Description
Role: Head of PE
Academy: Outwood Academy Hemsworth
Start Date: 01/04/2026
Salary (Actual Salary): £51,773 - £57,137
Working Pattern: Full Time
Are you a visionary educator ready to lead a subject department, providing clear, cohesive direction and inspiring high achievement? Join us as a Head of Department, where you will communicate a clear purpose and vision, motivate colleagues, and implement whole-Academy initiatives to ensure your department meets ambitious academic targets. This role is designed for someone who models the Academy's values, promotes innovative teaching strategies, and is dedicated to securing continuous improvement and quality outcomes for all students.
Welcome from the Principal:
We are an 11-18 academy, based in the Historic Market Town of Hemsworth near the Cathedral City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, with a curriculum designed to stretch and enrich our students' experience. Our relentless focus on learning ensures everyone has the right to learn.
Part of the Outwood Family since 2018, we are a welcoming and supportive academy, with a relentless determination to provide the very best education for every child. With a holistic view of education, we aim to create a safe and secure learning community that encourages healthy and sustainable lifestyles and empowers students to pursue career pathways they will find stimulating and deeply rewarding.
We are proud to have been awarded Gold Status by the Carnegie Centre of Excellence for Mental Health Award.
As we continue to improve and progress, help to take us to the next level.
We work hard to ensure we reduce workload on staff, allowing more time in the classroom to put our vision of students first, raising standards and transforming lives into practice.
About the Department:
PE is a core subject taught throughout key stages 3 and 4, with a broad range of activities delivered across multiple facilities, which include a sports hall, gym, fitness suite, astro-turf and multiple playing fields. Many of our students take part in extra-curricular PE, with many representing the academy in sporting competitions across Wakefield.
PE is also offered at examination level at KS4 for those students wishing to extend their knowledge further. The current qualification offered is the Cambridge National Sports Studies Level 1/2 with groups of learners in Years 10 and 11. The successful candidate would be expected to drive educational outcomes for students on our vocational pathway, whilst striving to increase the uptake of KS4 sports courses.
If you have any questions or would like to visit the school, please contact recruitment at
Responsibilities
The Head of Department is responsible for communicating a clear purpose and vision while providing cohesive leadership and direction to the Department/Faculty. This leader models the Academy's values, promotes high standards through effective teaching, and is accountable for implementing the Department Development Plan/Self-Evaluation Form (SEF) to secure continuous improvement.
They develop and sustain DEEP LEADERSHIP through line management of staff, overseeing department resources and budget, reviewing syllabuses, and conducting Performance Management Reviews.
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Qualifications
Essential qualifications required are a Degree in the relevant subject and Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). Candidates must demonstrate a good understanding of their subject's secondary curriculum (Key Stage 3 to Key Stage 5), knowledge of current departmental issues, and understanding of school improvement and Ofsted inspection programmes. Essential experience includes leading or supporting the leadership of a department, successful teaching across all key stages, and evidence of managing/leading a new initiative.
Required skills encompass being an outstanding classroom practitioner with a clear vision, possessing outstanding relationships with students and staff, and the ability to analyze data to develop rapid improvement intervention strategies.
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