Head of Subject – English Secondary

About The Role

The Head of Subject English (Secondary) provides authoritative educational leadership for their programme, under the pan-programme leadership of the AC+ Education Director. The Head of Subject for English Secondary is responsible for the programme’s educational quality and impact across Ark schools and the wider partnership and shares responsibility with Ark Schools colleagues for improving subject outcomes across the network. They will work as an integrated part of an Ark subject leadership team to establish a shared vision for subject excellence that underpins how their programme is understood, implemented and developed, and will work across AC+ to ensure that this vision informs implementation support and the programme’s ongoing evolution.

They will contribute directly to Ark Schools’ work to improve subject outcomes across the network, including providing school support and undertaking an agreed allocation of work directed by the Ark Schools’ Director of Curriculum and Assessment. They will ensure that insights from this work inform the programme’s ongoing development, supporting a live and responsive partnership between Ark Schools and AC+. The Head of Subject (English Secondary) will lead their subject within the Programmes team, keeping the team up to date with educational thinking and coordinating all ongoing programme maintenance, including high-quality assessment writing.

They are also hands‑on, working alongside the design team on curriculum writing, pedagogical quality assurance and coaching of design team members. They will also build the programme’s external profile by sharing its curriculum and pedagogical thinking, contributing to national subject conversations and developing strong advocates for AC+ approaches.

The Head of Subject– English (Secondary) will report into Programmes Director. This role is currently operating hybrid working in our West London Office on a permanent basis working full time.

Interviews will be taking place in person on w/c 19th October 2026. If you are unavailable during this week but are interested in the role, please submit your application as early as possible and let us know. We may be able to arrange an alternative interview date.

Please note we will be reviewing applications on an on‑going basis and this role may close earlier than advertised depending on the level of response. We strongly encourage to submit your application at your earliest convenience.

• Contribute to and implement the organisation’s strategy and mission, working closely with the Product Strategy Director, Education Director and Heads of Product to develop and implement a programme strategy that supports the organisation’s mission, strategic priorities and long‑term sustainability
• Lead the strategic design and ongoing development of the English Mastery Secondary curriculum, ensuring that it is ambitious, coherent, carefully sequenced, inclusive and responsive to developments in curriculum, assessment and the wider education landscape
• Establish and maintain a strong programme of subject‑specific professional learning for AC+ colleagues, building subject expertise and knowledge of the pedagogical approaches used across Ark Schools and AC+ programmes
• Work closely with the Education Director and wider Ark subject team to establish a shared understanding of how educational principles translate into secondary English, and establish and uphold a vision for subject excellence that underpins how the programme is understood, implemented and developed over time
• Establish and facilitate regular Subject Panels, recording and sharing outcomes in line with agreed structures, and maintain a rigorous understanding of the implementation, impact and…