Subject Lead for Physical Education
St John Fisher Catholic Comprehensive School, Rochester, Kent, ME1 2FA28 days remaining to apply
Job start date
20 April 2026
Closing date
27 February 2026 at 9am
Date listed
30 January 2026
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
- Physical education
Working pattern
- Full time
Contract type
- Permanent
Pay scale
- MPS/UPS
Additional allowances
TLR2a currently £7,368
What skills and experience we're looking for
The Governing Board is seeking to appoint an enthusiastic and well-qualified teacher to join the school from April 2026 as the Subject Lead for Physical Education.
St. John Fisher Catholic Comprehensive School is a non-selective coeducational secondary school for students age 11-18. A single-site school with free parking, we moved to world-class, brand-new buildings in the spring of 2023. Our mission statement is that ‘St. John Fisher Catholic Comprehensive School inspires students, spiritually and educationally forming them through Faith so that they can achieve their aspirations and contribute to their community’. As a Catholic school, we are passionate about the formation of the whole student, ensuring we develop students into good people while also helping them achieve good results.
Working in a brand-new, state-of-the-art school building is a rare and exciting opportunity. We are seeking an exceptional Subject Lead for Physical Education — a dynamic and inspiring professional with ambition, resilience, and a relentless commitment to excellence. The successful candidate will be a highly effective and suitably qualified teacher with an outstanding understanding of curriculum design. They will lead by example, fostering a culture of collaboration by openly sharing best practice and inspiring their team to deliver the highest standards of teaching and learning. We are looking for a passionate leader who can ignite a love of physical education and sport in every student, nurturing talent, confidence, and aspiration across all ability levels.
The ideal candidate will:
- Inspire, motivate, and empower young people to achieve their full potential • Have experience teaching Sport across all Key Stages • Demonstrate strong leadership and the ability to manage and develop a successful department • Champion excellence in Sport, inspiring both high-achieving students and those new to physical education • Be an experienced Sports teacher with a proven track record of curriculum innovation and strong outcomes
The school is in Rochester, Medway, a 30-minute distance from London by road or high-speed rail link. Medway benefits from a multimillion-pound regeneration programme bringing new housing developments and facilities for its inhabitants; it also has the lowest council tax rates in Kent.
We are happy to offer visits and informal discussions of the role: please contact o.akif@stjohnfisher.school for further information. No agencies, please.
Closing date for applications: 27/02/2026
Interviews will take place shortly after the closing date.
Please note that we may interview prior to the deadline if we receive suitable applications.
Shortlisted candidates only will be contacted for interview which will take place shortly after the deadline. St. John Fisher Catholic Comprehensive School is an Equal Opportunities Employer, committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all students. Any offer of appointment will be subject to satisfactory references and an enhanced DBS check will be required for all successful applicants.
What the school offers its staff
The Physical Education department is a dynamic and forward-thinking team of six dedicated staff members, including the post holder, who will lead the team in delivering outstanding, high-quality learning experiences for all students. Physical Education is a valued subject across the school and is taught to students in Years 7–12, with GCSE Physical Education offered at Key Stage 4 and BTEC Sport at Key Stage 5.
At Key Stage 3, the curriculum is designed to inspire enthusiasm, confidence, and a lifelong love of physical activity. Students experience a broad and varied programme, with two sports taught each term to maintain engagement and challenge. Throughout the academic year, students participate in 12 sports and develop key life skills, including leadership, communication, creativity, sportsmanship, growth mindset, and resilience.
At Key Stage 4, core PE builds on these strong foundations, focusing on developing skills across six traditional sports through engaging, game-based activities. The department prides itself on fostering teamwork, inclusivity, and high standards, while continually seeking to expand opportunities and innovate its curriculum. This is an exciting opportunity to lead a supportive and ambitious department with a clear commitment to excellence and student development.
Having moved to a brand-new site on City Way in February 2023, the department now benefits from exceptional, state-of-the-art facilities that significantly enhance curriculum delivery. The PE team regularly utilises a newly installed 4G pitch, equipped with multiple football goals, and it has been successfully used for football, hockey, and rugby lessons. This is further complemented by a 9-a-side football pitch, installed at the end of 2024, which has expanded both curricular and extracurricular opportunities.
