Role: Teacher of Religion, Philosophy and Ethics
Salary: MPR/UPS Fringe £33,075 - £50,471 FTE
Contract type: Full time Permanent
Start date: 1st September 2025

Job overview

Are you passionate about teaching Religion, Philosophy and Ethics? Thamesmead School (Shepperton, TW17) is looking for a dedicated and inspiring teacher to join our team. As a secondary school with 1042 pupils, we are committed to providing an enriching educational experience for all our students.

Purpose of the Post

To contribute to achieving the aims and objectives of the Curriculum Area and of Thamesmead School and to develop and teach an effective and stimulating curriculum, so maximising the attainment of the students.

Accountable to: Subject Leader

Accountable for: Students within teaching area

Key Accountabilities

• To uphold the school’s vision for education and work to develop our school values in students.

• To plan, prepare and teach lessons of the highest quality.

• To use the resources of the subject in an effective and imaginative way.

• To motivate, enthuse, excite and challenge students to produce the highest quality work.

• To contribute to the writing and implementation of the subject’s Development Plan.

• To respond to professional development opportunities and work within the school’s Continuing Professional

• Development Framework, including ICT developments.

• To support departmental and school approaches to assessment, recording and reporting.

• To participate in the pastoral organisation of the school as a form tutor, as required.

Key Tasks

• Work within the subject’s schemes of work and contribute to their review and development.

• Attend subject and other school meetings and so contribute to departmental and whole school improvement.

• Monitor individual student progress by using data and assessment procedures and by giving appropriate feedback to students, parents and line managers.

• Promote the school’s ethos and behaviour management approach.

• Exploit opportunities to develop students’ skills in ICT, literacy and numeracy and to contribute to students’

• personal, spiritual, moral, social, cultural development and race awareness.

• Contribute to the department’s programme of events.

• Promote the general progress and well-being of individual students and of the Tutor Group as a whole.

Person specification

Education and Training

Essential

• Qualified teacher status

• Graduate or equivalent in appropriate subject.

• Evidence of continuing professional development

Desirable

• Good Honours Degree (First or Second Class)

Experience

Essential

• Successful teaching practice or experience teaching Religion Philosophy and Ethics Studies to students aged 11-16.

• Up to date knowledge and understanding of current educational issues.

• ICT competence and interest in using ICT in the classroom.

Knowledge

Essential

• Knowledge of statutory curriculum, assessment, recording and reporting requirements for Religion, Philosophy and Ethics.

• Understanding of the characteristics of high quality teaching in Religion Philosophy and Ethics.

• Knowledge of strategies for raising student attainment.

Desirable

• How to use comparative data, together with information about students’ prior attainment, to set targets for improvement.

Skills

Essential

• Good oral and written communication skills.

• The ability to prioritise, plan and organise.

• The ability to solve problems and make decisions.

• The ability to take responsibility for continuous professional self-development.

• The ability to inspire students and staff.

• The ability to work under pressure and to meet deadlines.

• The ability to analyse, understand and interpret relevant information and data.

• The ability to use ICT appropriately.

Desirable

• Professional proficiency and experience in the use of ICT.

Attributes

Essential

• Self confidence and initiative.

• Reliability, resilience and integrity.

• Energy, enthusiasm and imagination.

• Personal impact and presence.

• Intellectual ability.

• Be suitable to work with children.

Desirable

• Willing to contribute to the wider life of the school.

• Interests and experiences outside teaching.

What can we offer you?

• An excellent CPD package for staff: Enhance your professional development with comprehensive training opportunities.

• Opportunities for growth and real career development: Progress your career in an encouraging environment with plenty of room for advancement.

• Full support from a dedicated and visible team of senior leaders and pastoral managers: Benefit from the expertise and guidance of our leadership team.

• Employee Assistance Scheme provided by Health Assured: Gain unlimited access to advice, information and face to face counselling support on a range of issues including emotional, personal, legal and financial or relationship issues for yourself and those living within your household.

• A meaningful approach to staff wellbeing: Enjoy a variety of benefits, such as access to cycle to work and electric car schemes, discounted onsite membership, and free parking.

Our location offers access to West and South West London, Surrey and Berkshire, providing fantastic choices for city, suburban or rural living.

“Pupils behave well, are cooperative and respectful towards their teachers and each other. Strong leadership aims to ensure that the school provides the best possible standards of teaching and learning.” – Ofsted

Our History & Ethos

Thamesmead School is a stand alone secondary academy school for students aged 11- 16 and is located in Shepperton, Surrey. As a heavily over-subscribed school most of our students come from our local community and we value our place within it. Our school vision is centered on four cornerstones that we strive to achieve. They are;

• Committed to excellence

• Nurturing individuals

• Respecting our community

• Fulfilling potential

These encapsulate our desire to be a school that achieves academic success alongside personal growth and development.

Our students arrive with prior attainment above the national average and leave us having made more progress than expected. If you look at our results over the last few years, you’ll see our year on year trend for sustained improvement and aim to continue this. We are not complacent and every year closely analyse our results and identify how we can continue to improve the quality of education for our students further.

