Meet the Subject Officer – Nancy Hutt, GCSE English Language

Meet Nancy Hutt, our Eduqas GCSE English Language subject expert with over 10 years of teaching experience and 13 years as a Subject Officer. 



What is the role of a Subject Officer? 

As a Subject Officer, my role is multifaceted, tailored to meet the diverse needs of our schools and colleges. I help teachers and lecturers who would like an overview of a potential course to entice them to switch to us, some may require a reminder of deadline dates, others may need a breakdown of the assessment criteria, whilst others may desire additional resources. Whatever the need, I am here to support them. 

Working closely with other members of the organisation is essential, as a collective approach feeds into my role of quality assuring and producing assessment materials to the highest standards. 

Managing large teams of examiners and being responsible for aspects of their training is also another vital part of my role as this ensures the marking of assessment papers remains fair, consistent and that learners get their results on time. 

Beyond direct support, I play a key role in developing training events. I collaborate closely with our Professional Learning team to design sessions that are both impactful and engaging. Recognising the demanding schedules of teachers and lecturers, we strive to make every training event impactful and enjoyable. 

How do you support Eduqas schools and colleges? 

As Subject Officers, we provide comprehensive support to schools and colleges through collaborative efforts across our organisation. By working with our Regional Support, Professional Learning and Educational Resources teams, we can provide schools and colleges with different layers of support. 

Throughout the academic year, we provide ongoing support through a wide range of free, interactive resources. These include 'ready-made' units of work, including exam walk-throughs and knowledge organisers, which teachers and lecturers can deliver right away. These tools not only support teachers and lecturers but also help learners with independent study and revision. 

We provide further support through our annual Professional Learning events, available both face-to-face and online. These sessions foster connections with educators and ensure our training is accessible to all. For schools and colleges requesting in-house training, we coordinate with our Regional Support team to arrange convenient online or face-to-face sessions. 

Our 'on the ground' support is highly valued, particularly for schools and colleges transitioning to Eduqas. Catherine Oldham, our experienced subject and assessment expert, guides new schools and colleges through key specification components and introduces our comprehensive resources, ensuring a smooth transition process. 

What do centres like best about Eduqas? 

Every year, we get positive feedback on our exam components, especially the extracts chosen for the exams.  

Having years of experience in teaching myself, I understand the value of customer support. We ensure that teachers, lecturers, and learners can easily access information through our user-friendly website or by speaking with our knowledgeable staff.  

Teachers and lecturers like our ethos and our approachability, contributing to our high retention rates and attracting new schools and colleges each year. 

Ultimately, our focus is on the learners taking our qualifications. We strive to create a positive experience that maximises their chances of success. Their achievement is our true measure of accomplishment.