Job description
Location: QEGSMAT City of Derby Academy
Hours: Full-Time
Contract type: Permanent, Start Jan 2026
QEGSMAT are seeking a passionate and committed Teacher of Design & Technology to join our dedicated team at City of Derby Academy. We believe every student deserves the highest quality education to unlock their full potential and improve their life chances.
The Design & Innovation faculty delivers a range of Level 1 and 2 technical and vocational subjects with a high uptake at Key Stage 4, providing our students with meaningful career pathways linked to the local labour market. The department has state of the art resources including 3 ICT suites, 3D printers, a large format laser cutter, and CNC routers, lathes and mills. Subjects currently taught at Key Stage 4 include Design & Technology, Food & Cookery, Creative iMedia, Textiles, Business Studies, Engineering and Construction. Applications from colleagues with experience of Construction and/or Engineering would be particularly welcome.
We are proud to serve a very diverse community with over 45 home languages. The school’s vision is “improving the life chances of all students”. We continually strive to ensure our children and young people gain the necessary knowledge, skills and/or qualifications for the next stage of their education, employment or training, whilst also developing their character through our core values of Respectful, Responsible and Ready to Achieve, which underpin everything we do, every day. Personal development is a strength of the academy with strong pastoral care and careers advice, and lots of opportunities for enrichment, including trips and activities and extra-curricular activities including a well-established, well-supported and ambitious Combined Cadet Force contingent.
Our latest Ofsted inspection report (March 2024) is overwhelmingly positive and recognises the strengths of the school and the continued progress being made. Some highlights are:
• CODA is a school that welcomes and celebrates the diversity of the local community.
• There is a caring ethos. Pupils feel safe. The vast majority are happy.
• The school has high expectations of all pupils.
• Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who speak English as an additional language are well supported to learn the curriculum.
• Leaders have secured many improvements since the school’s last inspection.
• The curriculum has been strengthened.
• Behaviour is now good.
• Pupils are polite and respectful to each other adults.
• There are strong relationships between staff and pupils.
• Pupils receive high-quality pastoral support. They know that staff are always available to talk to them if they have concerns.
• Leaders consider staff’s well-being and workload.
• Staff overwhelmingly enjoy working at the school.
The inspection report aligns with the academy’s own self-evaluation, and the inspection team recognised that leaders already have the right plans in place to secure the improvements required to achieve “good” overall at the next inspection.
City of Derby Academy is also a proud member of QEGSMAT. The Trust’s values are for students to ‘Question, Explore; Give; and Succeed’. Our exceptional staff, strong leadership, motivated children, as well as excellent facilities, provide the successful formula for this.
At QEGSMAT we believe and promote that an exceptional workforce creates exceptional results; they transform lives and transform futures. We support every student to achieve their full potential and become a confident, resilient, and compassionate individual who can make a positive contribution to society.
Why work for us?
• At QEGSMAT, we value the hard work and dedication of our team members, and as such we believe that progression should be a simple process. That’s why we are proud to offer an Automatic Pay Review program, rather than the traditional annual pay and performance review, as part of our comprehensive benefits package.
• Continual access to CPD opportunities. QEGSMAT works with a large number of organisations to develop staff to fulfil their aspirations and potential. We are committed to providing first-rate training and development to all our staff within this evolving Trust.
• We are committed to promoting equality, challenging discrimination, and developing community cohesion. We welcome