What skills and experience we're looking for
We are seeking to appoint a dedicated professional to join our successful English department. We are looking for someone who can inspire a passion for learning languages and bring out the best in our pupils’ by delivering a strong curriculum through effective teaching. We are looking for a teacher who can capture and share their own enthusiasm for English with our hard working, well behaved and aspirational pupils.
The English department is a successful one, making a significant contribution to pupil progress scores that for the subject are consistently above the national average. We would expect the successful candidate to teach Key Stage 3 & Key Stage 4. We also teach A level English Literature.
What the school offers its staff
Swanshurst is a large, outstanding school for girls aged 11-19 years. We offer excellent support and CPD for staff at all stages of their career. Ofsted (May 2024) described our school to be “an exceptional place for pupils to learn”. They described the curriculum as “exemplary” andone which "explodes into life in the classroom". In relation to staff wellbeing, they noted that “The school is conscious of staff workload and well-being and is committed to achieving excellence in a sustainable way.” We are exceptionally proud to have been judged ‘Outstanding’ in two consecutive inspections. Ofsted (2024) judged Swanshurst to be Outstanding for a second time. Our Ofsted report can be found here.
The school is part of the newly formed West Midlands Academy Trust (WMAT) which opened in January 2025. As one of the three 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.
WMAT is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.
This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020 which means that when applying for certain jobs and activities certain spent convictions and cautions are ‘protected’ so they do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account.
Safeguarding is our top priority. We encourage all applicants to review our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy which outlines our commitment to the safety and wellbeing of students.
The successful applicant will be subject to all necessary pre-employment checks including enhanced DBS, Prohibition Check, qualifications (where applicable), medical fitness, identify and right to work.
This post is covered by Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016). Therefore, the ability to speak fluent and spoken English is an essential requirement for this role.
To comply with Keeping Children Safe in Education, we will seek and scrutinise references prior to interviews. Referees will be contacted to provide further clarification if needed. All information provided by referees will be compared for consistency against the information disclosed in your application form, and you will be asked about any discrepancies at interview.
Short listed candidates – an online search will also be carried out as part of due diligence on all short-listed candidates.
Commitment to safeguarding
Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff, volunteers and trustees to share this commitment. Our recruitment process follows the keeping children safe in education guidance. Offers of employment may be subject to the following checks (where relevant): childcare disqualification Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) medical online and social media prohibition from teaching right to work satisfactory references suitability to work with children You must tell us about any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.