. “Pupils and staff live out the school’s motto, ‘Aspire and Achieve’, well. Pupils engage fully in the day-to-day life of the school. Teachers encourage pupils to experiment and ask questions. Pupils appreciate their teachers’ efforts. They enjoy school.” Ofsted January 2020 The English Faculty, situated in the brand-new purpose built teaching space, is a high performing, successful and committed team aiming for the highest standards in teaching and learning. We seek to encourage aspiration, instil confidence and nurture a love of English in all of our students. Since the 2020 Ofsted, the newly appointed Head of Faculty has overseen a thorough review and development of both the KS3 and KS4 intent and implementation. This is a fantastic opportunity for a new Head of Faculty to further develop the vision for excellence within this subject area. ABOUT OUR ENGLISH FACULTY Faculty Vision and Aims The English Faculty’s clear and aspirational vision underpins all of the work that we do: Dedicated to every student’s wellbeing and success, it is the English Faculty vision at Braunton Academy that all students will be confident readers who are challenged and inspired to read both analytically and for pleasure, who will complete an enriching, relevant programme of study which will allow them to commence their post-16 choices with confidence in their spoken and written communication, and excited to develop their language skills beyond school and into their adult lives. The English team is passionately committed to empowering students with skills that will enable them to not only achieve exam success at GCSE, but which will substantially enhance their opportunities in life after school. We firmly believe that in order to be confident, successful, independent students and adults, English skills are a vital part of educational and personal development. Consequently, our specific aims are: To ensure that all lessons are valuable learning experiences for all of our students; To provide our students with the necessary skills in speaking and listening, reading and writing to engage fully with life at and after Braunton Academy; To prepare our students for life after school, providing them with appropriate skills to help them belong within their community, believe in their own abilities, be resilient, and achieve their goals; To develop a love of reading amongst all of our students, with all students achieving a GCSE in English Literature; To give learners a greater understanding of how English Language and English Literature are placed within an appreciation of English culture and heritage. Staffing and Resourcing We are a successful and supportive Faculty, one which is highly regarded by parents and students alike. Results are consistently good at GCSE, but colleagues are not complacent and consistently strive for further improvement. The English team – currently comprising six teachers, including the current Head of Faculty who is retiring, are enthusiastic and energetic practitioners, committed to providing a high-quality experience for students of all abilities and at both key stages. We aim to inspire and engage our students so they may develop as confident and competent communicators able to evaluate and appreciate a diverse range of Language and Literature texts. The Faculty has recently moved into its own brand new block which includes six brand new purpose built teaching rooms, student toilets, staff toilet and staff kitchen space. Each member of staff is provided with their own laptop and has access to an excellent range of teaching and learning resources to support the creative delivery of high-quality lessons. The Faculty naturally enjoys an excellent relationship with the well-resourced School Library and its staff. Curriculum The English Faculty delivers a diverse and challenging curriculum throughout Years 7-11, with a wide variety of texts being taught and a strong focus on high standards of literacy. Our curriculum is sequenced so that students revisit and build key skills in reading and writing as they progress from KS3 to KS4. In each year, students study poetry, drama and a prose text, in addition to a Shakespeare study and structured opportunities for creative writing and non-fiction writing. English is taught in mixed ability groups in KS3. At KS3, prose, drama and Shakespeare units are taught in rotation with one eye on building students’ skills, knowledge and subject terminology in preparation for KS4. At KS4, AQA syllabi are followed for both English Language and English Literature. Enrichment The English Faculty offers a wide range of enrichment opportunities for students across both key stages, some of which are offered in conjunction with the Drama Department and the Library. Examples of enrichment activities include: Author visits as part of the Appledore Book Festival School Week Theatre trips RSC Live Screenings Poetry and prose competitions Rotary Youth Speaks Competition House competitions School drama productions In this role of Head of Faculty we are looking for someone who is: An aspiring and aspirational curriculum leader. Passionate and committed to your teaching subject. An outstanding classroom practitioner, who will enthuse both students and staff and help us achieve our goals. Committed to raising standards through creative teaching and learning with high expectations for all. Innovative and forward thinking. Determined to influence positive changes and further developments in the faculty and the Academy as a whole. Prepared to fully engage in contributing to our programme of curriculum enrichment. Our vision is about securing positive futures for all of our students and providing a sustainable, high-quality educational and creative provision for generations to come: every member of staff at Braunton Academy is a committed and experienced professional, dedicated to developing students’ interests and inspiring them to be successful. We continue to develop our excellent teachers further so that they are able to increasingly apply a range of teaching methods to develop our students’ ability to think and reflect . We look forward to you joining us to work with parents, carers and the wider academy community to realise this vision. For further information about the post and an Academy application form, or request a tour please visit the Work with Us section of our website www.braunton.academy or ring 01271-812221 and ask for Mrs Hellmund. To commence: 1 st September 2025 Closing Date for applications: noon on Friday 31 st January 2025 Interview Date: Wednesday 5 th February 2025 To apply, please download and complete the Academy Application form (which can be found at the Work with Us section on our website - WORK WITH US | Braunton Academy and email it to recruitmentbraunton.academy Please note, if you have not heard from the Academy by Monday 3rd February 25 you have not been successful on this occasion. Safeguarding: Braunton Academy is committed to safeguarding the welfare of its students therefore an online check of publicly available information will be completed to assess shortlisted candidates’ suitability to work with children. The successful applicant will also be subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check (DBS) and full identity and qualification checks.

Location: Devon, GB

Posted Date: 1/16/2025