This person will be an excellent teacher, articulate and inspiring, confident, stable and supportive, and a highly able, effective and innovative manager. S/he will have stamina,energy and drive in abundance, with the ability and determination to take the department forward, raising teachers’ and students’ standards of achievement to the highest levels, through good teamwork, excellent management and inspirational leadership.

In particular, the Head of Department or Faculty will lead a team of teachers and will:
1. Create a cohesive and dynamic department, with a shared purpose to achieve at the highest levels.
2. Develop and implement policies and practices to ensure that the HOS is well informed about department provision, about the department’s success in meeting objectives and targets, and about department-related professional development plans.
3. Create a climate which enables other teachers to develop and maintain positive attitudes and confidence in their teaching.

The head of department or faculty will in addition to being a subject teacher, demonstrate high levels of competence in the following areas:

Planning and setting expectations
The Head of Department will be able to:
● conduct regular meetings aimed at organising teachers and to build upon strengths and overcome weaknesses.
● plan comprehensive and appropriate schemes of work.
● Set expectations and targets for teachers and students in relation to standards of student achievement and the quality of teaching.
● Establish, with the involvement of the department team, department development plans which:
○ Contribute to whole-school aims, policies and practices
○ Are based on a range of comparative information and evidence, and in particular, the attainment of students.
○ Identify realistic and challenging targets for improvement.
○ Are understood by all those involved in putting the plans into practice.
○ Are clear about action to be taken, timescales and criteria for success.
● Work with the appropriate colleagues, to ensure that individual education plans are used to meet the learning needs of students with curriculum support needs.
● Make full use of additional opportunities for curriculum enrichment

Teaching and learning
The Head of Department will ensure that:
● They understand what is meant by excellence in teaching and learning
● They utilise strategies for raising students’ achievement
● They use of theories about the different types of intelligence and how young people learn
● They seek and use national and/or international data, school data, self-evaluation procedures, and the findings of external quality surveys to develop the department.
● There is full curriculum coverage, continuity and progression in all subjects for all students, including those of high ability and those with curriculum support needs.
● Teachers are clear about students’ learning objectives in lessons and can assess and understand the sequence of teaching and learning in their subjects.
● Guidance is provided on the choice of appropriate teaching and learning methods to meet the needs of the subjects and of different students.
● All the teaching in the department enables students to develop study skills and to learn more effectively with increasing independence

Assessment and evaluation
The Head of Department will be able to:
● implement and supervise an effective system to check student’s written work by way of checking books and challenge teachers about any errors or inconsistencies in marking.
● thoroughly check all assessments to ensure highest standard and quality besides being error free and to ensure all examination papers are marked in a professional manner.
● Analyse and interpret relevant international and/or national data, local and school data, research and inspection evidence to revise policies, refine departmental and department practice, raise expectations and targets, and improve teaching methods.
● Establish and implement clear policies and practices for assessing, recording and reporting on student achievement, using this information both to recognise
achievement and to assist students in setting targets for further improvement.
● Monitor the progress made in achieving subject plans and targets, evaluate the effects on teaching and learning, and use this analysis to guide further improvement.

Student achievement
The Head of Department will be able to:
● Establish clear targets for students’ achievement, and evaluate progress and achievement by all students, including those with curriculum support needs
● Use data effectively to identify students who are underachieving and, where necessary, create and implement effective plans of action to support those students.

Relations with parents
The Head of Department will be able to:
● Establish a partnership with parents to involve them in their child’s learning, as well as providing information about curriculum, attainment, progress and targets.
● Develop effective links with the local, national and international community, including business and industry, in order to extend and enrich the department and the school as a whole, enhance teaching and develop students’ wider understanding.
● Communicate effectively, orally and in writing, with parents, external agencies and the wider community, including business and industry.

Managing performance
The Head of Department will be able to:
● Prioritise and manage her/his own time effectively, particularly in relation to balancing the demands made by teaching, department management and involvement in school development.
● Achieve challenging professional goals.
● Help staff achieve constructive working relationships with students.
● Establish clear expectations and constructive working relationships among staff, devolving responsibilities, delegating tasks and evaluating practice, all within a
framework of clearly understood professional accountability.
● Appraise staff as required by the school policy and use the process to develop the personal and professional effectiveness of teachers.
● Ensure that new teachers are appropriately monitored, supported and assessed in relation to defined professional standards and requirements of the school’s job
description.
● Lead professional development through example and support, and co-ordinate the provision of high quality professional development by methods such as coaching, drawing on other sources of expertise as necessary, for example, higher education, and subject associations.

Managing resources
The Head of Department will be able to:
● Establish staff and resource needs and advise the HOS of likely priorities for expenditure.
● Efficiently deploy, or advise the HOS on the deployment of, staff working with students with curriculum support needs.
● Organise and co-ordinate the deployment of learning resources, including information and communications technology, and monitor their effectiveness.
● Maintain existing resources and explore opportunities to develop or incorporate new resources from the wide range of sources inside and outside the school.