Early Years Lead

St John's CofE Primary School, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD4 6JF

39 days remaining to apply

• Job start date

  1 September 2026

• Closing date

  5 May 2026 at 1pm

• Date listed

  27 March 2026

Job details

• Job role:
  • Teacher
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Working pattern: Full time
• Contract type: Permanent
• Full-time equivalent salary: £32,916.00 Annually (Actual)

Early Years Lead job summary

This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced EYFS teacher or emerging leader who is ready to take the next step in their career.

We are looking for someone who is bold, innovative, and confident in bringing fresh ideas and real expertise to drive our Early Years provision forward. You will play a key role in shaping high‑quality learning experiences, ensuring that every child thrives, and leading our EYFS team with vision and purpose.

The ideal candidate should be passionate about early childhood education and excited by the opportunity to make a meaningful difference.

You will:

• Lead the Early Years team to deliver an exceptional, inclusive learning experience.
• Drive high standards of teaching, learning, and assessment across our Early Years provision.
• Create inspiring indoor and outdoor environments that nurture independent, happy learners.
• Work closely with senior leaders to shape curriculum, pedagogy, and school-wide vision.
• Support and mentor staff, modelling best practice.
• Build strong, positive relationships with families and the wider community.

As a valued member of our team, you will play a vital role in the delivery of our curriculum with a commitment to raising standards. You will work closely with the Senior Leadership Team to secure excellent provision and to engage our children in a love of learning.

Our ideal candidate will be a team player. You should have the ability to build positive relationships with pupils in order to support them to be successful, happy learners. You should also be committed to developing your own teaching practice and share the school’s high expectations for all pupils. For the majority of the teaching week, you will be working with your own class supported by our experienced associate staff team.

“St John’s is a special place and we need a special sort of person;

someone with sparkle in their eyes.”

School Councillor, Year 4

You will:

Be an experienced, passionate EYFS teacher with a deep understanding of child development

Have a strong track record of improving outcomes for young children

Be able to demonstrate creativity, enthusiasm, and a commitment to continuous improvement

Be able to lead, inspire and motivate others with confidence and warmth

Be reflective, proactive, and able to work collaboratively with colleagues

Hold high expectations for all pupils and maintains an unwavering belief in their potential

Deliver interesting and inspiring lessons for your children, fostering a love of learning

Have the capacity to bring innovative ideas to the classroom

Play a fundamental role in shaping the direction and future of our children

Be part of a highly successful network of schools both locally and nationally

Receive bespoke training and support in order to be the very best teacher you can be

Be part of a Trust wide collaborative network

“Here at St John’s, within the context of Christian beliefs and practice, our children and their families always come first. We value our children’s feelings, creativeness and success in their learning equally, helping each child’s love of learning grow, whilst also developing their interior posture.”

Andrew Knight, Headteacher

You must:

Have a warm smile that makes every child feel special

Be able to make every child feel safe when their world outside school might not always feel that way

Have the fire in your belly that fuels your desire to help children to learn and grow

Be prepared to deal with the lump in your throat when the children make progress

Be able to laugh at some of the jokes our children share even though you don’t understand them or find them funny

Be prepared to feel loved, special and important to our children and their families

Be prepared to kick start your career to a flying start

“From the moment I walked in the door on my visit,

I knew this was the place I wanted to work.”

NQT

CHECK WHAT OUR TEACHERS SAY AT St Johns CE Primary School - Teaching at St John's

Further information about the job

The candidate will be required to undergo a full enhanced DBS check and must be eligible to work in the UK.

Visas cannot be sponsored.

If you're interested in teaching or training to teach in England as an international citizen, we can help you understand your next steps.

Commitment to safeguarding

We have a duty of care to ensure all of our children are safe. In school we do this by making sure that everyone who comes into the building is suitable for working with children.

Due to safer recruitment guidelines, applications will only be considered on our official application forms which are available from the Career Opportunities tab of our website www.stjohnsceprimary.co.uk.

Applying for the job

This school accepts applications through their own website, where you may also find more information about this job.

CVs will not be accepted for this application.

About St John's CofE Primary School

• School type: Academy, Church of England, ages 3 to 11
• Education phase: Primary school
• School size: 466 pupils enrolled
• Age range: 3 to 11
• Ofsted report: View Ofsted report
• School website: St John's CofE Primary School website
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/st-john-s-cofe-primary-school-bradford

Our school serves its community by providing an education of the highest quality within the context of Christian belief and practice. At St John’s we pride ourselves on our knowledge of our children: the children come first in all that we do. We work hard to know every child, to know their strengths and interests, so that their learning is always challenging and interesting. We work closely with families to ensure that our families are empowered to support their children within and beyond school.

We are a popular two-form entry primary school with a nursery. The school is situated in exceptional grounds and draws children primarily from Bierley and the Holmewood estate. The team at St John’s work hard to ensure our curriculum is inspiring for our children, responding to their needs both academically and personally, building individual, independent children as they leave our school.

We are proud to be part of the Bradford Diocesan Academies Trust (BDAT) family of schools. If you would like more information about our school or BDAT, you can browse our website or visit the BDAT website.

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