Head of DT
Heanor Gate Spencer Academy, Heanor, Derbyshire, DE75 7RA13 days remaining to apply
Job start date
1 January 2026
Closing date
20 October 2025 at 12pm (midday)
Date listed
7 October 2025
Job details
Job role
- Head of department or curriculum
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Key stage
- Key stage 3, Key stage 4, Key stage 5
Subject
- Design and technology
Working pattern
- Full time
Contract type
- Permanent
Pay scale
- M1-U3
Additional allowances
TLR 2b £6,068
What skills and experience we're looking for
Location: Heanor Gate Spencer Academy
Post Title: Head of Design and Technology
Hours of work: Full Time (32.5 hours per week)
Salary/Pay Range: MPS/UPS £32,916-£51,047, with a TLR 2b £6,068
Reporting to: Curriculum Team Leader for Design, Technology and Visual Arts
Required From: January 2026
This is a unique opportunity for an innovative and forward-thinking teacher to lead Design and Technology within our dynamic DTVA faculty. The successful candidate will be an experienced and passionate educator who has a clear vision for developing the design thinking and practical skills of students within a subject that is increasingly popular at both KS4 and KS5. As the Head of Design and Technology, you will play a key role in developing an inspiring and contemporary curriculum that equips students with the skills, confidence, and curiosity to succeed in an ever-evolving world of design and manufacturing. Our DTVA department is a collaborative and high-performing team that values creativity, teamwork, and professional growth. This is an exciting chance to provide strategic direction, support pedagogical development within the team, and champion high standards of teaching and learning, leading to a lasting impact on students’ learning experiences.
What the school offers its staff
Heanor Gate Spencer Academy is an ‘Outstanding’ secondary school and sixth form (Ofsted, June 2023) which is oversubscribed in Year 7 for the second successive year. We are extremely proud of our inspection report which is a testament to 7 years of school improvement. It states that ”teachers are subject experts”, “pupils are ambitious about their future”, “classrooms are calm places, where pupils focus on their learning” and “leaders are relentless in their desire to provide the absolute best education for all pupils and to serve the local community”.
Read more about our Outstanding Ofsted report here:
10268033-Heanor-Gate-Spencer-Academy-137606-Final.pdf
Over the past 8 years we have developed an inclusive, disciplined culture which has culminated in a student body full of aspiration, commitment and success. The staff buy into #TeamHeanor and this ethos of collegiality, team values and moral compass is what makes the unique working environment at Heanor Gate so enjoyable and fulfilling.
As well as the staff being united by the concept of #TeamHeanor, to ensure that our students succeed at school and in life, all students work towards demonstrating the following values in all aspects of school life:
- Respect
- Pride
- Unity
- Resilience
- Integrity
- Organisation
Through an ethos of ‘Aspire, Learn and Achieve’, we believe that all of our students will achieve their very best educational outcomes. This ethos is at the heart of everything that we do. We want our students to believe that they can achieve whatever they want to with hard work, resilience and self-motivation.
We deliver a challenging yet inspiring curriculum and an unrivalled level of academic and pastoral support, and believe that what we offer students will support them to achieve success in the classroom and beyond; academically, personally and socially. Through our curriculum and extra-curricular offer, we aim to instil students with a love of learning as well as helping them to become responsible, independent members of the community who go on to a range of destinations including Russell Group universities, higher level apprenticeship and local industry.
We have a strong culture of professional development for teachers and support staff at all stages of their careers. Our ECT development plan is extensive with bespoke in-house training, closely aligned with the Spencer Academies Trust ECT programme. For experienced staff, our in-house CPD programme is bespoke to need. All of this is complemented by access to opportunities to pursue NPQ qualifications, alongside CPD provided by Spencer Alliance for Leadership and Teaching. We also have a close working partnership with the Chartered College of Teaching, providing routes into obtaining Chartered status.
Alongside the wealth of CPD opportunities, we also recognise the importance of staff wellbeing. We offer a broad wellbeing package ranging from free access to our on-site gym, staff support groups and weekly wellbeing breakfast.
