Head of Department - English in Oxford

Overview

Responsible for strategic planning and operational management of all aspects of your curriculum area. To meet all requirements as appropriate of the current Teachers’ standards.

Job Purpose

• To fulfil the Professional Standards for Teachers, in the context of being a teacher as part of a subject team and as a Form Tutor as part of a Year Team.
• 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 and as a 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 progress and attainment.
• To share and support the school to provide opportunities for all students.

Key Responsibilities

• Leadership and Management

• Lead and monitor the impact of all subject leaders in your team.
• Conduct statutory PMR reviews (final and interim) in line with academy policy and monitor the professional development of staff within the team.
• Model professional standards at all times, both as leader of your curriculum area and as part of the wider CTL team.
• Define, agree, implement and review appropriate targets through a strategic action plan, both in terms of outcomes of students as well as all aspects of teaching and learning.
• Engage in all aspects of academy professional learning and CPD – both for yourself and your staff.
• Implement, monitor and review a subject curriculum that is robust, fit for purpose, challenging and differentiated in terms of quality of provision.
• Review and update curriculum schemes for learning.
• Ensure that this curriculum includes appropriate aspects of SMSC and British values.
• Familiarity with the OFSTED framework and recognising all aspects of its potential implementation within your curriculum area.
• Monitor behaviour for learning within your team area and implement appropriate support if needed.
• Manage resources and the subject budget(s) effectively for the team, ensuring efficiency and value for money.
• Department wide quality assurance as per the requirements of the Academic Calendar.
• Actively engage in any school wide or external quality assurance procedures.
• Ensure the consistent application of school policy on a department basis.
• Ensure the active engagement of all stakeholders.
• Have overall responsibility for the learning environment and matters of health and safety within your team area.
• Keep records of student progress for the subject where appropriate.
• Organise enrichment activities, including subject based extra-curricular events.

• Ensure thorough quality assurance and leading by example, that good or outstanding lessons are taught in your subject areas.
• Ensure that formative and summative assessment practices are used diagnostically throughout the subject(s).
• Ensure that summative assessment methods are robust and follow school policy.
• Lead on the moderation of assessed work at both key stages.
• Use data at Key Stage 4 to track progress.
• Improve standards of literacy and numeracy across your subject area.

• Contribute via INSET, Coaching and promotion the development of other members of staff's CPD.
• Contribute to curriculum redesign when required.
• Contribute to the development of members of staff's understanding of assessment criteria.

• Being accountable for all students progressing at each Key Stage.
• Pro-actively carrying out the monitoring of all data to facilitate this.
• Identifying priority groups for intervention.
• Ensure that all members of your team have accurate prior attainment data.
• Leading at a subject level on all whole school intervention initiatives.
• Report to the Senior Leadership Team and your line manager on student progress and attainment.
• Carry out an exam review and full achievement evaluation.