Deputy Head of Religious Education

ST MARY’S CATHOLIC SCHOOL

Newcastle upon Tyne

Headteacher: J Foster 

Number on Roll c.1425

Deputy Head of Religious Education

Full-time

Permanent

Main or Upper Pay Range 

TLR 2b £4,655

Required for September 2020

The Governors wish to appoint an excellent Deputy Head of Religious Education to contribute to the leadership of our flourishing RE department.  The successful candidate will work with the Head of Department, and the other Deputy Head of Department, to build on the existing strengths of the department, to ensure that achievement, teaching, the curriculum and leadership and management, all remain first-class, at each Key Stage.  As a member of the leadership team of the RE department, the successful candidate will require the necessary skills and experience, or in the case of less experienced teachers, the potential to develop these, to provide leadership, motivation and training for teachers in the department.  Training and unstinting support will be given to the successful candidate.  This is a wonderful opportunity for someone wishing to join an outstanding department and a highly successful, positive and forward thinking school.

St Mary’s is a very successful, popular and happy school, rated Outstanding by the Diocese and Ofsted.  We became an academy in 2013 and enjoy outstanding facilities in a new building, which opened in 2011.  We are also very popular with parents and are one of the most over-subscribed schools in the north-east.  We have around 1,200 students in the main school and our Sixth Form, of over 220, is expected to grow to 300 in the next three years.  In addition, we are a Teaching School, increasingly engaged in school to school support, initial teacher training and CPD and leadership development across the region.  As a result, further opportunities for professional development are wide-ranging and an added attraction for potential new staff.  

At St Mary’s, Religious Education is a well-established and highly respected department with excellent results. Recent highlights include:-

• 43% of pupils in GCSE Religious Studies achieved a Grade 7-9 in 2019, with 74% achieving Grade 5 or higher. These results were significantly above the national average and included an impressive 25 grade 9’s.
• 39% of pupils achieved a Grade 7-9 in GCSE Religious Studies in 2018, and 73% obtained a Grade 5 or higher.
• 73% of A Level Religious Studies students achieved A*-B in 2019 and 82% A*-C. 
• 83% A*-C was also achieved in 2018 and a 100% pass rate over the last 7 years in A Level Religious Studies.

Leadership, teaching and the climate for learning in Religious Education are all outstanding, as they are across the whole school.

Above all, the Governors wish to appoint a Deputy Head of RE with:-

• A clear commitment to nurturing and promoting the school’s distinctive ethos
• A passion for providing the best possible holistic education for all students
• A commitment to maximising achievement through excellence in teaching and learning
• An excellent track record as a classroom teacher
• The ability to promote a love of learning Religious Education in our students

Application packs are available to download from our school website, or by e-mailing the Director of Finance and Support Services, louise.douds@st-marys.newcastle.sch.uk.  If you require any further information about the post, please do not hesitate to contact John Foster, Headteacher or Suzanne Fisher, Senior Assistant Headteacher on 0191 215 3260.

Closing date: 9.00am on Monday 9th March 2020.  

The school is fully committed to safeguarding and the welfare of children and young people.  This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check