Lead Teacher of Drama with English

Harris Academy Bermondsey is a dynamic all-girls academy in central London, where ambition, academic excellence, and leadership flourish. Our students regularly achieve outstanding results. We continue to nurture confident, engaged young women. For example, our Year 10s are leading a campaign with the Sweaty Betty Foundation to redesign girls’ changing rooms, addressing the fact that 1 in 3 girls stop PE due to poor facilities. At HAB, students become architects of change. In February 2025, our school was again judged Outstanding across all Ofsted categories, reaffirming our unwavering commitment to excellence in education. We take immense pride in fostering a diverse, inclusive, and supportive environment. Many of our students come from disadvantaged backgrounds, yet all study the EBacc and are encouraged toward university, empowering them to compete on equal footing with their peers. Our highly skilled teachers and dedicated support staff work tirelessly to identify and nurture each student’s unique strengths. Together, we ensure every girl not only achieves academic success but also grows into a confident leader, thriving within a safe, happy, and ambitious learning community.

We are currently looking to appoint a dedicated and inspiring Lead Teacher of Drama with English. At Harris Academy Bermondsey, you will join a dedicated team of teachers and staff supporting our excellent students. If you are looking for an opportunity to grow, inspire and develop, this may be the role for you.

MAIN AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

• To implement and deliver an appropriately broad, balanced, relevant and differentiated curriculum for students and to support a designated curriculum area as appropriate.
• To monitor and support the overall progress and development of students as a teacher/form tutor.
• To facilitate and encourage a learning experience which provides students with the opportunity to achieve their individual potential.
• To contribute to raising standards of student attainment.
• To share and support the academy’s responsibility to provide and monitor opportunities for personal and academic growth.

Your main areas of responsibility will fall under the areas of:

• Operational and strategic planning (including lesson planning, developing resources and syllabuses, and contributing to the departmental plan).
• Curriculum planning.
• Staff development (including continuing professional development and engaging fully in the Performance Management Review process).
• Quality assurance (including contributing to the process of monitoring and evaluating the subject area).
• Management of information (including maintaining appropriate records and tracking student progress).
• Communications with students, parents and other stakeholders.
• Pastoral system (including being a form tutor to a selected group of students).
• Teaching, ensuring a high quality learning experience for students.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

• Hold QTS (or equivalent) and a relevant undergraduate degree.
• Have successful teaching experience at secondary level (can be teaching practice), ideally including experience in multi-ethnic urban schools and of working in an 11-18 school.
• Understand the theory and practice of effective teaching and learning.
• Understand the importance of high expectations and equality of access for all students, and of being a tutor.
• Have knowledge of National Curriculum requirements at KS3 and KS4, and of writing lesson plans, developing resources and assessing students' work.
• Be able to work as part of a team and to develop and maintain positive relationships with all staff.
• Have a good level of ICT skills, ideally including innovative use of interactive white boards.
• Be able to create a motivating and safe learning environment for all students.
• Be able to communicate positively with parents, carers and other external agencies where necessary.
• Have good written and spoken communication skills.
• Be able to lead and manage their own work effectively.
• Have excellent time management skills.
• Be able to motivate students and raise their aspirations through a range of strategies.

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

Teacher Development
At Harris, we have curated professional development pathways that will guide you towards achieving your career ambitions. We have developed a strong culture of collaboration and best practice, with professional development and career planning at its centre. With a strong network of passionate educators, expert development initiatives and a multitude of opportunities for career progression, your journey with Harris could be the most rewarding one yet. We offer a wide range of high quality teacher professional development programmes via the Harris Institute of Teaching and Leadership.

Flexible Working
We are committed to fostering a positive and supportive working environment for our staff, recognising that achieving a balance between professional and personal responsibilities is essential. We understand that each individual’s circumstances are unique, which is why we offer flexible working options that can be adapted to meet the needs of both the academy and our employees.

Benefits
In addition to the opportunities for career development and progression, we also offer a competitive rewards and benefits package which includes our Harris Allowance (usually £2,000 for Inner London and £1,500 for Outer London), a Performance and Loyalty Bonus, Teachers Pension Scheme, a Wellbeing Cash Plan, Employee Assistance Programme, and many other benefits.

Safeguarding Notice
The Harris Federation and all our academies are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, references, an online search, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed.

Equal Opportunities
The Harris Federation is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates. We value the diversity of our staff and students, and everyone at the Harris Federation is equally valued and respected. We aim to be an inclusive employer that reflects the communities we serve. We are committed to providing a fair, equitable and mutually supportive learning and working environment.