What skills and experience we're looking for
The English department at Helena Romanes has a track record of strong outcomes for students. As a team, we pride ourselves on maintaining high standards of teaching and learning to create an ethos of hard-work, resilience and ambition. Within the department, we have a wealth of experience, which provides an ideal pool from which to draw upon for departmental CPD and development.
We deliver AQA specifications for all current courses: GCSE English Language; GCSE English Literature; A Level English Language and Literature, in which we teach texts including ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ and ‘The Kite Runner’. From September 2025, we are also extremely proud to introduce OCR A Level English Literature for our future cohort.
Within the team, we are also fortunate to have Media Studies subject specialists. We offer Media Studies from Year 9 upwards. Media Studies is a popular subject at HRS and uptake is strong both at GCSE and A Level.
The successful candidate will be able to teach up to A-level in English Language, English Literature, Media, or a combination of these.
The successful candidate will:
• Be an inspiring classroom teacher.
• Raise achievement through high quality teaching and learning in English.
• Be passionate about motivating young people to make good progress.
• Be an enthusiastic professional committed to providing our students with an excellent education.
• Be a positive team player with a strong commitment to professional development.
What the school offers its staff
Helena Romanes School is committed to developing not only its students but also its staff. We welcome Early Careers Teachers and have a number of experienced mentors on our staff. ECTs and their mentors work with our Appropriate Body - Saffron Teaching School Hub - and receive in-house training as well as the statutory entitlements during their induction period. The senior leaders of Helena Romanes prioritise staff wellbeing; staff training and social events are organised with this in mind.
Benefits from working at Helena Romanes School include:
• The school is a popular and successful all through comprehensive situated in the beautiful North Essex countryside with good communication links to London and the South East and is approximately 7 miles from Stansted Airport.
• The school is currently located adjacent to the town’s leisure centre and we have ample on-site parking.
• We are proud to offer our staff a 50% discount on wraparound care for their children in the primary school, helping to support work-life balance. This benefit provides significant savings on before and after school care for children, ensuring that our team can feel confident and supported both at work and at home.
This is an exciting time to join the school:
• It is confirmed that Bowmer & Kirkland will commence our new school building shortly, funded by the Department for Education. This building will be to the highest specification with brand new equipment and a fully resourced technology area. The school is set to open to the primary phase in the 2025/2026 academic year and the secondary and sixth form phase shortly after.
• Helena Romanes has made excellent progress with the support of Saffron Academy Trust towards being judged by Ofsted as a Good school (Oct 2023). Working with the talented senior leadership team that is in place across all phases of the school, and drawing on the commitment from staff to provide the best possible outcomes for the pupils.
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.