Head of RE
Cottenham Village College, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB24 8UA14 days remaining to apply
Closing date
28 November 2025 at 11:59pm
Date listed
13 November 2025
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
Location: Cottenham Village College, Cambridgeshire
Contract: Permanent, Full-time (Part-time considered)
Start Date: January 2026 or sooner if available
Salary: MPS/UPS + TLR (dependent on experience)
Cottenham Village College is a highly successful 11-16 mixed academy, part of the Astrea Academy Trust, situated just north of Cambridge. We pride ourselves on delivering a knowledge-rich curriculum and fostering a culture of high expectations, excellent behaviour, and academic ambition. Our students consistently achieve strong outcomes and enjoy a wide range of curricular and extracurricular opportunities. Our ethos is rooted in curiosity, scholarship, and tenacity, ensuring every child thrives and is prepared for life beyond school.
The RoleWe are seeking an inspirational Head of Religious Education to lead our RE department and contribute to the wider life of the school. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced teacher or aspiring leader to shape the vision for RE and ensure students receive a rigorous, engaging, and inclusive curriculum.
Key Responsibilities:
- Lead and develop the RE curriculum in line with the school’s knowledge-rich approach.
- Drive high standards of teaching and learning across the department.
- Monitor and support student progress, ensuring excellent outcomes at KS3 and KS4.
- Manage departmental resources and assessment strategies effectively.
- Contribute to whole-school initiatives and uphold the highest standards of behaviour and culture.
- A passionate and knowledgeable RE specialist with a track record of strong classroom practice.
- Excellent leadership and organisational skills, with the ability to inspire and motivate staff and students.
- Commitment to our values of curiosity, scholarship, and tenacity.
- A collaborative approach and willingness to contribute to the wider school community.
Why join us?
Join us and become part of a supportive and ambitious school environment where impeccable student behaviour creates the perfect setting for teaching and learning. We offer access to high-quality CPD and leadership development opportunities, foster a culture that prioritises staff wellbeing and manageable workloads, and provide the chance to make a real impact within a thriving school community.
Closing Date: 28/11/2025
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
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.
View advert on external website (opens in new tab)About Cottenham Village College
- School type
- Academy, ages 11 to 16
- Education phase
- Secondary
- School size
- 877 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 11 to 16
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- School website
- Cottenham Village College website
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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