Job Description
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Head of Department: Design & Technology
Salary Range: £31,650-£49,084 plus TLR 2c (£7,977) additional opportunities available for the right candidate
Contract type: Full Time | Permanent
Start date: September 2026
Closing date: Midday on Friday 23 January 2026
Interview dates: Shortly following the closing date
At the King Edmund School, we are in a bold new chapter. With our new school building that opened in September 2025, an aspirational student body, and a new Headteacher at the helm, we are seeking to appoint a full-time Head of Design & Technology from September 2026. The successful candidate will lead an exceptionally strong department, celebrated for its creativity, innovation, and technical excellence.
Our vision for Design and Technology is to be one of the best faculties in Essex, delivering product design, textiles, graphics, 3D, CAD and Construction based courses.
We are determined to become the school of choice in Essex-a place where every young person is challenged, supported, and inspired to thrive. This isn't a dream - it is a promise and you will be at the centre of delivering and creating this.
The Role
As Head of Technology, you will play a pivotal role in driving high standards of teaching and learning across the Technology subjects. You will lead a committed team, ensuring high-quality curriculum design, effective assessment, and excellent progress for all learners. You will be responsible for:
- Providing strategic direction for the Technology curriculum, ensuring it is ambitious, inclusive, and designed to inspire.
- Monitoring standards across the faculty and intervening effectively to secure strong student outcomes.
- Leading on curriculum planning, sequencing, assessment, and the consistent implementation of high-quality teaching practices.
- Supporting and developing staff through CPD, appraisal, feedback, and collaborative working.
- Managing resources effectively, ensuring a safe, stimulating learning environment and value for money across the budget.
- Promoting Design and Technology subjects across the school, including their relevance to future careers and students' wider development and widening (in time) our Sixth Form offer.
What We're Looking For
- An excellent classroom practitioner with a passion for their specialist subject.
- A strong visionary with the leadership skills to develop a forward-thinking curriculum.
- Someone who can inspire staff and students alike, building positive relationships and modelling professional excellence.
- Commitment to inclusive education and meeting the needs of all learners, including disadvantaged and SEND students.
Why Join King Edmund School?
This is a school with immense potential and a powerful sense of purpose. Under new leadership, we are creating something exceptional-step by step, brick by brick. You will be joining a committed, talented team at a moment of transformation, where your leadership will directly shape our school's success story.
Come and be part of something extraordinary!
The school day lends itself to a good work/life balance with the teaching day ending at 14:10. The school offers an extensive support programme, including mentor/buddy system, Initial Teacher Training support for Early Career Teachers (ECTs) or for those seeking Qualified Teacher Status (QTS / QTLS), a system of twilight training sessions, as well as excellent development opportunities. Staff benefits include free car parking, onsite gymnasium and swimming pool as well as staff recognition schemes.
If you are currently considering a career move, we would very much like to hear from you. Please visit the vacancies section of our website (https://kes.essex.sch.uk/join-our-community/staff-vacancies) and complete the 'Quick Apply' application form and submit a copy of your CV. For more about our school and vision please see attached welcome letter from our new Headteacher.
We also welcome and encourage telephone calls on 01702 560904 to register an interest or to find out more about the school and the role. If you wish to arrange an informal conversation or visit to the school prior to interview, we would be delighted to welcome you to KES prior to the closing date, to offer you the opportunity to get a real sense of the school first hand.
To arrange a visit, please email your request to Mrs Andrea Atkins - HR Manager at recruitment@kes.essex.sch.uk and provide your availability, as well as a contact telephone number.
The King Edmund School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. All appointments will be subject to a satisfactory completion of safeguarding checks.
The King Edmund School is committed to creating a diverse workforce. We'll consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to sex, race, religion, belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, pregnancy, maternity, age, disability, marriage, or civil partnership.
Information about the School
The King Edmund School is a co-educational comprehensive school for students aged 11 to 19. KES, as it is better known to staff and students, is an Ofsted rated ‘Good’ single academy trust in Rochford, Essex, which serves a geographically and socially diverse area.
In the school's last Ofsted report in 2024, KES was awarded ‘Good’ and their values and ethos were clearly recognised in the findings. Students learn a well-designed and balanced curriculum that meets their needs and teachers have strong subject knowledge.
The school's values foster a supportive environment where everyone is encouraged to achieve their Personal Best. High aspirations, academic success, and a commitment to excellence are promoted. The inclusive community celebrates diversity, ensuring all students feel valued and respected. A safe, caring space is provided for students to grow, taking pride in their achievements both inside and outside of school.
Phase one of a multi-million-pound project to renovate the school, part of the Department of Education’s Rebuilding Schools for the Future initiative, is set to open in September 2025. The new two-storey building will feature 17 general classrooms, Art and Technical rooms, as well as new office space, meeting rooms, and a modern school hall, providing state-of-the-art facilities for students to learn in. Phase two begins this year and will redevelop the remainder of the school site over the next few years.
The school provides exceptional pastoral care and SEND provision through its dedicated teams, who are committed to helping students achieve their best results. With a traditional approach to uniform, behaviour, and work, the school maintains high standards while also prioritizing strong support for students and actively involving parents in these aspects of school life.
Students are rewarded for their achievements, inside and outside of school, through a House system. Each July those students who have displayed the most effort and progress over the past year are celebrated at an Awards Evening held at the prestigious Cliffs Pavilion in Southend. The school also takes part in the Jack Petchey Achievement Awards scheme.
Sixth Form students have their own block with a common room, canteen and IT Suite. Students have the choice of studying A levels, Level 2 and 3 vocational courses, as well as a T level in Education and Early Years.
Staff strive for every student to have high aspirations and they are relentless in their drive to support students to achieve well academically. However, their deeper passion is for all students, regardless of their ability, to reach their full potential.
Students leave KES ready to embrace the next chapter of their young lives, whether that be studying a degree at a Russell Group university when they leave Sixth Form, or starting an apprenticeship when they leave at the end of Year 11.
In the next academic year, KES will have facilities amongst the finest in the country and certainly nothing comparable locally, a huge incentive for both new staff and students to join the school.
To find out more about Life@KES, please visit our Social Media pages:
www.facebook.com/thekingedmundschool
www.instagram.com/thekingedmundschool