Temporary Teacher of English (0.6FTE) - Heckmondwike Grammar School

Kirklees Council are advertising this role on behalf of Heckmondwike Grammar School.

Are you an innovative, enthusiastic and passionate Teacher of English?

Then this will be the job for you.

This post provides a unique opportunity to work within a high-performing and growing 11 to 18 grammar school with a large sixth-form and exceptional students.

Department Information

The English department consists of a hard-working and dedicated group of teachers who have a passion for teaching the subject. We currently have nine English Specialists working under the direction of the Subject Leader, we moved into the new Powell building which houses the classrooms and the good-sized office space.  The department is well equipped with resources:  all of the classrooms are equipped with interactive whiteboards, with access to the Internet. This new space helps us to operate as a very close-knit group, sharing ideas and supporting each other as we constantly aim to evaluate our performance and our practice. We are looking for someone who is eager to join our enthusiastic team as we aim to build on our foundations and strive for further success.

English classes are taught in mixed ability groups at both Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4. We currently have eight GCSE groups of about 24-25 students. We enter all students for both AQA GCSE English Language and English Literature.  At A-level, we offer English Literature and English Language (AQA specifications in both).

We pride ourselves on our comprehensive book stock, as we celebrate Literature and use it as a springboard to access all the diverse areas of the English curriculum.  In addition, we always aim to provide our students with enrichment activities such as opportunities for Public Speaking and creative writing competitions, as well as supporting the House system in drama, debating and the Spelling Bee. Our constant aim is to underline the importance of English, and develop its significance within the school.

We take great pride in providing our students with a first class education and instilling them with a love of learning.

We would like to appoint an outstanding Temporary Teacher of English. The department is always looking at ways of developing its curriculum and widening the experience for students so expert subject knowledge and a passion to lead extra-curricular activities in English are highly desirable.

Consideration will be given to both experienced teachers and ECTs who wish to develop their teaching expertise in an outstanding school.

For the English department at Heckmondwike, commitment, attitude, ideas, potential and enthusiasm are important qualities.

You will need to:

• believe in our school values of Respect, Responsibility and Excellence and follow our school ethos embedded in our motto of ‘Nil Sine Labore’ - Nothing Without Work
• be a reflective practitioner wanting to develop and hone your craft to the highest level
• be an inspirational teacher who builds excellent relationships and motivates students

Responsibilities:

Specific responsibilities are set out in a detailed job description.

In addition to this, teachers at HGS are expected to be effective, reflective professionals who challenge and support all pupils to do their best. Teachers at HGS should inspire confidence, build team commitment, engage, and motivate their pupils. They should think analytically about their work and take positive action to improve the quality of pupils’ learning. 

They will encourage high standards of academic and personal achievement and be a good role model for the students in the school. They will make an active contribution to the policies and aspirations of the school and their department.

In return we can offer

• eager and committed students who are keen to learn and progress
• a creative and supportive team, who are driven to support and challenge our students
• well-equipped specialist classrooms
• a learning-centred school where the best possible practice is the priority
• a comprehensive CPD programme and opportunities to develop as a teacher and as a leader
• a vibrant, supportive community of like-minded professionals

What Will You Bring To The Role?

• Suitably qualified – degree in relevant discipline plus teaching qualification
• Up-to-date knowledge of curriculum related issues 11-19
• Skilled classroom practitioner with the ability to inspire and motivate students in KS3 to KS5.
• ICT skills and an understanding of the potential for use of ICT for teaching and learning, including IWB/Powerpoint/VLE/iPad
• Ability to contribute to the wider school life
• Able and confident to contribute to development of schemes of work and teaching and learning materials
• Energy and enthusiasm
• Suitability to work with children

Why Should You Apply?

Heckmondwike Grammar School is a unique school, with students who are eager to learn, keen to know more and want to enjoy their educational experiences. It is exceptional in many ways: a very diverse school community that produces results of the highest quality.

We work effectively with our young people, really care about them and their futures and have an ultimate success measure of enabling them to proceed to where they want to go. Excellent relationships between staff and students are the norm, expectations are high and students perform very well as a consequence.

We also offer a competitive salary, membership of the teacher pension scheme and other well-being benefits.

If you are interested in this position then please visit the vacancies section of our website: Vacancies | Heckmondwike Grammar School (heckgrammar.co.uk).

Completed applications should be sent by email to: recruitment@heckgrammar.co.uk

Further information about the school is available on the school website: Heckmondwike Grammar School (heckgrammar.co.uk).

Protection of children:

Disclosure of criminal background of those with access to children.

All posts involving direct contact with children are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. However, amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975 (2013 & 2020) provide that certain convictions and cautions are ‘protected’.  These are not subject to disclosure to employers and cannot be taken into account.  Guidance and criteria on the filtering of these cautions and convictions can be found on Ministry of Justice - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Shortlisted candidates will be asked to provide details of unspent convictions and those that would not be filtered prior to the date of the interview.  You may be asked for further information about your criminal history during the recruitment process.  If your application is successful, this self-disclosure information will be checked against information from the Disclosure and Barring Service before your appointment is confirmed.

Safeguarding Statement:

Heckmondwike Grammar School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of its students and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.