The posting
Lead Practitioner of Geography
Astrea Academy Dearne
Salary: MPS/UPS + TLR 2D Contract: Full Time, Permanent Closing Date: 18 October 2026
About Astrea Academy Dearne
Astrea Academy Dearne is a thriving and inclusive 11-16 academy in Barnsley, serving around 1,100 scholars. As part of Astrea Academy Trust, we are driven by the belief that every young person can achieve excellence regardless of their starting point, background or circumstances. We are proud of our knowledge-rich curriculum, high expectations and disciplined, supportive culture, where teachers are empowered to teach and scholars are empowered to learn. Conveniently located within easy reach of Sheffield, Doncaster, Wakefield and Leeds, Dearne offers an exciting opportunity to join a school committed to transforming life chances through education.
The Role
Astrea Academy Trust is seeking an exceptional teacher and aspiring or experienced leader to become our Lead Practitioner of Geography. This is an exciting opportunity for a colleague who is passionate about improving teaching and learning, developing others and driving whole-school impact.
The successful candidate will play a key role in raising standards across Geography, supporting colleagues to deliver consistently excellent lessons and helping to ensure every scholar achieves their full potential. This role is ideal for someone ready to take the next step in leadership and contribute to the continued success and improvement of the academy.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead excellence in Geography teaching and learning across the academy.
- Model outstanding classroom practice and support colleagues to continually improve their teaching.
- Drive high standards of achievement and progress for all scholars.
- Support curriculum development to ensure a rigorous, knowledge-rich Geography offer.
- Coach and develop colleagues through collaboration, mentoring and instructional coaching.
- Use assessment and achievement data to identify priorities and implement effective improvement strategies.
- Promote high expectations for behaviour, participation and academic success.
- Contribute to wider academy improvement initiatives and the development of teaching practice across the school.
What We're Looking For
- An outstanding Geography teacher with a proven track record of securing excellent outcomes.
- An aspiring or established middle leader who can motivate and influence others.
- A practitioner who is passionate about improving teaching and learning beyond their own classroom.
- Someone who shares Astrea's vision of educational excellence and transformational school improvement.
- A strong advocate for high expectations and academic success for all scholars.
- A colleague who believes every child can achieve, regardless of background, prior attainment or need.
- An effective communicator with the ability to build strong professional relationships.
- A reflective professional committed to continual growth and development.
What We Can Offer
- Extensive support and opportunities for career progression across Astrea Academy Trust.
- A knowledge-rich curriculum built around powerful knowledge and evidence-informed teaching approaches.
- Collaborative planning supported by high-quality centralised resources and schemes of work.
- An excellent Geography curriculum with well-developed resources.
- A whole-class feedback approach designed to reduce unnecessary workload.
- Calm, disruption-free classrooms supported by a highly effective warm/strict behaviour culture.
- Visible, approachable and supportive senior leaders committed to staff success.
- Centralised behaviour systems, including detentions, reducing administrative burden for teachers.
- Regular instructional coaching and professional development with no formal graded lesson observations.
- Access to NPQs, leadership development programmes and excellent CPD opportunities.
- Outstanding promotion and progression opportunities across Astrea's South Yorkshire schools.
- An unrivalled professional development framework designed to help colleagues reach their career ambitions.
This is an exceptional opportunity to join a values-driven academy and make a lasting impact on scholars, colleagues and the wider school community. If you are passionate about Geography and eager to lead improvement, inspire others and drive excellence, we would love to hear from you.
Commitment to Safeguarding and EDI:
Astrea Academy Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. All appointments are subject to satisfactory background checks, including references and an enhanced DBS check. We value diversity and welcome applications from underrepresented groups. As a Disability Confident employer, we provide reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process to ensure all candidates can fully demonstrate their abilities.
In line with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016 and the statutory Code of Practice, the Trust requires all public-facing post holders to demonstrate fluent English. Within a school setting, this applies to all roles that involve direct or indirect interaction with pupils, parents, or members of the public.
Flexible Interview Dates:
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early, so don't miss out on this exciting opportunity. Please note that interview dates are flexible, and the academy reserves the right to interview shortlisted candidates during the application window.
Ready to Make a Difference?
If you're ready to take the next step in your career and contribute to our dynamic and forward-thinking team, apply today and be a part of our mission to create a positive impact!
