It will enable her to pass on her skills in English and Leadership to other schools who can request her expertise, either for a one-off project, or as part of a longer term strategy.

Jo has been a teacher since 2003 and joined Kettering Science Academy in 2013 as second in department, before having a rapid promotion to her current role just six weeks later!

She said: ‘I love being head of English:  it’s relentless but rewarding, challenging and inspiring and I am so lucky to lead a team of really dedicated and talented teachers who are always striving to make a difference. 

‘As a core subject, being head of English means I am involved in strategy planning and the results we achieve in English are vital to the performance of the school as a whole. Every cohort brings its own strengths and challenges and the team needs to adapt to these seamlessly from year to year – identifying what went well in the past and adapting for the next year’s group of young people.

'In recent years our team has been strengthened by the enthusiasm and energy of Teach First trainees and, although I no longer mentor these trainees directly, I work with the mentors to ensure that trainees feel supported and can develop their skills and pedagogy.  Mentoring, developing the skills of others and identifying “what might make a difference” are the most enjoyable parts of my job and nothing beats a results day when this all comes together and you see the pride of the students in what they have managed to achieve. Being an SLE means I can take these skills and work with others outside of my own department and school.’