Location

We are based in the vibrant community of Shepperton Village, a short walk from the rail station which offers direct links to Kingston, Wimbledon, Clapham Junction and Waterloo in under 55 minutes. We also have good road links to both the M3 and M25. Heathrow airport is a 20 minute drive. Our staff, students and PTA can be found enjoying themselves and performing at the Summer Fair and the not to be missed ‘Big Tree Night’, to name but two of the events that combine to make the village much more than the location of a famous film studio! Shepperton was also voted the politest town in the UK in 2017, a quality we hope you will recognise in our students too.

Facilities

We are able to offer a purpose built school, with a large green site. Our school design features a range of unique learning spaces including an outdoor performing arts area, well-equipped specialist classrooms, dedicated student support spaces as well as a number of computer suites.

We also have an onsite gym in association with Fresh Gym who are able to offer access to staff at certain times and subsidised membership to their wider facilities.

Your Professional Development

At Thamesmead we provide a comprehensive programme of continuing professional development, with the focus very much on developing staff's individual pedagogical practice and career aspirations.

We recognise that, just like our students, we too are life-long learners and we know that the most effective learning for teachers happens when they are given opportunities to reflect on, share and improve their practice. There are many opportunities for teacher​s at Thamesmead to do this, for example:

· Our INSETs have a dual focus; moving the school’s development plan forward whilst being targeted at the needs and requests of individual teachers. Indeed we ensure much of our INSET time is ‘self-set’ which ensures that teachers make active decisions in regards to how they develop themselves. In addition, there are regular opportunities for teaching staff to deliver INSET sessions as part of their professional development, meaning everyone can contribute. An example of CPD pathways available this year include Middle Leadership Development and Coaching.

• Curriculum workshops, which are led by our curriculum leaders and/or subject specialists, are held regularly throughout the year to focus on the developmental needs of each curriculum area, such as subject specific professional knowledge and pedagogy.

• To support the CPD provision in school, we place particular importance on providing online CPD, to which end we subscribe to online portals with hundreds of webinars and courses available to watch independently, ranging from classroom practice, pastoral care and SEND provision to leadership development. We actively encourage staff to collaborate with colleagues in other schools to further their development through partnership.

• We believe in promoting leadership at all levels: As well as developing your teaching skills, we want to ensure that you are ready for leadership opportunities when they present themselves. Therefore the school is an advocate of building leadership capacity at all levels. This is done in a variety of ways including ensuring a range of leadership opportunities within the school structure appropriate to each career stage, and the chance to apply for bursaries to apply for leadership projects. It is very common for our new staff to have moved into a leadership role within two years of joining us. Moreover, every year all staff have the opportunity to participate in our school led Middle Leadership Development Programme while established middle leaders may apply for the National Professional Qualification for Senior Leadership (NPQSL). Similarly, the school may offer financial support towards the cost of undertaking an educational Masters degrees.

• Our ECT programme is extensive. There are regular opportunities built in for ECTs to get the support and developmental opportunities they require. As well as a lead ECT trainer, the school also provides every individual with a subject mentor and an in-school assessor. The added benefit for our ECTs is that we are an accredited SCITT provider, and also work with a number of PGCE partners, thus there is access to continued high quality training and collaboration with colleagues. Moreover we work very closely with a number of external trainers and a dedicated SEND school to ensure that all elements of teaching can be covered in a supportive and effective way.

Benefits of joining Thamesmead School

• Onsite gym with subsidised membership

• Staff wellbeing group

• Career progression opportunities

• A thriving house system

• An annual wellbeing long weekend in the Autumn Term

• New staff induction programme

• A supportive and happy community

• Free onsite parking

• Flu vaccinations

• Cycle to work scheme

• Electric Vehicle scheme

What do our staff have to say about working at Thamesmead School?

"Thamesmead has really supported me in the time I have been here, providing opportunities to develop as a teacher and also a person too. Once I joined Thamesmead, I felt part of the school straight away, this is down to the collective approach and togetherness shown by all staff, across the school, every single day. The support from leaders for me to develop and thrive is brilliant." – Middle Leader

"I have had a brilliant first 2 terms teaching at Thamesmead and this is in no small part down to the calm and welcoming atmosphere of the school and the warm and supportive attitude of my department." ECT

"I have been in the fortunate position to train and work alongside experienced, motivated and caring staff at Thamesmead. Thamesmead school is a community in which a trainee teacher can only thrive in, the knowledge and skills I have learnt from my time at Thamesmead gives me confidence in my future role as a teacher." PGCE Student

Recruitment process

If you would like further information on our current vacancies, the school or any other questions, please contact Human Resources on hr@thamesmead.surrey.sch.uk or phone 01932 219 423. Please note that we follow safer recruitment practices and appointments are subject to a satisfactory enhanced DBS.

Thamesmead School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to demonstrably share this commitment. Any successful applicant will be required to undertake an enhanced check by the Disclosure and Barring Service.