Head of Religious Education
St Matthew Academy
SE3 0XX, Blackheath, London Borough of Lewisham
- New
- Salary:
- MPS/UPS + TLR 1B £12,017
- Job type:
- Full Time, Permanent
- Start date:
- Easter 2025 or sooner
- Apply by:
- 20 January 2025
Job overview
Role: Head of Religious Education (not suitable for ECTs)
Salary: Main Pain Scale/Upper Pay Scale + TLR 1b £12,017
Required: Easter 2025 or sooner
Contract/Duration Permanent
Location: London Borough of Lewisham, London
Are you a highly motivated and inspirational Catholic middle or aspiring leader who is looking for a new challenge? Do you have a passion, desire and enthusiasm to deliver an engaging learning experience in the discipline of Religion, Philosophy and Ethics? Do you have the experience or potential to lead a dynamic and successful R.E department, which will be an integral part of the SMA journey to becoming an exceptional Academy?
If you believe you can enhance the unbelievable talent at St Matthew Academy, we would like to offer you the opportunity to work with us. St Matthew Academy is a high performing Catholic school, where pupils thrive both academically and socially. In October 2019, Ofsted confirmed SMA as a good school, where all pupils through their hard work and commitment, are able to ‘let their light shine.’ In February 2023, our CSI inspection stated ‘The behaviour of pupils is exemplary in lessons and around the school, and strong and positive relationships are evident throughout the school.’ Our strong foundations are allowing the academy to relentlessly pursuit the ambitious goal of becoming a beacon of excellence in education and become a truly great school which our community deserves.
The successful candidate will be an innovative and exceptional practitioner with a record of securing outstanding outcomes but also has the skillset to spark the pupil’s curiosity for Religious Education, including philosophy and ethics. We want to appoint a visionary Catholic Leader with the energy and drive to undertake this significant leadership role which will continue to embed our Catholic ethos across all phases at St Matthew Academy. Results at GCSE have been improving year on year, however Catholic life at SMA is far more than results, it plays a pivotal part of all our pupils’ development – from reception to Year 11 ensuring when they leave they are able to make positive impact in their local community.
The successful candidate will be:
- A practising Catholic
- Passionate about providing opportunities which will allow all pupils to exceed expectations
- A dynamic, forward thinking and innovative classroom practitioner
- Able to motivate, challenge and inspire all pupils to succeed
- Relentlessly drive high expectations for pupils, staff and themselves
- An exceptional communicator, team player who is keen to take an active role in academy life outside the classroom
- An active promoter of our Catholic ethos and virtues
- Able to fully support and drive the Academy’s aim to ensure equality and diversity permeates throughout the Academy
We offer:
- Fantastic pupils who are incredibly talented but still have enormous potential to improve
- An Academy culture drive by high challenge and high support – trusted professionals to deliver both inside and outside the classroom
- A bespoke programme of professional development, developed and delivered by experts, as well as access to NPQ qualifications, collaborative working with schools across St Benedict Catholic Academy Trust
- Catholic Certificate in Religious Studies (CCRS) qualification fully funded by the Academy.
- Strong commitment to staff well-being
- Fully equipped gym and fitness suite, Season Ticket Loan, Cycle-to-work-scheme, Technology Scheme, Employee Assistance Programme
- Excellent transport links
We value the importance of diversity in our community and the significance of having staff that are representative of the children we teach. We particularly welcome applications from candidates that are people of colour as these groups are currently under represented within the Academy.
Our Academy culture is driven by our virtues: Courage, Integrity and Service, as we believe these behaviours are at the core of delivering an exceptional educational experience for the young people who attend SMA.
How to apply:
For an application pack or to find out more details about this exciting opportunity, please contact our HR department hr@stmatthewacademy.co.uk or call 0208 853 6250. We warmly welcome applicants who wish to visit us in advance of making an application and will be delighted to show you around our fabulous Academy.
