Lead Practitioner of English - Secondary School - Leeds

A large and improving 11–18 secondary school in Leeds is seeking an exceptional Lead Practitioner of English to play a central role in raising standards across the department and wider school. This is a key leadership position for an outstanding classroom practitioner who combines subject expertise with the ability to coach and develop others.

The school serves a diverse urban community and has undergone significant curriculum refinement over recent years. English sits at the heart of its academic strategy, with a clear focus on literacy, disciplinary knowledge and academic writing across all subjects. Outcomes have improved steadily, and the leadership team is committed to sustaining this trajectory through strong subject leadership and instructional coaching.

The Role

As Lead Practitioner of English, you will model outstanding teaching practice while supporting the development of colleagues across the department. You will not hold line-management responsibility, but you will have a whole-school influence through coaching, curriculum refinement and quality assurance.

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Delivering consistently high-quality English lessons across KS3–KS5
• Coaching colleagues through observation and instructional feedback
• Supporting curriculum development to ensure depth and coherence
• Leading CPD sessions focused on literacy and pedagogy
• Contributing to raising attainment at GCSE and A-Level
• Promoting a culture of high expectations and academic rigour

The English curriculum is carefully sequenced, balancing canonical texts with contemporary voices and embedding structured approaches to analytical and extended writing. Retrieval, modelling and explicit vocabulary instruction are central to teaching practice.

The Department

The English faculty is stable, collaborative and ambitious. GCSE uptake is strong, and A-Level cohorts continue to grow. The department benefits from shared schemes of learning, consistent assessment frameworks and regular moderation.

Students in Leeds respond well to clear routines and structured lessons. The school has embedded behaviour systems that allow teachers to focus on teaching rather than classroom management.

Department strengths include:

• Dedicated English classrooms
• A well-resourced library and literacy programme
• Clear GCSE and A-Level assessment structures
• Cross-curricular literacy collaboration

The School

This Leeds secondary school has built a reputation for steady improvement, strong pastoral systems and visible leadership. Senior leaders are highly present in classrooms and actively support professional development.

Staff benefit from:

• High-quality CPD rooted in instructional coaching
• Clear behaviour systems embedded across the school
• A collaborative and improvement-focused culture
• Leadership pathways for ambitious practitioners

The school values professional trust while maintaining high standards.

Who We’re Looking For

The successful candidate will:

• Be an outstanding classroom practitioner with QTS
• Demonstrate strong outcomes in English at GCSE and/or A-Level
• Have experience coaching or mentoring colleagues
• Show deep subject knowledge and curriculum expertise
• Be driven, reflective and committed to raising standards

Previous leadership or Lead Practitioner experience is desirable but not essential — what matters most is excellence in the classroom and the ability to influence others.

Why Join?

• A strategic leadership role without line-management burden
• Influence over curriculum and teaching quality
• A school committed to sustained improvement
• Competitive salary with Lead Practitioner enhancement
• A professional, ambitious and well-structured environment

This is an outstanding opportunity for an exceptional English teacher to take on a whole-school impact role within an ambitious Leeds secondary school.