English Teacher

We are an 11-18 academy, based in the Historic Market Town of Hemsworth near the Cathedral City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, with a curriculum designed to stretch and enrich our students’ experience. Our relentless focus on learning ensures everyone has the right to learn.

Part of the Outwood Family since 2018, we are a welcoming and supportive academy, with a relentless determination to provide the very best education for every child. With a holistic view of education, we aim to create a safe and secure learning community that encourages healthy and sustainable lifestyles and empowers students to pursue career pathways they will find stimulating and deeply rewarding.

In 2021 we completed a new multi-million pound development, the highlight of which was a new 17-classroom teaching block which is home to music and drama rooms, art rooms, a main hall and a dining room. We are proud to have been awarded Gold Status by the Carnegie Centre of Excellence for Mental Health Award.

As we continue to improve and progress, help to take us to the next level.

We work hard to ensure we reduce workload on staff, allowing more time in the classroom to put our vision of students first, raising standards and transforming lives into practice.

All academies within the Outwood Family have gained the IQM Inclusive Schools Award with 18 having Centre of Excellence status and one holding Flagship status.

If you share our vision, join our family.

The English Department at Outwood Academy Hemsworth is a large team made up of 14 teachers and two one-to-one tutors. The department is very welcoming and staff work collaboratively to put students first. They are a combination of Teach First, ECTs, teachers who have recently completed their ECT years and more experienced staff, and all work hard to create an environment where everyone is supported. Some of the recent ECTs are already taking steps to becoming leaders; others are honing their craft in the classroom and supporting newer staff. There are many opportunities for staff to develop. 

There are enough classrooms for English staff to teach entirely or almost entirely in one building. Although Outwood Academy Hemsworth has recently undergone a transformation with the building of a large new block, English is housed in a Grade 2 listed building, which is full of character. Classrooms have large television screens and visualiser lecterns are currently being piloted. 

The curriculum has been redesigned for knowledge to be developed almost fully through the study of texts, and there has been great investment in new books. Chosen novels, poetry and plays are culturally interesting, ambitious and engaging, including those less often chosen like Crossing The Line, which is taught in Year 8. We prepare students for GCSE and A-Level study with the range of reading but also with units such as Language Change in Year 8. We run a weekly ‘Immersive Read’ lesson for KS3 and we have a well-stocked library and knowledgeable librarian.

There is a strong whole-school literacy strategy which aims to ensure that all students can gain the educational and personal benefits of reading. This includes reading in form time, Accelerated Reader and a variety of reading interventions for readers who are not yet proficient. The specialist literacy teaching assistants use the Ruth Miskin phonics programme to support emergent readers. 

As in all OGAT secondary academies, the department prepares students for Eduqas GCSE English Language and English Literature qualifications. The programme of study is fully resourced with high-quality materials produced by staff across the trust who know this specification well. We aim to make all our teachers ‘experts’ in preparing students for GCSE examinations, using our thorough and systematic methods devised over many years. We have the benefit of support from the trust’s team of expert English directors, who provide support, materials, advice, coaching and who model and team-teach in lessons alongside us to develop our expertise. Since becoming an OGAT school, students have made positive progress in English Language every year.

The academy has a sixth form and the English department is currently preparing students for A level English Language (AQA) and A level English Literature (AQA B).

We look forward to working with you, whether you be an aspiring ECT or an experienced teacher. If you are interested in joining our team, please contact Martin Sixsmith, Head of English (m.sixsmith@hemsworth.outwood.com) who would be pleased to tell you more, either by email or telephone, and we would be delighted to welcome you on a visit if you would like to see us in person.

To view the full job description please click here.

To view the person specification please click here.

 This is a permanent Outwood contract. It will be Regional in the first instance, with a posting for 2024/25 at Outwood Academy Hemsworth as maternity cover. Following that we will work with the appointee to fix a permanent base in an Outwood school, paying consideration to proximity to home and curriculum need. This permanent base may indeed be Hemsworth.

For more information and to apply online, please click the apply button.

Closing date: Midday on 25 November 2024.

Interview date: 28 November 2024.

We reserve the right to close advertisements early. Advertisements will therefore close the day the decision has been taken to close the advertisement early.

Outwood Grange Academies Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. All appointments are made in accordance with safer recruitment practices and the statutory guidance in Keeping Children Safe in Education. Online checks will be carried out on all shortlisted candidates, and all appointments are subject to an enhanced DBS check, satisfactory references and checks regarding suitability to work with children.