Subject Leader - Physical Education

Paddington Academy, London, W9 2DR

19 days remaining to apply

• Job start date

  1 September 2025

• Closing date

  22 April 2025 at 12pm (midday)

• Date listed

  1 April 2025

Job details

• Job role:
  • Teacher
  • 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: 37.5 hours a week
• Contract type: Permanent
• Full-time equivalent salary: Competitive Salary

What skills and experience we're looking for

Subject Leader – Physical Education

We are a high performing school and have a relentless focus on high standards in all that we do. We have a total belief that every student can be successful regardless of their starting point and we have a strong culture of excellence to achieve this. Students make exceptional progress during their time at Paddington and we are consistently in the top 1% of schools in the country for student progress.

We ensure that our classrooms are disruption-free so our teachers can focus on the main thing – teaching and learning.  We have effective behaviour systems in place which means that behaviour is well-managed and teacher time is protected. We are renowned for the positive environment and strong relationships between staff and students. We like to keep messages and systems simple and aim to reduce workload by doing so.

Paddington Academy is a mixed Academy for 1,200 students aged 11-18. The Academy was recently judged to be outstanding by OFSTED in March 2023 maintaining its outstanding judgement from 2011. Paddington has been described by the Education Minister as a ‘jewel in the crown of state education’. Our thriving and oversubscribed Academy also has a large Sixth Form with over 300 students. Students excel in our Sixth Form and achieve exceptional outcomes which enables them to achieve their next step which for the vast majority of students is university. 95% of students went to university, with 45% gaining a place at a Russell Group university in 2024.

We are seeking an ambitious and experienced middle leader, or an outstanding teacher ready for their next challenge, to lead our highly successful and ‘Outstanding’ PE department.

Physical Education is an important part of the curriculum at Paddington Academy, with core PE taught from Year 7 through to Year 11. GCSE Sports Science and A Level PE at KS5 are also offered. Our students enjoy taking part in physical activity and recognise the value of sport in developing not only physical fitness and coordination, but also teamwork, resilience, leadership, and overall wellbeing. We are committed to ensuring that every student has the opportunity to develop their sporting abilities and understanding of health and fitness, while also acquiring the knowledge and technical skills needed to lead a healthy and active lifestyle beyond school.

Our PE curriculum is well-structured and coherent. At KS3 and KS4, students take part in a broad and balanced programme that includes team sports, individual sports, and fitness-based activities. Our spiral curriculum ensures that key sports and skills are revisited and developed each year, allowing students to build confidence, refine technique, and deepen their understanding of tactics and strategy. Alongside practical performance, the curriculum also includes a focus on personal fitness, training methods, anatomy and physiology, and the benefits of lifelong participation in sport.

At Paddington Academy, the teaching of PE is research-informed and rooted in strong pedagogy. The department takes part in weekly Curriculum Masterclasses to share best practice, develop subject knowledge, and plan collaboratively. These sessions focus on improving the delivery of both practical and theoretical elements of the subject, including how to effectively teach complex concepts and training principles.

The PE team also plays a central role in the academy’s wider life. A broad and inclusive extracurricular programme offers students the opportunity to participate in sport and physical activity beyond the taught curriculum. We run competitive football and basketball teams in every year group, with regular fixtures and tournaments across Westminster and London. Our popular inter-house competitions run each term and create a strong sense of community, teamwork, and school spirit. We also work with external partners to enrich our offer. For example, we run a KS3 cricket club in partnership with Lord’s Cricket Ground, which has been hugely popular and has helped to foster a deeper appreciation of the sport.

We are fortunate to have excellent facilities to support the delivery of PE, including a sports hall, outdoor basketball court, full-size astroturf football pitch, and dance studio.

As Subject Leader for PE, you will have the opportunity to shape the curriculum, oversee its implementation, and lead the development of high-quality resources and teaching materials. You will inspire and support a dedicated team, including both experienced teachers and early career colleagues. You will also play a key role in driving participation in extracurricular sport across the school and strengthening our reputation for sporting excellence.

As a middle leader at Paddington Academy, you will be empowered to drive change, set strategic priorities, and shape the teaching of your subject. You will have the autonomy to refine curriculum design, implement research-led teaching strategies, and ensure consistently high standards of delivery across all key stages. Your leadership will directly impact student outcomes and foster a culture of excellence within the PE department.

