Subject Leader - Child Development

We are looking for a dynamic and driven individual to lead our child development at our thriving and high-achieving academy. This is an exciting opportunity to shape a brand-new role, where you’ll have the freedom to innovate, inspire students, and elevate the profile of child development across the school. This is a permanent, part-time role or full-time role with other teaching responsibilities, starting in September 2026.

As Subject Leader of Child Development, you will:

• Lead the development of an engaging and inclusive curriculum
• Foster a vibrant musical culture within the academy
• Support and mentor colleagues to deliver outstanding teaching
• Champion creativity, performance, and excellence

Personal Qualities

The successful applicant should be an inspiring and committed child development teacher with a strong academic background, a good degree in child development or a related subject and Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). You will bring proven experience of teaching child development in a secondary school setting, along with the confidence to collaborate with external partners and mentor colleagues within the department.

Applicants should be hardworking, enthusiastic and have high levels of commitment. They should be able to plan, deliver and assess high-quality learning experiences for all learners in their care and deploy a range of strategies to support their personal development.

They should have an interest in new teaching and learning developments and possess high degree of integrity.Experienced candidates should be able to demonstrate a highly successful track-record of teaching the subject with strong examination outcomes.

Responsibilities of the Post-Holder

In accordance with the job description for Subject Lead - Child Development, the key responsibilities will be as follows:

• To take full ownership for the management and upkeep of progress and attainment data for all their subject courses
• To monitor the progress of students following their subject courses, planning and implementing intervention as necessary to ensure students make at least expected levels of progress
• Ensuring that effective schemes of work are in place for each of their courses.
• Ensuring that teachers know the prior learning and achievement of the students at the beginning of each of their courses
• Ensuring that teachers know the potential to achieve of the students based on prior achievement data
• Ensuring that school curriculum policies for assessment, setting, target setting, recording and reporting are enacted within their subject courses
• Ensuring that progression and continuity is achieved throughout all of their subject courses and between key stages.

Pastoral

At Plume Academy all teaching staff are expected to fulfil both an academic teaching role and a pastoral role by acting as a Tutor to a group of assigned students. This involves staff in all aspects of pastoral work including guidance, safeguarding, monitoring and encouraging progress, contact with parents, writing report sand compiling student references. Tutors also deliver part of Plume Academy’s Personal Development Programme.

Wider Contribution

Teaching staff are encouraged to contribute to the academy’s rich extra-curricular programme, and all candidates will be provided with the opportunity to discuss their personal interests at interview.

As one of the largest educational establishments in Essex, there are many opportunities for career progression. Via an academy-wise coaching programme, staff are encouraged to take responsibility for their own career development, with full support and encouragement from their line managers and other relevant staff, including those responsible for staff training.