Head of Religious Education

Inspire Curiosity and Lead Learning

Do you love exploring big questions about faith, ethics, and the world around us? Can you inspire curiosity, foster thoughtful discussion, and guide both students and staff to think critically about beliefs and values?

A welcoming secondary school in Gateshead is looking for a passionate Head of Religious Education (RE) to lead their department. This is your chance to shape an RE curriculum that is exciting, relevant, and thought-provoking for students across KS3 and KS4, while mentoring and inspiring a team of teachers.

The Role

As Head of RE, you will:

• Lead and manage the RE department, supporting staff in delivering engaging, high-quality lessons.
• Deliver your own lessons that encourage students to explore religion, philosophy, ethics, and morality.
• Promote discussion, critical thinking, and respectful debate across all year groups.
• Drive curriculum development to ensure lessons are inclusive, challenging, and reflective of diverse worldviews.
• Inspire and coach colleagues to enhance teaching practices and student outcomes.
• Contribute to whole-school initiatives that champion understanding, tolerance, and inclusion.

You'll join a supportive school where innovation, creativity, and thoughtful leadership are valued, and where you can make a real difference in shaping both student learning and departmental success.

What We're Looking For

We're seeking a leader who:

• Holds QTS (or equivalent) with significant experience teaching and leading RE at secondary level.
• Has a proven track record of inspiring students and colleagues alike.
• Brings enthusiasm, strong subject knowledge, and excellent leadership skills.
• Can develop a dynamic, forward-thinking curriculum and foster a culture of curiosity and respect.
• Has high expectations for learning and behaviour, and a passion for developing staff and student potential.

Why Work with Protocol Education?

With Protocol Education, your career is fully supported:

• Weekly PAYE pay for reliability and convenience.
• Flexible long-term and short-term placements in the Gateshead area.
• A dedicated consultant who matches your leadership skills with the right school.
• Referral bonuses for connecting us with other talented educators.

Invest in Your Development

Your growth matters. We offer free CPD courses to enhance subject knowledge, leadership strategies, and SEND/EAL skills. Our Thrive training equips you with tools to support student wellbeing and foster positive, resilient learning environments.

If you're ready to spark curiosity, lead an inspiring RE department, and help students explore big questions, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply today and make a difference with Protocol Education.

All applicants will require the appropriate qualifications and training for this role. Please see the FAQs on the Protocol Education website for further details.

All pay rates quoted will be inclusive of 12.07% statutory holiday pay. This advert is for a temporary position. In some cases, the option to make this role permanent may become available at a later date.

Protocol Education is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. We undertake safeguarding checks on all workers in accordance with the DfE statutory guidance 'Keeping Children Safe in Education', this may also include an online search as part of our due diligence on shortlisted applicants.

We offer FREE online safeguarding and Prevent Duty training to all our workers. All candidates must undertake or have undertaken a valid enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and subscribe to the DBS Update Service.

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