Job Title: Head of Religious Education
Contract Length: Full Time and Permanent
Salary Range: MPS/UPS (Outer London) Plus TLR
Accountable to: Headteacher
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an exceptional candidate to become Head of Religious Education of Coloma Convent Girls’ School. We are seeking a practising Catholic in full sacramental communion*, who is an inspiring teacher, and expert in Catholic Religious Education, and a committed leader. The successful candidate will be someone with vision, energy and passion to ensure that RE remains academically rigirous, theologically rich, and fully aligned with the mission of the Church and the expectations of the Religious Education Directory (RED). They will share our drive to ensure that every pupil receives an outstanding Catholic education rooted in the Gospel and centred on Christ.
The Head of RE will be an inspirational leaderwho brings both strong subject expertise and a deep understanding of RE as the core of the core curriculum and wider school life. They will have a proven track record of securing excellent outcomes, leading curriculum innovation, experience of implementing or contributing to the RED 2023 model (Hear – Believe – Celebrate – Live; Dialogue and Encounter), leading change within their departmental team, and ensuring that the quality of education from Key Stage 3 to Sixth Form consistently matches our ambitions.
The wellbeing and holistic formation of our young people remain at the forefront of our mission, and the successful candidate will demonstrate unwavering commitment to nurturing students spiritually, academically and personally. They will be supported to develop as a confident, versatile and well‑rounded middle leader, with opportunities to contribute to whole‑school improvement, Catholic Life and mission, and wider Trust initiatives. This role will allow an ambitious practitioner to grow in leadership while ensuring RE continues to flourish as a model of excellence.
At Coloma, the educational experience is so much more than a comprehensive curriculum. For over 150 years, we have formed young women of compassion, courage and character who are inspired to live out their faith and make a positive contribution to the world. The successful candidate will be committed to establishing a positive, proactive and outward‑looking culture within the RE department. One that promotes excellence, encourages collaboration, and drives internal improvement, all underpinned by Gospel values and fidelity to the Church’s teaching.
Being part of the Trust offers the opportunity to work collaboratively with colleagues across other Catholic schools, contributing to the continued development of RE and Catholic Life across South East London.
The ideal candidate will:
- be a practising Catholic* in full sacramental communion;
- be an excellent teacher of RE with strong subject knowledge and theological literacy;
- have experience of leading of contributing to high-quality RE provision across KS3-KS5;
- demonstrate the ability to design and implement a knowledge-rich, text-centred curriculum aligned to the Religious Education Directory (2023);
- have experience of securing excellent outcomes and driving improvement in teaching, learning and assessment;
- be able to demonstrate success in leading curriculum development and embedding high expectations across a team;
- align to the mission, vision and values of Coloma Convent Girls’ School and Sixth Form, St Oscar Romero Catholic Academy Trust and the Archdiocese of Southwark;
- manage Curriculum Lead and RE team.
* A ‘practising Catholic’ is defined as someone who has been sacramentally initiated in to the Catholic Church and who adheres to those substantive life choices which do not impair them from receiving the sacraments of the Church and which will not be in any way detrimental or prejudicial to the religious ethos and character of the school. Inspired by the Gospel and sustained in God’s grace, a practising Catholic will give sincere external expression to their interior faith through specific religious, moral and ethical behaviour which is in accordance with the teaching of Christ and the Catholic Church.
In return we offer:
- opportunities to work within a highly skilled and supportive team;
- a commitment to continue with national pay, terms and conditions;
- access to the generous Teachers Pension Scheme;
- a highly supportive working environment rooted in Catholic Values;
- training opportunities to support a continuing leadership journey.
Visits to our beautiful school site in the Shirley Hills are highly encouraged.
To arrange an informal conversation with the Headteacher and/or to arrange a tour then please contact Mrs Vicki Davis, Executive Assistant to the Headteacher, via recruitment@coloma.co.uk. Further details of this role can be found on TES and Coloma website.
Recruitment Timeline and Key Dates
Closing date for applications: 14th April 2026 @ 9am
Interview date: 30th April 2026
Start date: September 2026
Application pack
Application form (download)
To reiterate, in line with updated Diocese guidance, a reference from your Parish Priest must be obtained at the shortlisting stage, before you can be invited to interview. Upon receipt of your application, your Parish Priest will be contacted for a reference.
For applicants that are invited to interview, Coloma will request references from your referees.