We are seeking a committed and hardworking professional to provide strategic leadership for our English department and drive a whole-school culture of literacy and reading. At Aylsham High, we believe leadership is fundamentally about valuing people; your ability to get the best out of both students and colleagues is central to this role. The successful candidate will have a proven track record of securing excellent outcomes at GCSE English as well as ensuring strong progress in KS3. The successful candidate will also have a strong track record of leading, motivating, and inspiring others to teach effectively. You should be a highly reflective practitioner and strategic thinker who leads with humility and integrity, acknowledging when improvements are needed and maintaining a relentless focus on high standards.

This position is designed for an accomplished teacher with senior leadership aspirations. As a Lead Practitioner, you will:

Sit on the Senior Leadership Team (SLT): Work directly with the Deputy Headteacher to align departmental goals with the wider School Improvement Plan.
Lead the English Department: Act as the direct line manager for the Head of English and the Second in English, providing mentorship and "critical friendship".
Curriculum Architect: Design a knowledge-rich English curriculum rooted in cognitive science and robust educational research.
Drive Literacy: Take full accountability for the school’s reading strategy, including overseeing the library and leading Year 8 reading assessments.
Model Exemplary Practice: Maintain a teaching timetable that demonstrates the highest standards of evidence-informed pedagogy, such as Rosenshine’s Principles and adaptive teaching.
Key Stage Progression: Ensure the curriculum is carefully sequenced to build on Key Stage 2 learning by working with feeder schools, maintaining this progression through to Key Stage 4.

We believe wholeheartedly in helping teachers improve through professional dialogue rather than top-down monitoring. Every teacher works with an experienced coach to develop their practice. You will lead high-quality CPD and research-based working groups, fostering a team dynamic rooted in openness and honesty.

Aylsham High School, Bure Valley School and John of Gaunt Infant and Nursery School are all part of Aylsham Learning Federation which supports the learning of children from nursery through to year 11. All schools are members of The Aylsham Cluster Trust, which along with other cluster schools, is focused on raising standards and improving the quality of life for our children and their families. All of our colleagues can benefit from discounted membership to our leisure facilities available through Aylsham Sports Hub along with reduced fees for our nursery located in Aylsham. We also operate an EV salary sacrifice scheme.

Our schools have excellent staff, great facilities and a wonderful group of students. The support that we enjoy from parents and the wider community is fantastic.

If you would like to join a successful and well-resourced department in a genuinely warm and friendly school with a tremendous community ethos then we would love to hear from you. We would strongly recommend you come to see our school and find out more about us and this can be arranged by telephoning Mrs Ali Barker, HR Manager, on 01263 733270 ext 154.

How to apply

A job description/person specification and our safeguarding policy are available from ‘Attachments’. Alternatively, further details and an application form are available on our school website - www.aylshamhigh.com/ahsvacancies

To download an application form, click on the ‘Apply for Job’ button.

Completed forms should either be emailed to abarker@aylshamhigh.norfolk.sch.uk or posted to Mrs Ali Barker, Aylsham High School, Sir Williams Lane, Aylsham, NR11 6AN.

Your supporting statement should highlight how your knowledge, skills, and experience make you a strong candidate for the role of lead practitioner for English at Aylsham High School. We would like you to demonstrate why you believe you have a proven track record of helping your students and your colleagues to achieve consistently strong outcomes. We would also like to understand the values that underpin your approach to education and how these will help you to be successful in this role and as part of our senior leadership team.

Closing date: 5 May 2026, 9am

Interview date: w/c 11 May 2026

Aylsham Learning Federation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act and you will be required to undergo an Enhanced DBS check or Enhanced DBS check with barred list. If you have information to declare it may be protected under the Exceptions Orders and you may not be required to declare it. You will be asked to make a criminal conviction declaration if you are shortlisted for the post. Guidance about whether a conviction or caution should be disclosed can be found on the Ministry of Justice website. 

References will be requested for all shortlisted applicants.

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Source: UK Teaching Vacancies Service (teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Lead Practitioner (English)

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