Curriculum Leader of RE and Citizenship
John Smeaton Academy, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS15 8TA11 days remaining to apply
Start date details
Required to start: January 2027
Closing date
19 October 2026 at 9am
Date listed
8 October 2026
Job details
Job role
- Head of department or curriculum
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Key stage
- Key stage 3, Key stage 4
Subject
- Religious education
Working pattern
- Full time
Contract type
- Permanent
Pay scale
- MPR/UPR + TLR 2b
What skills and experience we're looking for
Are you an ambitious professional with a passion for Religious Education and Citizenship? Do you believe in the power of education to develop knowledgeable, thoughtful and responsible young people, helping them secure the gift of choice? If so, we would love to hear from you.
We are seeking to appoint an exceptional Curriculum Leader of Religious Education and Citizenship to lead our growing department at an exciting time in our school's development. This is an opportunity to join a school on a journey of rapid improvement, where standards are rising, outcomes are improving and expectations are high.
As Curriculum Leader, you will provide strategic leadership for Religious Education and Citizenship, ensuring that students experience a rich, engaging and ambitious curriculum that promotes both academic achievement and personal development. You will play a key role in shaping the vision of the department, supporting colleagues to deliver excellent teaching and inspiring students to think critically about the world around them.
Our school is driven to be a beacon for our local community. We are ambitious for every student and member of staff, committed to working diligently to secure the very best outcomes and believe that kindness should underpin everything we do. We are looking for a leader who shares these values and can model them through their daily practice.
The successful candidate will:
- Be an excellent teacher of Religious Education.
- Have the vision and leadership skills to drive continued improvement.
- Have high expectations of achievement, behaviour and attendance.
- Be committed to fostering a culture of excellence, inclusion and continuous improvement.
- Inspire both students and colleagues through enthusiasm, expertise and integrity.
In return, we offer:
- The opportunity to lead a department within a school that is rapidly improving and committed to excellence.
- A supportive and collaborative leadership team.
- High-quality professional development and leadership opportunities.
- Enthusiastic students who are eager to learn.
This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced middle leader or an ambitious teacher ready to take the next step in their career. If you are passionate about making a difference and want to be part of a school that is determined to provide the best possible education for its community, we encourage you to apply.
Potential applicants should:
be either:
- A colleague working in middle leadership with a track record of securing and improving outcomes
or:
- An ambitious teacher, with experience of securing excellent outcomes, ready to take the next step in their career
Applicants should also have:
- A detailed knowledge of current developments in education including the effective use of the Pupil Premium.
- The ability to put vision into practice.
What the school offers its staff
What we offer you:
As a trust, we have a great responsibility to ensure that professionals, at every stage in their career, have the opportunity to enjoy expert support and training. In addition to the essential training and support provided by the Early Career Framework and National Professional Qualifications suite delivered through Leeds Teaching School Hub, we are pleased to offer a generous benefits package to our team – as we work together to create a rewarding future for all including:
- Membership of a teacher or local government pension scheme, depending on the role.
- A commitment to continued investment in our professionals, supporting every member of staff throughout their career in the trust.
- Access to an Employee Assistance Programme which provides confidential professional advice and support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- £2k Cycle to work scheme.
Further information about the job
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.
Applying for the job
Apply for the job by following the link below.
CVs will not be accepted for this application.
View advert on school website (opens in new tab)Additional documents
If you need these documents in an accessible format, please contact the school.
About John Smeaton Academy
- Organisation type
- Academy, ages 11 to 18
- Education phase
- Secondary school
- Size
- 677 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 11 to 18
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- Website
- John Smeaton Academy website
- Email address
- enquiries@johnsmeatonacademy.org.uk
I am delighted to welcome you to our John Smeaton Academy page.
Our school website found at www.johnsmeatonacademy.org.uk provides useful information for students, parents/carers & our community and gives a sense of the truly exceptional transformation that we embarked upon on 1 September 2021 when we joined The GORSE Academies Trust.
When we did so the Ofsted ratings of previous years became formally a part of the past and our new, fresh-start future began, a future in which the students and community of John Smeaton Academy will work together in partnership to ensure our students achieve outcomes aligned with their top performing peers nationally. These outcomes will, in turn, give them access to progress into their chosen, high-quality destinations in Education, Employment and further Training (EET) and ultimately to go on to study in some of the best universities in the world.
At the heart of all that what we do is our core values. Through the values of: Kindness, Ambition, Dedication and Respect, our students, their parents/ carers and our colleagues are committed to the mission of the academy; one where we together ensure that all young people ‘Secure the Gift of Choice’ regardless of socio-economic background.
John Smeaton Academy aspires for all young people to leave their time with us having secured ‘The Gift of Choice’. Our key drivers that enable us to achieve this are centred around five key areas within the curriculum. Our curriculum is designed to instil exceptional standards, equipping our students with ambitious standards. It is designed to remove barriers so our students can maximise progress and access appropriate challenge, build resilience by ensuring that students are routinely exposed to challenging and difficult concepts and ideas (the Purple Zone). It is carefully crafted so that students can apply the knowledge they have acquired to different and challenging contexts and is designed to deliver awe and wonder. This is fundamental to promote creativity in the classroom; to inspire and engage our students so that they develop a passion and enthusiasm for learning not just in the classroom, but beyond. It develops the skills necessary to fulfil individual potential; developing independence and autonomy so that students are not over reliant on the support of others, including their teachers.
The academy is a truly exceptional place for students to study and for colleagues to work. We take pride in making decisions that are needs based and context specific, doing the right thing at the right time. Whether you are accessing our website as a prospective student, a parent/carer or a prospective colleague I hope you find this information useful.
I encourage you to join us for one of our annual Open Events or arrange a visit to look around our academy and see for yourself our exceptional school which enables all students to ‘Secure the Gift of Choice’.
Principal
Mr. Andrew Moncur
School location
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