Second in English

We are looking for highly motivated aspirational colleagues to join us at this exciting time in working to make Christ’s College even better. We have a proven track record of excellent professional development opportunities. Staff are provided opportunities for career progression, with high quality training in place.

“Positive relationships and respect underpin the calmness and cooperation in classrooms … promoting pupils’ wellbeing is at the heart of its Christian values.”

“Where students are known as individuals, challenged and supported to achieve their goals in a culture of high aspirations.” 

Christ’s College is an exciting place to work with dedicated staff, positive students and supportive parents. Our last inspection was in October 2022 with a very strong ‘Good’ in all area’s judgement being made. The report highlighted the inclusivity of the school. We have seen a rise in the number of families making Christ’s College their first choice of secondary education.

If you believe yourself to be the right candidate for this position, we would welcome your application.

Job Purpose:   

·       To teach English to the full range of abilities

·       To ensure appropriate differentiation for students.

·       To ensure high levels of attainment and progress in English.

·       To assist the Principal and Head of English in challenging under-achievement with a particular focus on those who are at risk of under-achievement.

·       To promote the Christian ethos of the College.

·       To carry out any other specific duty assigned by the Principal or an appointed representative

Areas of responsibility:

To work with the Head of English in the following areas:   To assist the Head of English in the development and evaluation of the department improvement plan, including curriculum review and planning

To be a model of excellent practice of teaching and learning in order to give English teachers advice and guidance on improving the quality of learning;

Identify pupils who are underachieving and ensure appropriate and reasonable strategies are put in place to support them in English;

Ensure there is a clear vision as to how the subject should be taught and developed;

Contribute to and support the induction of new staff;

Plan engaging lessons which motivate and inspire individual students and groups of students to achieve beyond what they thought possible;

To establish and then maintain the highest expectations about what the students are capable of achieving;

To arrange, wherever appropriate, English enrichment activities;

To set regular and meaningful homework which fosters independent learning skills amongst the students in English;

To teach English across all ability levels;

Assess work regularly and provide oral and written feedback on an ongoing basis so that students can make progress;

Ensure the effective use of data to promote students’ learning and target setting is well embedded into the department;

Keep parents and other members of staff informed of the progress that is being made by the students in English;

Seize every opportunity for professional development both within the English curriculum and general pedagogy so that the subject and the school stay abreast of the latest educational initiatives within English education;

Implement a process of self-evaluation which informs future practice;

Regularly review and update schemes of work;

Promote collaboration between all members of the team;

Promote educational inclusion with a wide range of teaching and behaviour strategies;

Encourage and listen to the “learner voice” about learning within the subject;

Maintain the highest standards of behaviour.

General duties

·       Understand, accept and follow the College’s Safeguarding and Child Protection procedures. 

·       To report all matters of concern in line with the school procedure. 

·       To undertake a teaching commitment at a level consistent with the needs of the Christ’s College and the demands of the post.

Note: This job description is not exhaustive and will be subject to periodic review. It may be amended to meet the changing needs of the school. The post-holder will be expected to participate in this process and we would aim to reach agreement on any changes.

The GST is a multi-academy trust serving 23 schools within the Diocese of Guildford across Surrey and Hampshire. Our trust comprises both primary and secondary schools, schools affiliated to the Church of England and others who are not. Our purpose is to grow and maintain a strong network of schools within a highly supportive and sharing network: we know that schools are better when they work together sharing common values and goals. Opportunities for staff development are a key priority for us - as a member of support staff, as a teacher, as a head teacher or as a local committee member you will have access to wide and varied professional development.

 We are working hard to become a more diverse organisation – which is key to our commitment “to be better, together”. We welcome applications from everyone committed to this ethos and would particularly welcome applications from black and minority ethnic candidates, who are currently under-represented in the Group as a whole. We always appoint on merit. We are always open to discussing flexible working options.

Please note that we reserve the right to interview on application should a suitable candidate apply and we have the right to withdraw this advert prior to the closing date. You are therefore strongly encouraged to apply for the role as soon as possible.