Subject Leaders at Paddington also benefit from access to a national network of PE subject leaders across United Learning, offering opportunities for collaboration, professional learning, and sharing best practice. Our dedicated Subject Advisor for PE is also on hand to provide support and guidance, ensuring that your curriculum remains ambitious, inclusive, and reflective of the latest developments in PE and sport education.

Paddington Academy is the lead school for United Teaching national SCITT and is a designated Teaching School Hub, so you will be able to access high-quality training at every stage of your career. We are fully committed to teacher and leadership development and training.

The ideal candidate will:

• Be passionate about their subject
• Be committed to continually improving their teaching and learning;
• Be committed to our ethos of high expectations
• Have the belief that every student can be successful
• Have the desire to make a real difference to the lives of our students
• Have experience of leading a Teaching and Learning initiative in their department
• Have excellent understanding of curriculum in their subject
• Have excellent subject knowledge and understanding of subject pedagogy
• Have evidence of excellent student attainment
• Keep up to date with current educational research
• Be a team player able to work effectively with colleagues across the organisation

What the school offers its staff

10 reasons to choose Paddington Academy

Why work at Paddington Academy?

We are a highly successful school, rated ‘outstanding’ by OFSTED with GCSE results which consistently place us in the top 1%schools in the UK or student progress for the last ten years

Teaching and Learning is at the heart of what we do. Every decision is driven by its potential to impact on student learning.

Our approach to teaching and learning is informed by robust research, constantly reviewed and tailored to our unique context

We have a consistent and effective approach to behaviour which means teachers can focus on the main thing – teaching

We are renowned for positive relationships between staff and students and serve a community of aspirational students

We have a large and thriving sixth form of 330with high academic standards: 91% of A Level grades were A*-C in 2024, the highest of any school in Westminster

We have been awarded a PLATINUM award for professional development. Our approach to CPD is personalised to ensure that every member of our community is provided with first class development opportunities

We are the lead teacher training school for United Learning and we are the Teaching School Hub for this area of London. Every teacher is a learner and we secure opportunities for staff to coach and mentor trainee teachers as a reciprocal learning experience

We invest in the long term career aspirations of our staff. We offer a well-established and successful pathway to educational leadership for teachers who aspire to lead in education

Staff well-being is important to us and we believe in cherishing our staff. A benefit of belonging to United Learning is access to a comprehensive rewards and benefits package

United Learning

We are part of United Learning, the largest academy trust nationally, which offers a life-changing education to children and young people across England.

Our schools work as a team and achieve more by sharing than any single school could. Our subject specialists, our Group-wide intranet, our own curriculum and our online learning portal all help us share knowledge and resource, helping to simplify work processes and manage workloads for an improved work-life balance.

As a Group, we can reward our staff better: with good career opportunities, better pay, benefits, and ultimately, the satisfaction of helping children to succeed. We invest in our staff wellbeing. Our academies each have a rich CPD curriculum and an ongoing group-wide wellbeing programme. It's an ethos we call ‘the best in everyone’.

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 are not accepted.

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.

Additional documents

If you need these documents in an accessible format, please contact the school.

Subject Leader JD1..docx - 476 KB (opens in new tab)

About Paddington Academy

• School type: Academy, Christian, ages 11 to 18
• Education phase: Secondary
• School size: 1259 pupils enrolled
• Age range: 11 to 18
• Ofsted report: View Ofsted report
• School website: Paddington Academy website
• Email address: hr@paddington-academy.org
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/paddington-academy

Paddington Academy ensures that every student is well-educated, has the opportunity to attend university, and is able to lead a happy and fulfilled life.

Paddington Academy shares the objective of bringing out 'the best in everyone', enabling each student to become a balanced, happy and articulate person with the intellectual freedom to be creative; confidence to initiate; flexibility to respond to challenge, change and adversity; compassion to serve others; spirit to enjoy life; integrity to be trustworthy; and motivation to have a lifelong love of learning.

Arranging a visit to Paddington Academy

To arrange a visit and increase the chance of a successful application email hr@paddington-academy.org.

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