Head of Drama

Co-op Academy Priesthorpe, Pudsey, West Yorkshire, LS28 5SG

7 days remaining to apply

• Job start date

  1 September 2026

• Closing date

  19 May 2026 at 10am

• Date listed

  12 May 2026

Job details

• Job role:
  • Head of department or curriculum
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Key stage: Key stage 3, Key stage 4
• Working pattern: Full time
• Contract type: Permanent
• Full-time equivalent salary: £32,916.00 - £51,048 +TLR2B

Head of Drama job summary

Are you passionate about Drama with a flair for leadership and a commitment to pedagogical excellence? Co-op Academy Priesthorpe is seeking an ambitious Head of Drama to join our team 

The Role

As Head of Drama, you will be a driving force in our department, helping to lead, manage, and review curriculum design and implementation. Your goal will be to secure high-quality teaching and effective assessment, ensuring that all students reach excellence regardless of their background.

We are looking for a practitioner who is "at the top of their game," combining strong organisational skills with the resilience and initiative needed to work constructively within a team.

Our Pedagogy: Excellence through Evidence

At Priesthorpe, we believe in an ambitious, supportive, and inclusive curriculum. To achieve this, we are looking for a leader who can embed high-impact strategies, such as those found in Teach Like a Champion (TLAC).

• Rigour and Inclusion: You will use techniques like No Opt Out and Cold Call to ensure our commitment to inclusion is met, giving every student an equal chance to succeed.
• Positive Climate: Our environment is based on rewards, not sanctions. We expect our Second in Charge to role-model Precise Praise and Strong Voice to maintain our high standards of behaviour while "showing you care".
• Effective Assessment: You will lead the department in Checking for Understanding, ensuring that data and assessment are used effectively to improve learning standards

Our Values: The Co-op Way

We are guided by the Co-op’s ‘Ways of Being’:

• Succeed together: We achieve more through solidarity than as individuals.
• Do what matters most: Focusing on the academic and personal growth of our students.
• Be yourself, always: Celebrating our multicultural community and treating everyone with respect.
• Show you care: Prioritising the well-being of both students and colleagues.

Why Join Us?

We recognise the vital part you play in our success and offer a comprehensive rewards package:

• Well-being First: Dedicated well-being weeks each term (with all meetings cancelled) and a supportive Academy Leadership Team.
• Professional Growth: Fortnightly ‘CRAFT’ sessions focused on your personal and professional development, alongside weekly ‘Community’ sessions with free staff breakfast.
• Co-op Benefits: A Co-op colleague discount card.
• Inclusive Environment: Join a community where pupils are "proud to be members of an inclusive community".

How to Apply

If you share our vision for a learning environment that is both ambitious and inclusive, we would love to hear from you.

For more information about the Co-op Academies Trust, please visit: www.coopacademies.co.uk.

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

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

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 Co-op Academy Priesthorpe

• School type: Academies, ages 11 to 16
• Education phase: Secondary school
• School size: 1055 pupils enrolled
• Age range: 11 to 16
• Ofsted report: View Ofsted report
• School website: Co-op Academy Priesthorpe website
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/co-op-academy-priesthorpe

Co-op Academy Priesthorpe is situated in Pudsey and just 15 minutes from both Leeds and Bradford centre with places for 1250 students and 135 colleagues. The Academy has a very special ethos, which visitors continue to comment on. Equity and equality are key drivers for us in ensuring that all students have the opportunity to excel within a highly inclusive and supportive community.

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