Head of RE

Cottenham Village College, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB24 8UA

3 days remaining to apply

• Start date details

  April or September

• Closing date

  22 February 2026 at 11:59pm

• Date listed

  11 February 2026

Job details

• Job role:
  • Teacher
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Subject: Religious education
• Working pattern: Full time
• Contract type: Permanent
• Full-time equivalent salary: £33,235.00 - £50,064.00 Annually (Actual) Plus TLR 2D £5,885

Head of RE job summary

Head of Religious Education (RE)

Location: Cottenham Village College, Cambridgeshire
Contract: Permanent, Full-time (Part-time considered)
Start Date: April or September
Salary: MPS/UPS + TLR (dependent on experience)

Head of Religious Education

Cottenham Village College is on an ambitious journey to become one of the highest-performing schools in the country. We are building a culture of excellence: calm, scholarly, and relentlessly focused on great teaching, strong curriculum, and exceptional outcomes for every student.

We are now seeking an outstanding Head of Religious Education to work directly with the Principal and senior leadership team to make RE a defining strength of the school.

This is not a head of subject role. This is a chance to build something exceptional.

The Vision for RE at CVC

At CVC, Religious Education will sit at the heart of our curriculum offer:

• RE will be a core GCSE subject
• It will be intellectually rigorous, knowledge-rich and beautifully sequenced
• It will develop scholars who can think critically, write precisely, and engage deeply with philosophical, ethical and theological ideas

We want RE to become one of the subjects CVC is known for nationally.

The Role

As Head of RE, you will:

• Design and lead an ambitious, coherent RE curriculum from KS3 to GCSE
• Make RE one of the strongest departments in the school — academically and culturally
• Galvanise and develop a team of RE teachers around high expectations and excellent classroom practice
• Drive outstanding outcomes for all pupils, regardless of starting point
• Work closely with senior leaders to shape whole-school culture and curriculum quality

You will have genuine influence, strong support, and the opportunity to build a department that sets the standard.

We Are Looking for Someone Who:

• Is an exceptional classroom teacher with a deep passion for RE
• Believes RE should be academically powerful, not a bolt-on subject
• Has the ambition to build a nationally respected department
• Sets uncompromising standards for behaviour, scholarship and outcomes
• Can inspire both staff and students with clarity, warmth and purpose
• Is excited to work as part of a driven, united leadership team

Leadership experience is welcome but not essential — what matters most is excellence, ambition, and the ability to lead others to it.

Why Join CVC?

• A school with a clear, bold vision and high expectations
• Strong leadership support and real opportunities for impact
• A knowledge-rich curriculum and calm, focused classrooms
• Investment in staff development and leadership growth
• The chance to shape something special from the ground up

Questions?

• If you are interested and would like an informal conversation with Adam Scourfield - the incoming Principal then please contact Sharon O’Mullane - sharon.omullane@astreacottenham.org to arrange a phone call/team meeting.

Closing Date: 22/02/2026

We welcome early applications and may close the vacancy once we have appointed the right candidate—apply today!

Interested in Applying?

If you are passionate about education, looking for a fresh opportunity, or simply want to make a positive impact, we would love to hear from you. Take a look at the job description and candidate pack to find out more about the role and how to apply or contact our recruitment team at recruitment@astreaacademytrust.org.

Commitment to Safeguarding and EDI:

Astrea Academy Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. All posts are subject to satisfactory background checks, including references and enhanced DBS checks. We value diversity and encourage applications from candidates who are underrepresented in our workforce. As a Disability Confident employer, we are committed to promoting a culture that ensures there are no barriers to the recruitment, development, and progression of disabled staff across the trust. We provide reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process to ensure disabled job applicants have the best opportunity to demonstrate their abilities.

Flexible Interview Dates:

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early, so don't miss out on this exciting opportunity. Please note that interview dates are flexible, and the academy reserves the right to interview shortlisted candidates during the application window. Apply today to avoid disappointment and become a part of our mission to create a positive impact!

Ready to Make a Difference?

If you're ready to take the next step in your career and contribute to our dynamic and forward-thinking team, apply today and be a part of our mission to create a positive impact!

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

Astrea Academy Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and staff. Every child should feel safe and should be protected from any form of child abuse. We have robust policies and procedures that support our commitment to Safeguarding, this includes our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy. The in-house Safeguarding teams at each Academy work in partnership with families and safeguarding partners to ensure the safety of children is paramount. We are committed to ensuring that all staff access regular, contextual safeguarding training to meet the needs of the local community.

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 Cottenham Village College

• School type: Academy, ages 11 to 16
• Education phase: Secondary school
• School size: 877 pupils enrolled
• Age range: 11 to 16
• Ofsted report: View Ofsted report
• School website: Cottenham Village College website
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/cottenham-village-college-cambridge

Welcome to Cottenham Village College, part of the Astrea Academy Trust, a highly-successful 11-16 mixed academy situated close to the beautiful city of Cambridge; here you will find hard-working, well-behaved students and friendly, dedicated staff who are committed to a fully inclusive, comprehensive education.

The college was established in 1963, one of several village colleges in the region that were the inspiration of educational pioneer Henry Morris, who believed that the school should be at the heart of its community and that education should be a lifelong process. This vision of a school that serves and involves its whole community, that fosters high aspirations and inspires a love of learning is as central to our ethos today as it was when it opened.

Through a highly-ambitious curriculum at CVC, we aim to foster students’ curiosity, unlock their potential and raise their aspirations, as well as ensure that students achieve high levels of attainment that will open doors for their future. A stimulating and broad curriculum also places students in a strong position to question and debate the world around them, making them intellectually resilient and prepares them for citizenship in a democratic society. We believe this is a right of all students and one which is liberating and empowering.

We are equally proud of the wider curricular provision at CVC, both in formal lessons and outside the classroom. Our extensive range of extra-curricular activities, including sports, music, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award programme and residential trips, help to give all students a fully-rounded education and creates opportunity for their personal, as well as their academic, growth.

Cottenham Village College is a friendly, positive and exciting place to work and to learn and we take great pride in the high standards our students consistently achieve. We have very high expectations of all members of the College community and provide an inclusive, friendly and supportive environment in which everyone can thrive and achieve. Students leave as happy, well-qualified and well-motivated individuals who go on to excel in local sixth forms, colleges, universities and the wider world.

I hope you find the information on the school’s website useful. If there is anything you cannot find, please do not hesitate to contact us. If you wish to visit the school to see it for yourself, please contact the school and we would be delighted to show you around.

Zoe Andrews, Principal

School location

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