HEAD OF ENGLISH FACULTY TLR 1: (£12,114 – 2009/10 rate)

JOB DESCRIPTION

At the heart of subject leadership is the provision of professional leadership to secure high quality teaching and learning, effective use of resources, the highest standards of achievement for all pupils and the promotion of pupils’ personal development and well being. A Head of faculty must provide leadership and direction for the faculty and ensure that it is managed and organised to meet school and faculty aims and objectives. A Head of faculty plays a key role in supporting, guiding and motivating teachers. Heads of faculty evaluate the effectiveness of teaching and learning, the subject curriculum and progress towards targets for pupils and staff in order to inform future priorities for the faculty. The policy and practice of monitoring within a faculty provides the information for evaluation and action. A Head of faculty identifies needs in their faculty and recognises that these needs must be considered in relation to the overall needs of the school. It is also important that a Head of faculty has an understanding of how their faculty contributes to school priorities and to the overall education and achievement of all pupils.

Throughout their work a Head of faculty ensures that practices improve the quality of education provided, meet the needs and aspirations of all pupils and help to continue to raise standards of achievement in the school to the very highest levels.

JOB PURPOSE

To lead, manage, develop and be accountable for the faculty team and the curriculum in order to ensure the highest possible standards of pupil achievement, personal development and well being.

REPORTING

The post holder will report to the Link (line) Manager.

RESPONSIBLE FOR

The post holder will be responsible for the teaching and support staff allocated to the faculty.

WORKING TIME AND CONDITIONS

These will be as specified in the latest School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document.

DIMENSIONS

The post holder will be responsible for the following, with reference to the national framework for middle leaders:

Pupil progress and standards
Strategic direction and development
Teaching and learning
Leading and managing staff
The efficient and effective deployment of staff and resources.

ACCOUNTABILITIES

Strategic direction and development

To ensure that the faculty culture, policies and practices follow and contribute to those of the school.
To contribute to a whole-school culture and climate which enables staff and pupils to develop and maintain positive attitudes towards the subject.
To create an annual development plan which contributes to the achievement of the School Improvement Plan and which involves all faculty staff in its design and evaluation. This will reflect the school’s commitment to continuous improvement, high achievement, effective teaching and learning, and inclusion.
To ensure that the Every Child Matters agenda is addressed by the faculty.
To set the highest expectations and goals for colleagues and pupils in relation to standards of attainment achievement and behaviour.
To contribute to whole school planning, review, monitoring and evaluation.

To monitor, evaluate and review standards of leadership, teaching and learning and pupil achievement against school, local and national standards, including by regular lesson observation, sampling work, collating and interpreting data; to report annually on the above.
To represent the faculty in the wider school community and liaise with the rest of the school, governors, partner schools, the Local Authority, further and higher education, industry, outside agencies, examination boards etc.
To keep up to date with national developments in the subject area and teaching practice and methodology.

Teaching and Learning

To lead staff in the creation, consistent implementation and improvement of courses/schemes of work which meet school and national requirements and are accessible to and provide suitable challenges for all students.
To lead the development and implementation of effective teaching and learning strategies, including ICT-based developments, e.g. the school’s online Managed Learning Environment.
To lead the development and implementation of effective assessment policies within the framework of those for the whole school.

Pupil progress and standards of achievement

Within the framework of whole-school policies, to apply and monitor appropriately challenging subject targets for pupils which will make a measurable contribution to the fulfilment of those for the whole school; to manage interventions to maximise pupil progress.
To maximise achievement by ensuring that examination entries are at an appropriate tier and non-entries are minimised; to assist with the management and conduct of examinations.
To promote, manage and be responsible for high standards of pupil behaviour.
To implement creatively the school’s systems for rewarding good pupil performance and to ensure all staff use them effectively.
To ensure effective communication with parents/carers, so they are kept up to date with curriculum developments and their children’s progress.

Leading and managing staff

To build a team in which good practice is shared and meeting time is used effectively to raise achievement and support pupils’ personal development and well-being.
To monitor the performance of staff and take responsibility for any necessary action arising.
To support/challenge and professionally develop staff so that they are effective in their role(s) and provide high quality teaching and learning; the above to include participating in and leading the school’s programmes of staff training and development.
To ensure that Performance Management (PM) is carried out according to school and national regulations and that staff receive regular feedback, which supports progress against their PM objectives.
To communicate effectively with staff so that they are properly informed of developments across the school and that their views are represented.
To ensure that staff understand and effectively implement school policies.

The efficient and effective deployment of staff and resources

To manage efficiently the available resources of staff, space, finance and equipment within the limits and guidelines laid down.
To assist in the recruitment of staff.
To be responsible for the effective deployment of staff and to make appropriate arrangements in their absence.
To ensure that the faculty’s accommodation/area, resources and equipment are maintained in good order, including the management of a) health and safety and b) security.
To provide a stimulating environment, including maintaining displays that promote interest and learning.

Other Duties

To convene, chair and attend meetings as appropriate.
To undertake the above responsibilities in addition to those held by a standard scale teacher at the school.
To undertake any other duty as specified by the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document not mentioned in the above.

Whilst every effort has been made to explain the main duties and responsibilities of the post, each individual task may not have been identified; therefore employees will be expected to comply with any reasonable request from a manager, including ad hoc projects, to undertake work of a similar level that is not specified in the job description.

The job description is current at the date shown, but, in consultation with you, may be changed by the Headteacher to reflect or anticipate changes in the job commensurate with the grade and job title.

01/10

PERSON SPECIFICATION

All essential

—	Is a suitable person to be responsible for young children.
—	Qualified Teacher status with DCSF number.
—	Participation in relevant Professional Development/INSET
—	Willingness to develop own expertise.
—	Successful teaching across the age and ability range up to and including A level.
—	An understanding of the use of ICT in English teaching and learning and willingness to develop its use.
—	Participation in curriculum development.
—	Commitment to develop the ethos of Nower Hill High School.
—	Commitment to pursue the highest possible pupil standards and progress and an understanding of how this can be done.
—	Commitment to Nower Hill’s Equal Opportunities Policy and practice.
—	Commitment to and enthusiasm for working in a co-educational, multicultural city school.
—	Able to communicate clearly verbally.
—	Ability to communicate clearly in writing.
—	High quality leadership skills.
—	High quality management skills.
—	Willingness to promote and support extra-curricular activities.
—	Able to work well as part of a team.
—	Excellent attendance and punctuality.