Head of Food and Nutrition

Weald of Kent Grammar School; Tonbridge; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare cash plan

Occupational health

Pension scheme (TPS/LGPS)

Free lunch

Job summary

Weald of Kent Grammar School in Tonbridge is seeking an outstanding Head of Food and Nutrition to lead the department and deliver high-quality teaching to Key Stage 3 and 4.

You will inspire learners, develop innovative teaching and learning strategies, and work closely with the Design and Technology team across both sites.

The post offers a supportive environment with opportunities for professional development and collaboration within a high-attaining school.

Qualifications

• Head of Department with leadership experience in Food and Nutrition.
• Experience teaching Key Stage 3 and 4.
• Commitment to staff wellbeing and professional development.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day management of the Food and Nutrition Department.
• Deliver teaching to Key Stage 3 and 4.
• Collaborate with the Design and Technology team across sites.
• Monitor student progress and use data to track department performance.
• Organise reporting, assessment processes and key events for the year groups.

Skills

Leadership

Food and Nutrition

Teaching

Curriculum planning

Data tracking

IT skills

Job description

The opportunity:

This position is an excellent opportunity for an outstanding and inspirational Head of Food and Nutrition teacher to join our exceptional team. The post will involve teaching to Key Stage 3 and 4.

This post would ideally suit a colleague who is looking for a new challenge and wishes to work with highly motivated, extremely engaged, enthusiastic and able learners. If you are keen to develop further as a practitioner and wish to extend your repertoire of teaching and learning strategies, then Weald of Kent would be a perfect fit for you.

The Design and Technology team currently consists of a Head of Department; two part time and one full time specialist teachers of Design and Technology, three part time Food and Nutrition teachers and two full time technicians over the two sites. There is a supportive and collaborative ethos within the department, and we are always open to new ideas. Our results at both GCSE and A Level are excellent and we frequently outperform other schools in our specialist areas. Food and Nutrition has achieved exceptional results over a number of years and is a popular subject at Key Stage 4.

What we offer:

Weald of Kent Grammar School is a selective girls academy (with a mixed Sixth Form) for approximately 1900 students aged between 11 and 18. The school operates across two campuses located at Tonbridge and Sevenoaks in West Kent. Students join the school from a range of areas around West Kent, East Sussex and Southeast London from a variety of different backgrounds.

Our students achieve at the highest level academically. In 2026, 56.9% of our GCSE entries were awarded 9-7 grades placing Weald in the top 10% of schools nationally for progress. At A level, 66.7% of our entries were awarded A*-B grades and the vast majority of our students move from Weald into higher education. Our students are highly able, motivated and a delight to teach. Students enjoy positive and co-operative relationships with staff, and it is very rare if an external visitor to the school does not comment on the high calibre of the students.

We are particularly proud of the work we have done to create a strong pastoral system, and students enjoy a comprehensive programme of PSHE throughout their time at school. This is taught by form tutors and ensures that strong relationships can be built and maintained. We encourage our students to be active and responsible citizens through a variety of charitable and community activities. The school operates a very successful House system, led by student House Leaders, which encourages integration between the year groups and provides leadership opportunities for students. Similarly, a strong Head Girl and Senior Prefect team and School Council ensure that the student body has a voice within the school and that younger students are supported. Currently we are launching a programme, involving our KS5 students, to help local primary schools with a range of outreach activities.

Our commitment to you:

Staff are our most valued asset, and we place a high emphasis on staff well-being and professional development, no matter what stage of your career you are at. We pride ourselves with the supportive and inclusive nature of the school and ensure that we foster a friendly working environment. As part of our commitment to staff well-being and development, we offer the following to teaching staff:

Professional Development

• Research led CPD programmes, tailored to individual’s aspirations, which are based both in school and across the wider Trust.
• A full induction programme for all new staff.
• Unlimited access to the National College CPD platform.
• An additional INSET day at the beginning of the academic year dedicated to teacher planning and preparation.
• Our “No lesson judgements” policy ensures lesson observations are developmental and supportive.
• Two INSET days a year dedicated to moderation and curriculum preparation.

