Dear Applicant,

Head of English – Permanent, full-time MPS/UPS plus TLR1b

Thank you for your interest in the above post at St Hilda's CE High School. I hope that as you read this letter you will be excited by the opportunity it presents.

We are seeking to appoint an exceptional teacher to lead our ambitious English department. The successful candidate will not only be a highly capable classroom practitioner who has the ability to deliver engaging and outstanding lessons across the breadth of key stages, but also possess the key leadership qualities to raise achievement even further at all key stages and support colleagues in our drive to become an outstanding school.

The principal responsibilities will include:

·  Leading, managing and developing the teaching and learning of English and A Level Media in school.

·  Managing and developing literacy across the school.

·  Leading, motivating and developing an effective team of English teachers and also line managing the Librarian.

The English department is made up of eight dedicated staff who work very hard to motivate and inspire students to achieve their very best. Staff have high expectations of themselves and the students they teach. This is reflected in recent examination results at GCSE and A level. Last year, in GCSE English, 91.79% of pupils achieved at least 3 levels of progress whilst 52.89% achieved 4 or more levels of progress.

St. Hilda’s, which is situated on the edge of the beautiful Sefton Park in South Liverpool, is a welcoming and supportive community. We have high expectations of behaviour and there are excellent relationships between staff and pupils based on mutual respect. The school has an impressive record of success at GCSE and A level: in 2015, 72% of pupils gained at least 5 A*-C GCSE grades including English and Maths. In 2015, Ofsted judged the school to be Good and SIAMS (church schools’ inspection) Outstanding in all respects. Our latest detailed school performance data can be accessed on our website along with our latest Ofsted report.

As the successful candidate, you would be joining us as Head of English at a very exciting time. In September 2015, the school moved into a brand new £15.5 million building and, for the first time, boys were admitted into year 7. St Hilda's is in the process of evolving, year on year, from an all-girls school (with a mixed sixth form) to become fully co-educational.

I would like to encourage you to take a look at our website to get a fuller picture of the school and what we stand for. On it you will be able to see our prospectus, school policies, details of the curriculum we offer and the resulting academic performance of the pupils. You will also get a glimpse into the wide range of extra-curricular opportunities that are available here, as well as further information to help you to get to know the school better.

I hope that this letter and the additional information will give you a good understanding of the school and the calibre of the Head of English we are seeking to appoint. If, at this stage, you have any questions concerning the information or the process please contact Mrs Danielle Pfeiffer, HR Manager on 0151 733 2709 or by email to

St Hilda’s is committed to safer recruitment practice and pre-employment checks will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed. St Hilda’s is also committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff to share this commitment. The post is subject to enhanced disclosure and a barring service check.

In order to apply, you should complete the application form and write a supporting letter of no more than 1,000 words in which you should present your relevant expertise and reasons for applying for this post.

The key dates for our selection process are:

Closing date:

May I take the opportunity to wish you well with your application.

Yours faithfully,

Mrs E. Benson

Headteacher

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