Teacher of Religious Education, leading on PSHE

Dear Applicant, As a Church of England Academy serving a diverse community, we believe that the subjects of Religious Education and PSHE are closely related. We are looking for a teacher who can understand the different worldviews of our pupils and how faith interacts with the core skills and knowledge developed in PSHE.

We are seeking to appoint an experienced, innovative practitioner who is passionate about developing the knowledge, skills and attributes of our young people to keep them healthy and safe, to prepare them for life and work after school and to encourage them to have respect for others. In essence, we want all of our young people to thrive, but to do that they need to be guided and equipped.

We believe that an effective PSHE programme of study should:

• deal with the spiritual, moral, social and cultural issues our students face as they approach adulthood;

• recognise and celebrate British values;

• help our students to understand and manage a range of relationships as they mature;

• develop student respect for all people, regardless of any defining factor;

• enhance the emotional well-being and self-esteem of our students, building their confidence and self belief;

• encourage our students to acquire healthy habits to keep themselves and others safe;

• enable our students to take responsibility for their learning and future choice of courses and career;

• help our students to understand the responsibilities individuals, groups and organisations play within a democratic society and school community.

A growing body of research shows that students who are emotionally healthy, achieve better outcomes. Effective PSHE education helps young people realise their potential by supporting their wellbeing and tackling issues which can affect their ability to learn, such as anxiety and unhealthy relationships. However, a number of these topics are sensitive and need to be approached with skill. We are therefore looking for a highly skilled teacher to coordinate this work.

All of our teachers of Religious Education are also teachers of PSHE. It is taught as a discrete subject, one hour a week in all year groups. The post holder would be a full member of the Religious Education Learning Area and would be line managed by the Learning Area Co-ordinator.

If you believe that you have the vision, passion and ability to lead on this area of school life, I warmly welcome your application. Please submit a letter of application of not more than two A4 sides detailing how your experiences to date qualify you for the post. The closing date for the receipt of the letter is 12 noon on Monday 29th April 2024.

I look forward to receiving your application.