Head of Religious Studies and Worship

About the role

Core Purpose of Head of Religious Studies and Worship

Love Your Neighbour (Luke 10 v25-37) is our Bible-based vision with underpins everything we do at Townsend Church of England School. Together with our Respect for All and Achievement for All policies, Townsend is a school where everyone is welcome and everyone is enabled to flourish.

The Head of Religious Studies is a vital role at Townsend and together with the senior leaders, is responsible for driving the vision and ethos of the school to ensure all children and adults prosper.

The core purpose is also to lead the Religious Studies department with drive and imagination during the next exciting phase of its development.

The Head of Religious Studies is responsible for making clear and effective decisions about planning, implementing and evaluating the curriculum and extra-curriculum; leading and managing teaching and non-teaching staff; and organising department resources.  To have overall responsibility for the standard of students’ work, outcomes and behaviour in the department.

All students study full-course Religious Education to GCSE and A Level Philosophy and Ethics is a popular option. We work closely with the Diocese of St Albans and the whole school visits the Cathedral for four services a year. We have a daily act of collective worship or reflection and our school Chaplin is a regular visitor.

Students at Townsend benefit from a range of co-curricular clubs and activities which allow them to explore their own faith and that of others.

The successful candidate will be committed to high academic standards and have a full appreciation of the importance of Religious Studies at Townsend. To succeed in this role, you must be an exceptional classroom practitioner with the ability to lead, motivate and inspire students. We offer an excellent Continuing Professional Development programme for all staff. We are committed to developing high-quality and effective teachers. Continuous training and professional development is embedded within our school culture and ethos.

About the Role:

1. To ensure the school’s Religious Studies curriculum enables all our students to achieve to the very best of their ability.
2. To secure and sustain high-quality teaching, learning and assessment in Religious Studies. Leading moderation and standardisation of work across the range of qualifications offered by the department.
3. To organise the effective grouping of students and allocation of classes to teachers.
4. Planning co-curriculum opportunities to make the best use of facilities available within the constraints of the school calendar.
5. To routinely undertake self-evaluation of the performance of the department and use this to inform improvement planning and guide short, medium and long-term decisions.
6. To ensure that the schemes of work and resources used for the teaching of Religious Studies are high quality, appropriate and accessible and secure good progress for students of all abilities and backgrounds.
7. To ensure consistent record keeping and data analysis across the department in order to identify and intervene to address the underachievement of individuals or identified groups.
8. To use department meetings effectively.
9. To support the professional development needs of members of the department and support the development of new and student teachers where relevant.
10. To work with staff, students and parents and use the school’s systems to manage student behaviour and to reward effort and achievement in the department.
11. To promote Religious Studies and to maintain a high profile for the subject and the department in the school, Diocese and local community.
12. To line manage members of the department.
13. To represent the Religious Studies Department at meetings inside and outside the school.
14. To liaise with key staff such as the SENCO, Exams Officer, the Pastoral Team and SLT to ensure that the needs of students are best met, and the department contributes towards the smooth running of the school.
15. To plan effective use of the department resources ensuring that they provide value for money and manage the department budget.
16. To lead and co-ordinate the school’s Collective Worship programme to ensure the values and ethos of the school are known, understood and lived by all.
17. Together with the senior leaders ensure the school is prepared for SIAMS inspections and that these standards are maintained between inspections.
18. To oversee the day-to-day work of the Religious Studies Department including ensuring cover work is set if required.

About the School  

Townsend is a relatively small and very friendly school with a great atmosphere, circa 800 on roll, including a Sixth Form. Townsend is rated Good by Ofsted (January 2024) in all areas and outstanding in our SIAMS inspection report. 

Townsend Church of England School is situated on a large, green site between St Albans and Harpenden, and welcomes applicants from families of all faiths and of no faith. Children who attend Townsend live in St Albans and Harpenden, as well as other towns in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, including Welwyn Garden City, Hemel Hempstead and Luton. 

Townsend believes that educating the whole child is key to a successful education. The Bible-based vision of Love Your Neighbour underpins all we do. Students are taught to respect and care for themselves and each other, and Townsend’s supportive environment encourages them to make the most out of their journey through secondary school.  

Although this is a Church School you do not have to adhere to the Christian faith to work here, but you must be in sympathy with our work and be able to support the aspects that give us our distinctive character as a Church of England School.  

Newly appointed Headteacher, Mr Anthony Flack is excited by the opportunity to make Townsend, ‘The first choice secondary school for all’. 

Friendly and welcoming, Townsend impresses with its calm learning environment and caring staff.  Our new School Prospectus is linked here:  https://townsendschoolprospectus.co.uk/ 

We reserve the right to move to shortlisting and interviews when we have viable applications. 

If you would like additional information or to discuss this vacancy - please email the school (recruitment@townsend.herts.sch.uk) for the attention of Mr Flack (Headteacher), or Mrs Llewellyn (Senior Deputy Headteacher), and we can either email a reply or telephone you if you leave a contact number.

To apply for this vacancy, please send a cover letter and an application form to Mr Flack, Headteacher, Townsend CofE School, High Oaks, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL3 6DR or email to recruitment@townsend.herts.sch.uk  

Townsend CofE School is committed to the safeguarding of all students and all staff appointed are subject to the usual teaching vetting and compliance checks that include DBS checks, two satisfactory references, confirmation of identity, qualifications, and barred list checks. 

Following the shortlisting stage, and before making a final decision, the School will collect and process information publicly available about you by conducting a brief online search using an internet search engine. We do this to ensure that the school acts in accordance with its obligations set out in Keeping Children Safe in Education.