Benefits
We offer a comprehensive range of employee benefits, please visit: Spencer Academies Trust - Employee Benefits
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)Upload additional documents
If you need these documents in an accessible format, please contact the school.
About Heanor Gate Spencer Academy
- School type
- Academy, ages 11 to 18
- Education phase
- Secondary
- School size
- 1423 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 11 to 18
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- School website
- Heanor Gate Spencer Academy website
- Email address
- Gkidd@heanorgatespencer.org.uk
- Phone number
- 01773716396
Heanor Gate Spencer Academy
HGSA is a ‘good’ secondary school and sixth form which has shown significantly “improved performance to suggest that the school could be judged outstanding”. (Ofsted, May 2022).
Over the past 5 years, we have developed a fantastic culture amongst the students which is rooted in strong discipline and has culminated in a student body full of aspiration, commitment and success. “Leaders and staff are determined to enhance the lives and life chances of all pupils in this school.” (Ofsted, May 2022). The staff buy into the hashtag #TeamHeanor and this ethos of collegiality, team values and moral compass is what makes the unique working environment at Heanor Gate so enjoyable and fulfilling.
We believe that through an ethos of ‘Aspire, Learn and Achieve’, all of our students will achieve their very best educational outcomes. This ethos is at the heart of everything that we do. We want our students to believe that they can achieve whatever they want to with hard work, resilience and self-motivation.
We deliver a challenging yet inspiring curriculum and an unrivalled level of academic and pastoral support. We believe that what we offer students will support them to achieve success in the classroom and beyond; academically, personally and socially. “Pupils’ behaviour is very good. Lessons are calm and pupils work with focus”, (Ofsted, May 2022). We aim to instil students with a love of learning as well as helping them to become responsible, independent members of the community.
We believe that all staff are role models to our students and as such should continue to grow professionally. As such, our bespoke and strategic CPD model is extensive and supplemented by engagement with the Spencer Alliance for Leadership & Teaching but also through fully funded membership to the Chartered College of Teaching.
As part of the Spencer Academies Trust, we work alongside other schools in ensuring we deliver the very best education possible.
Spencer Academies Trust
The Spencer Academies Trust is a multi-academy trust with schools across the East Midlands, and with a strategic focus on Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.
A high performing regional MAT with a national reputation for excellence, Spencer Academies Trust schools include primary, secondary and sixth form provision. Our academies work across highly diverse city and rural communities, including a strong presence in Derby and Nottingham. Standards and expectations in trust schools are high – and the trust’s focus on rapid improvement on the journey to outstanding education delivery.
Spencer Academies Trust is an educational charity, Multi-Academy Trust and Sponsor of Academies. We have approaching 18000 children and young people in our academies and employ more than 2200 teachers, leaders and educational support professionals across the East Midlands. We aspire to be a leading regional high performing Trust, with a national reputation for excellence.
We currently have 17 primary academies, 8 secondary academies and one primary aged special school in our family of schools. All of our schools benefit from the collaboration and added value that being a member of our Trust offers, and share our values and beliefs. Spencer Trust academies share an ambition to deliver results that compete with the very highest performing schools in the country, and deliver a curriculum for students that is underpinned by breadth, opportunity and quality: one that seeks to give young people the opportunity to develop into well rounded global citizens that believe they can influence positive change in the world.
Mission: Our Mission is to deliver the best possible outcomes for children and young people.
Vision: Spencer Academies Trust is an exceptional Trust, providing an outstanding education for local children.
We Believe:
• All children have a right to a quality education regardless of background or ability, and have an entitlement to the opportunity of a secure progression route in their learning and development
• Schools are stronger when they work in collaboration with each other, operate within a ‘family’ and are open to a true sense of partnership
• We grow the effectiveness and sustainability of our schools by developing the people within them, and that through shared and equitable responsibility for quality and outcomes; we achieve more
Applicants would be expected to share the Trust’s high aspirations and expectations for pupils and staff.
Arranging a visit to Heanor Gate Spencer Academy
To arrange a visit and increase the chance of a successful application email Gkidd@heanorgatespencer.org.uk.
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