Head of Department: Modern Foreign Languages at Swanshurst School

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About this Role

Swanshurst is a large, outstandingschool for girls aged 11-19 years. We offer excellent support and CPD for staffat all stages of their career. Ofsted (May 2024) described our school to be "anexceptional place for pupils to learn". They described the curriculum as"exemplary" and one which "explodes into life in the classroom".In relation to staff wellbeing, they noted that "The school is conscious ofstaff workload and well-being and is committed to achieving excellence in asustainable way.". We are exceptionally proud to have been judged 'Outstanding'in two consecutive inspections.

The school is part of the newly formedWest Midlands Academy Trust (WMAT) which opened in January 2025. As one of thethree founding members, the school has been integral to forming the Trust's mission:

• Relentless focus upon delivering an excellent Quality of Education, resulting in strong progress and attainment for all groups of pupils.
• Emphasis upon personal development and well-being for staff and pupils.

We are seeking to appoint an exceptionalHead of Modern Foreign Languages to lead and further develop our vibrantand successful MFL department at our outstanding secondary school.

This is an exciting opportunity for anambitious and inspirational teacher with a passion for languages to make significantimpact on teaching, learning and curriculum development across the department,sustaining the excellent outcomes currently achieved by our students.

We arelooking for someone who can inspire a passion for learning languages and bringout the best in our pupils and staff by developing a strong curriculum thatexplodes into life in the classroom through exceptional teaching. We arelooking for a leader who can capture and share their own enthusiasm forlanguages with both the MFL team and our hard working, well behaved andaspirational pupils.

Thelanguages department is a highly successful one, making a significantcontribution to pupil progress scores that are consistently in line with, orabove, the national average. We would expect the successful candidate to teachFrench and Spanish at Key Stage 3 and at least one of these languages at KeyStage 4 and 5. The department alsoteaches GCSE German and GCSE Arabic.

By joiningthe team at Swanshurst, you will be joining a supportive, forward-thinking schoolcommitted to innovation and success. We have an exceptional professionaldevelopment package for teaching staff and middle leaders and support all staffto engage in a range of leadership growth opportunities because we value andharness your ambition and creativity.

If you areready to lead, inspire, and make a difference, we would love to hear from you.

The successful candidate will lead on the following areas:
• Leading and being the expert on identifiedcourses/subjects.
• Sequencing the curriculum and writing schemes ofwork that fulfil school requirements.
• Leading and coordinating all aspects of thedelivery and quality assurance of the curriculum
• Working in collaboration with other departmentsto share strong practice.
• Leading on training staff on new curriculumdevelopments and school teaching and learning priorities.
• Developing and delivering training to staff todevelop subject knowledge and pedagogical subject knowledge.

The successful candidate will be an inspirationalprofessional with:
• A track record of strong teaching and impact.
• A track record of strong attainment and progressin KS3, KS4 and/or KS5 MFL.
• A track record of impact on curriculumdevelopment and/or the practice of others.
• An eagerness to further develop leadershipskills.
• A vision and passion for growth and developmentof colleagues at all levels.
• The skills to effectively lead and manage.
• A relentless commitment to outstanding supportfor youngsters.
• A driving ambition to make a difference to everychild at Swanshurst.

WMAT iscommitted to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and youngpeople and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

This postis exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments tothe Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020 which means that when applying forcertain jobs and activities certain spent convictions and cautions are'protected' so they do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they aredisclosed, employers cannot take them into account.

Safeguardingis our top priority. We encourage allapplicants to review our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy whichoutlines our commitment to the safety and wellbeing of students.

Thesuccessful applicant will be subject to all necessary pre-employment checksincluding enhanced DBS, Prohibition Check, qualifications (where applicable),medical fitness, identify and right to work.

This postis covered by Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016). Therefore, the ability to speak fluent andspoken English is an essential requirement for this role.

To complywith Keeping Children Safe in Education, we will seek and scrutinise referencesprior to interviews. Referees will be contacted to provide furtherclarification if needed. All information provided by referees will be comparedfor consistency against the information disclosed in your application form, andyou will be asked about any discrepancies at interview.

Short listedcandidates - an online search will also be carried out as part of due diligenceon all short-listed candidates.