Indoor facilities are equally impressive, with a modern sports hall and activity studio that support a wide range of activities, including table tennis, fitness, handball, basketball, netball, and badminton. In addition, the department makes extensive use of a multi-use games area (MUGA) with three netball courts, enabling high-quality delivery across multiple activities.
The PE department plays an active role within local Medway sports leagues, particularly through a strong after-school fixtures programme. The successful candidate will have the exciting opportunity to further develop competitive sport within the department, with a particular focus on expanding football and netball opportunities for girls.
Further information about the job
Commitment to Staff Wellbeing and Workload
At SJF, we are committed to excellence in a sustainable way. This means we value our staff, devise policies with workload in mind and believe that everyone working in education should have the opportunity to enjoy the highest possible standard of wellbeing and mental health. We recognise that working in a deprived area is never going to be easy, but we are committed to ensuring it’s not any harder than it needs to be. Our approach to staff wellbeing and workload is underpinned by research and best practice.
Ensuring efficient working practices regarding data, marking and feedback, behaviour management and curriculum planning (as outlined in the DFE school workload reduction toolkit: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/school-workload-reduction-toolkit#wellbeing)
a. Clear behaviour policy and support including centralised interventions and rapid response on call
b. Marking policy devised by teachers on a full timetable whereby staff read books every 4-6 lessons and then teach a feedback lesson, rather than time consuming deep marking on all work
c. Strategic placement of inset days including one at the end of the year to finish early for summer
d. Progress reports limited to twice a year for each year group
e. Wellbeing events held at the end of each half-term, not a work meeting
f. Break duties consolidated to two per week, taking place near the teacher’s room where possible
g. Lunchtime supervisors employed so teachers do not have to supervise at this time
h. Teaching timetables below the national upper limit of 90%.
Ensuring communication is streamlined and effective
a. One weekly briefing email to keep you informed of school-wide developments
b. No expectation to answer work related email at evenings and weekends
c. All deadlines are staggered, agreed with middle leadership annually, and published well in advance
Ensuring staff are supported throughout the day
a. Your own dedicated teaching room (for all full-time teaching staff except SLT)
b. Free parking at the front of the school site, less than a minute’s walk from Reception
c. Free breakfast for staff teaching exam classes during exam seasons
d. Staff room onsite for rest and relaxation
e. Workrooms in each departmental area with tea, coffee, water, fridges, and microwaves
f. Food during all day events
g. Fully staffed admin team, reprographics service and pastoral care leaders to support your work with students
h. Staff treats provided in the last week of term at Christmas, Easter and Summer
Investing in staff development
a. At least fortnightly line management meetings with the first question focusing on wellbeing
b. Investment in development of staff through a programme of personalised CPD and learning walks
c. Opportunities to work across local Catholic schools to share good practice and strategy
d. Non-punitive appraisal process that focuses on supporting staff to do everything they can to meet their targets, rather than penalising them if they are not reached despite this
Bringing joy into the workplace and giving back
a. Investment in the staff room and staff reflection space
b. Staff clubs/socials (social secretary)
c. Staff Christmas and summer parties
d. Christmas and Birthday card for each staff member from the Headteacher
e. Gifts for staff on weddings and new births
Staff wellbeing coordinator
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 job requires you to download an application form, you will be able to upload the application once complete.
CVs will not be accepted for this application.
Additional documents
If you need these documents in an accessible format, please contact the school.
About St John Fisher Catholic Comprehensive School
- School type
- Local authority maintained school, Roman Catholic, ages 11 to 18
- Education phase
- Secondary school
- School size
- 1105 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 11 to 18
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- School website
- St John Fisher Catholic Comprehensive School website
- Email address
- recruitment@stjohnfisher.school
- Phone number
- 01634543123
St. John Fisher Catholic Comprehensive School is a non-selective coeducational secondary school for students age 11-18. A single site school with free parking, we moved to world-class brand-new buildings in the spring of 2023. Our mission statement is that ‘St. John Fisher Catholic Comprehensive School inspires students, spiritually and educationally forming them through Faith so that they can achieve their aspirations and contribute to their community’. As a Catholic school, we are passionate about the formation of the whole student, making sure that we develop students into good people as well as ensure they get good results.
Arranging a visit to St John Fisher Catholic Comprehensive School
To arrange a visit and increase the chance of a successful application email recruitment@stjohnfisher.school.
School location
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