Teacher of Religious Studies (with possibility of leading the subject)

The Appointment

We are seeking to appoint an excellent honours graduate to teach Religious Studies (RS) throughout the school with the possibility, either in the 2026/27 academic year or thereafter, to lead the department.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a strong Religious Studies department in a leading school. The College provides statutory induction for Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs) and a supportive programme of new teacher induction for all new staff and will assist graduate entrants to the profession to gain QT status. However, the department would be particularly keen to source a candidate who is a qualified teacher and, possibly, to already have experience of teaching Religious Studies up to A Level, ideally in an academically selective school.

The successful candidate will be expected to contribute to the wider life of the Religious Studies department as well as to the Co-Curricular and pastoral life of this busy boarding school.  The ability to also teach another academic discipline would be advantageous but not essential.

The appointment will be made by the Head Master who will be assisted by members of the College’s Senior Management Team.

The Religious Studies Department

The R.S. department aims in the Senior School to teach ‘the Christian values which lie at the heart of the College’ (from The Aims of Lancing College) and in both the Senior School and Sixth Form to furnish pupils with the ability and opportunity to explore the implications of belief socially, practically and intellectually. As a Woodard School, and with the Chapel so central to our ethos, the R.S. department plays a significant role in crystallising and examining the values implicit in that edifice.

Broadly, we seek to give pupils the wherewithal to understand the world and our place in it from Christian, and from other, ‘transcendent’ perspectives. This is in contrast with and partial corrective to the ‘immanent frame’ of much of the rest of the curriculum.

We are a department of five, varying in age and experience and all committed to the aims above. Most also teach in other departments and we are properly collaborative, meeting regularly to share ideas and practice.

In the Senior School we have chosen to pursue our own ‘home grown’ Religion, Philosophy and Ethics course in preference to the short course GCSE we formerly delivered. This course introduces pupils to many of the deep and timeless questions humans have asked about ourselves, the universe and our place in it. We explore:

• the truth claims made by the Christian faith and the way these are lived out in the life and practice of the Church.
• the basic philosophical arguments for the existence of God; the making of moral decisions and the implications of this thinking in some of the key moral debates in the world today.
• the philosophy and practice of one of the other major world religions – Buddhism.
• a pupil chosen topic as an extended essay to complete the course.

We assess the course in various ways, through presentations and coursework as well as through more traditional exams.

In the Third and Fourth Forms (Years 10 and 11) there are two 35-minute lessons per week. Class sizes vary between 12-22. Setting is used but is currently decided upon outside the department. We teach in strict parallel so students who change sets will not miss or duplicate work.   There is NO Religious Studies currently taught in the Fifth Form (Year 11) though this is open to review as the College reviews its curriculum offering regularly.

Numbers in the Lower and Upper Sixth are variable. Recent years have seen sets between 5 and 12. We follow the Edexcel course covering the philosophy of religion, ethics and New Testament modules and results are good.

Pupils understand and value the place RS has in the curriculum and appreciate the opportunity to engage with the questions we ask. Any teacher joining or leading the team will have a strong legacy to sustain and build on.

Key Tasks and Responsibilities:

• To be an effective teacher and work closely with the Head of Religious Studies.

• To produce appropriate assessment and reporting, ensuring departmental and school guidelines are followed.

• To prepare and arrange the production of suitable course material.

• To ensure that strategies for supporting pupils with special educational needs are developed in liaison with the Learning Support Department.

• To keep abreast of subject specific developments and wider pedagogy.

• To maintain a working knowledge of university entrance requirements and university courses in the subject and those related to it.

Skills and Experience

Essential

• An excellent classroom practitioner (or with the potential to become one) with a genuine passion for the subject, able to lead by example and inspire pupils.
• Hold a strong degree in a relevant discipline.
• Work effectively as part of a team, with the ability to contribute to, and where appropriate, lead, a small departmental team, while also working independently when required.
• Bring a professional, positive, and engaged approach to the role, representing the College with confidence and integrity.
• Demonstrate an approachable, considerate, and professional manner, with the ability to build constructive working relationships with pupils, colleagues, and parents.
• Show strong organisational skills, sound judgement, discretion, flexibility, and attention to detail.
• Possess excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Be willing to contribute to the Co-Curricular life of the College.
• Demonstrate confident proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, particularly Outlook, Word, and Excel. Training will be provided for the College’s Management Information System (iSAMS), Microsoft Surface Pro devices, and the Office 365 suite.

Desirable

• The capacity to teach an additional subject would be advantageous.

• Hold a postgraduate qualification and relevant experience.

Application Procedure: 

Applications should be made using the application form. Candidates are asked to add a covering letter setting out, as succinctly as possible, their reasons for applying for the position at Lancing.

Application forms are available from the College website www.lancingcollege.org.uk.

Please send any emails to recruitment@lancing.org.uk

A full curriculum vitae and the names, addresses and telephone numbers of a minimum of three referees, one of whom should be the candidate’s current or most recent employer should be included with the application.

Informal conversations about the post may be arranged with the Head of Religious Studies, Phil Richardson, at PCR@lancing.org.uk

Closing date: Wednesday 11 February 2026

Interviews:  Thursday 26 February 2026