Closing: 20th January 2025
Interviews: 27th January 2025
Attached documents
About St Matthew Academy
At St Matthew Academy, we pride ourselves on our diverse, vibrant, Catholic all-through nature. The school has a successful history of providing an excellent education for young people aged 4 to 16, through an environment which stimulates intellectual learning and growth, which promotes excellence.
Our motto; ‘Let Your Light Shine’ is taken from St Matthew’s Gospel and captures our belief in the unique quality and ability of every individual. Our aim is to ensure that the talents and strengths of every young person is nurtured, encouraged, developed and celebrated.
Our position as an all-through academy across one site offers many opportunities to boost academic and personal development for all pupils and a shared ethos supports all of our learners with high expectations and consistent pastoral care. Primary and secondary phase’s works together to track every pupil’s progress throughout their time with us, enabling us to ensure pupils are provided with a smooth transition at every stage of their St Matthew Academy career. The all through setting benefits all; allowing primary pupils access to secondary specialisms, resources and facilities, secondary pupils are offered mentor and leadership roles with younger peers and staff are provided with greater possibilities for professional development and learning.
STAFF REWARDS & BENEFITS
Staff Training & Professional Development
We believe that training and professional development for staff is of paramount importance, and we devote considerable time and energy to it. We offer a range of different training options designed to ensure that training is fully personalised to the individual member of staff.
Cycle-to-Work Scheme
The Academy participates in a cycle-to-work scheme to provide financial assistance to staff who wish to purchase a new bicycle and accessories. Staff choose a bike from a selection at over 2,000 retailers nationwide, hire it for an agreed length of time, then snap it up for a fraction of it's original value. Staff can save 25-39% and there is nothing to pay upfront. The payments are taken tax efficiently from the staff member’s salary over 12 months at which point Cyclescheme will contact the staff member regarding ownership options at the end of the Hire Agreement.
Annual Season Ticket Loans
Staff members can apply for an annual season ticket loan where the cost of the season ticket is spread over 10 monthly payments, interest free.
Employee Assistance Programme
Health Assured provides our staff with a confidential 24 hour support line to discuss issues relating to family, financial, stress and anxiety etc.
Tech Scheme
Techscheme lets you get the latest technology through your employer, choosing from a range of over 5000 products available from the Apple store or Currys PC World. Staff can spread the cost with payments from their salary across 12, 24 or 36 months and make National Insurance savings of up to 12%. Best of all - the staff member will own the products from the beginning and there’s no end of hire fee.
Health & Wellbeing
As part of our commitment to maintaining health and safety, and ensuring that reasonable adjustments are made for those that require it, new staff are invited to complete a health questionnaire before beginning their employment. The Academy also subscribes to an Occupational Health Referral scheme for existing staff members.
Use of Academy Gym
The Academy gym is available for staff to use after school free of charge. Induction sessions are conducted by a member of the PE team.
Annual Salaries
We offer competitive salaries for both Teaching and Support staff, (Inner London Weighting) including recruitment and retention allowances, in some cases.
Catering Facilities
Our catering facilities and canteen menus are designed to reflect all tastes and cultures. The Academy supports the Change 4 Life Healthy Lifestyle Campaign. Breakfast is available for staff to purchase in the mornings.
Rewards for 100% Attendance
We really value your commitment to each working day and as a token of this, each term, every staff member who achieves 100% attendance will be rewarded with a gift.
Pension Scheme Contributions
The Teachers Pension Scheme and the Local Government Pension Scheme are available for teaching and support staff respectively. Both are generous final salary schemes and staff are enrolled automatically but have the option to opt out. Contributions vary dependent on the employee’s income level.
Social Events
Staff social events are organised during the year, to ensure that staff members get the opportunity to unwind and enjoy a well-deserved break from work.
We welcome visits to the Academy prior to application. To arrange, please contact Jane Stephenson, HR Manager via HR@stmatthewacademy.co.uk.
You can also visit www.stmatthewacademy.co.uk for more information or follow us on Twitter via www.twitter.com/StMattAcad.
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