Staff Welfare

• Data capture that is measured and timely - we report progress home two times a year.
• Minimal written reports.
• No requirement for teachers to submit lesson plans, even for lesson observations.
• Teaching staff are only required to do a maximum of one twenty-minute duty each week.
• Supportive yet challenging governance, which understands that teachers are our most valuable resource.
• We are a school that appreciates the importance of family. We do our best to support staff when there are issues and requests for additional leave regarding family events and an Additional Leave policy that support staff when they may need time off school.
• A teaching load of 38/50 one-hour periods of teaching per fortnight maximum.

Support

• The school calendar is planned in advance across the whole year, so people know what is happening and when.
• In-house cover supervision team.
• A comprehensive pastoral team to help with supporting our students with behaviour and wellbeing.
• A highly effective and proactive support staff that play an important role in supporting teaching and learning.
• A Marketing, Events and Visits team that are responsible for organising key school events and trips.

Benefits

• Healthcare cash plan.
• Occupational health support.
• Employee Discount Scheme (Multiple Retailers - Kent Reward Scheme).
• Opportunity to perform paid lunch-time duties (with free lunch).
• Free annual flu vaccination.
• Employee Assistance Programme.
• Free tea and coffee provided in the staff room.
• Use of onsite canteen offering hot meals and salad bar.
• Opportunities to participate in enrichment activities e.g. theatre visits.
• Free on-site parking.
• Membership of the Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS) or Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).

Environment

Pleasant working environment with very well-behaved students, eleven acres of school grounds set in Green Belt land at Tonbridge Campus.

Key responsibilities for the role include:

• Ensure day-to-day management and development of the Food and Nutrition Department with Director of Faculty oversight.
• Monitor the students for which they are directly accountable to ensure achievement of targets.
• Maintain an understanding of and develop the contribution their area makes to realising the school’s overall academic and attendance targets.
• In consultation with the Director of Faculty, take a proactive role in the organisation and delivery of key events and moments planned for the relevant year groups.
• In consultation with the Director of Faculty, take a proactive role in the organisation and delivery of the reporting and assessment process including consultation and information evenings for the relevant year groups.
• In consultation with the Director of Faculty, take a proactive role in the decisions and delivery of curricula and ‘beyond the classroom’ based activities.

• Develop links with parents and carers of students in the school and ensure they are well informed about the curriculum, targets and all other relevant matters relating to their child’s progress.

The successful candidate will:

• Fostering positive working relationships across the school community.
• Leading groups of staff in development and self-evaluating activities.
• Actively promoting rigorous and developmental performance development processes.
• Informing the Headteacher and Trustees of future development needs that will help to realise the school’s vision.
• The effective and efficient deployment of staff and support those staff in carrying out their duties.
• Through advising on priorities for expenditure and in monitoring the effectiveness of spending and usage of resources to ensure value for money with the Head of Food and Nutrition oversight.
• Manage the ordering of ingredients and equipment in a timely manner.
• Work closely with the HOD for Design and Technology to manage Staffing, timetables and resources.
• Teaching and managing staff across both sites.
• Leading department in planning lessons.
• Working with staff, students, parents and carers to ensure students with allergies (and Pupil Premium) are catered for appropriately and can access the curriculum.
• Skilled in using data to track department progress
• Competent IT skills

Key Application Dates:

• Shortlisting Date - 29 September 2026
• Interview Date - 5 October 2026
  
• Start Date - 4 January 2027
  

Safer recruitment:

Weald Grammar School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff to share this commitment. In order to meet this responsibility, we follow a rigorous selection process to discourage and screen out unsuitable applicants.

As well as verification of identity, we ask all employees to undertake an enhanced DBS disclosure. In line with Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) guidance, we may also conduct an online search about any shortlisted candidates as part of our due diligence to identify any matters that might relate directly to our legal duty to meet safeguarding duties in accordance with Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE)

We welcome applications from all suitably qualified people and aim to employ a culturally diverse workforce, which reflects the nature of our communities.

Sponsorship:

We are not able to offer sponsorship to non-settled individuals for a Skilled Worker Visa.