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We are seeking to appoint an enthusiastic and inspiring Head of English to lead our innovative and collaborative department. The successful candidate will be an exceptional classroom practitioner with the ability to deliver high‑quality lessons across the full age and ability range. They will also demonstrate a strong commitment to continuous professional development and educational excellence.

At Madeley, our English department prides itself on being a supportive and forward‑thinking team, united in our pursuit of excellence. We work closely together to adapt and refine our standardised, aligned curriculum, ensuring it meets the needs of all our students and leads to the best possible outcomes. Our collaborative ethos has enabled us to lead on several Trust‑wide curriculum initiatives, and we value the opportunity to work with other outstanding departments across our network to raise standards.

As Head of English, you will lead a team of experienced, dedicated professionals who are passionate about their subject and committed to ongoing improvement. You will play a central role in shaping the strategic direction of the department, embracing challenge, driving innovation, and modelling outstanding leadership.

Why Madeley?

One of the top‑performing schools in Staffordshire – our GCSE results are exceptional, with Maths ranked number 1 in the county and overall Progress 8 scores significantly above the national average.
Oversubscribed and thriving – Madeley is the number one school of choice in the region, receiving 299 applications for September 2025, with 190 as first‑choice preferences.
An electrifying culture of excellence – students cannot speak highly enough about their school; they are inspired, ambitious, and driven to succeed.
An expertly crafted and engaging curriculum – our curriculum is described as “ambitious, immersive, and designed to excite and engage pupils”, ensuring hands‑on, real‑world experiences.
Innovative and forward‑thinking leadership – our self‑evaluation was described as “pinpoint accurate”, our approach to teaching “exemplary”, and our relentless drive for success embedded in every decision we make.
A school that feels like home – students feel safe, valued, and driven to exceed their own expectations, supported by a team that goes above and beyond every single day.

Take this opportunity to be part of an inspiring journey – where your expertise, passion, and innovation will make a lasting impact!

Madeley School is an academy within Shaw Education Trust, the Trust is led by an Executive Leadership Team steeped in school leadership and improvement experience. They are committed to the continued professional development of all members of staff and the sustained successful performance of all its academies.

Our relentless focus on ensuring the highest academic standards has placed us amongst the top performing schools in the area based on sustained improvement. We strive to keep our core values at the heart of all we do on our collective mission of inspiring excellence.

A positive growth mindset underpins our approach to developing a learning culture where effort, resilience and learning from our mistakes are seen as the key to unlocking outstanding attainment.

Shaw Education Trust is a thriving mix of diverse and growing schools including Primary, Secondary and Special Schools all working together to improve the lives of young people in our communities. We are sponsored by Shaw Trust, a charity organisation that focuses on transforming lives. We're a growing group of dynamically awesome academies providing education to children of all ages and abilities. Staff across our team of schools are dedicated to ensuring that every child has the opportunity to be successful, whatever their starting point in life.

In our secondary schools, we pride ourselves on our innovative approach to curriculum design, to ensure all our schools have breadth and ambition for all students, regardless of their starting points and barriers. Standard curriculum models don't always engage all students, so we constantly seek to innovate and provide better opportunities to develop both knowledge and skills for life. We want our students to believe their curriculum is bold, exciting, purposeful, and ultimately leads to something meaningful for them. Some examples of our innovation include moving towards an extended school day, to provide a world‑class enrichment programme and more opportunities for essential skills like reading and cultural capital. We are also introducing vocational and technical pathways, which run through the normal school curriculum but attract support from leading employers and universities to develop work‑readiness in our students, so that they can progress onto T Levels and apprenticeships.

We know our people are the key to our success and so we're committed to ensuring the employment experience at Shaw Education Trust is a rewarding one.

Colleagues within the Trust benefit from:
Access to a full range of courses both in‑house and professionally accredited. These courses include a variety of the National Professional Qualifications and the Early Carer Teacher Programme delivered by Shaw Education Trust as a delivery partner for Ambition Institute.

Experienced leadership and subject‑specific support.
Guidance from former HMIs and serving Ofsted Inspectors within the Trust.
Access to the Trust's Institute of Education and SCITT.
Opportunities to work with different schools within the Trust as a Professional Advocate.
Participating in peer reviews.
Access to a suite of online courses.
Placement projects within our family of schools.

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Shaw Education Trust

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Head of English