Curriculum Manager - Sport

Are you a sport professional and experienced leader who wants to take full ownership of a high-energy, high-achieving department? Do you want to lead a team that genuinely goes above and beyond for its learners, from the classroom to international enrichment trips? If so, we think you will feel right at home here.

As Curriculum Manager for Sport at our Southgate campus, you will lead a positive, dedicated team with a genuine team spirit and a track record of getting learners to engage, achieve and go further than they thought possible. You will set the direction, raise standards, develop your staff and build the employer partnerships that give learners a real edge when they leave. You will be well supported from day one. The team includes an Assistant Curriculum Manager and a Campus Senior Teaching Practitioner working closely alongside you, and you will be backed by a Campus Director who trusts their managers to lead. This is a high-trust, high-impact role where your sport expertise and leadership will be both visible and valued.

About Barnet and Southgate College: We change lives, empower individuals and connect communities. We are an ambitious, forward-thinking further education college in North London, proud to serve diverse communities across Barnet, Southgate and beyond. Our 2030 Vision is bold: to be a leading provider of learning and skills development, fostering exceptional educational experiences, driven by innovation, collaboration and excellence.

Our Sport department at Southgate is a team that takes pride in doing things properly. Staff plan enrichment activities in collaboration with students, celebrate achievements at every opportunity and consistently find new ways to engage learners beyond the classroom. Recent curriculum enrichment trips have taken students to Portugal for warm weather training and the team is currently planning a football training trip to Barcelona. This is a department that knows how to inspire.

What You'll Be Doing

• Leading the team: Line manage, coach and develop Sport staff, driving teaching quality, CPD and continuous improvement across the department.
• Raising standards: Maintain high expectations for learner behaviour, attendance and professionalism and ensure every student is on track to achieve and progress.
• Enrichment and engagement: Work collaboratively with staff and students to plan and implement an ambitious enrichment programme that takes learning well beyond the classroom.
• Growing provision: Identify market and employer needs, build partnerships with sports organisations, academies and industry stakeholders and develop curriculum that responds to them.
• Driving quality: Lead self-assessment and quality improvement planning, monitoring retention, achievement and learner progress and taking action to meet and exceed targets.
• Supporting learners: Ensure robust induction, effective tutorials, purposeful ILPs and wraparound support that promotes success, wellbeing and progression to next steps.
• Managing resources: Plan and manage the departmental budget, oversee equipment, timetabling and staff recruitment to support delivery and growth.
• Shaping strategy: Contribute to campus priorities, wider college management responsibilities including duty manager rotas, and cross-college initiatives.

What You'll Bring

• A degree or equivalent qualification in Sport or a related field.
• A full teaching qualification at Level 5 or above.
• Proven leadership or management experience in FE, training or an industry setting.
• Successful teaching experience and a track record of driving quality and improving learner outcomes.
• Experience of curriculum development, management of provision and new initiatives.
• Experience building and maintaining effective relationships with external partners, employers and stakeholders.
• Ability to use data and MIS effectively to monitor performance and drive improvement.
• Strong understanding of the 16-19, adult skills and HE landscape.
• Excellent communication, influencing and presentation skills.
• Commitment to equality, diversity, inclusion and safeguarding.

Even Better If You Have...

• A management or coaching qualification.
• Qualified Teaching and Learning Status (QTLS) or equivalent.
• Experience of Ofsted preparation, self-assessment or quality improvement planning.
• Experience working with college-wide Sports Academies.
• Experience developing income-generating full-cost activity within a curriculum area.
• Experience of working with a trauma-informed approach to teaching and learning.
• Aware of T Level or apprenticeship pathways in Sport.

What Makes This Role Different

• A team with genuine spirit: You will inherit a department that already has strong culture, high engagement and a track record of going the extra mile for learners, your job is to build on it, not create it from scratch.
• Enrichment that means something: From warm weather training in Portugal to upcoming trips to Barcelona, this team plans experiences that genuinely extend learners beyond the classroom.
• Strong leadership support: An Assistant Curriculum Manager and Campus Senior Teaching Practitioner work closely alongside the role, giving you real capacity to lead at a strategic level.
• High trust, visible impact: You are backed by senior leadership and trusted to lead your area and the results you deliver will be seen and recognised.
• Career development: Clear routes into wider curriculum or senior leadership, with access to coaching and leadership development.

Potential Interview Dates: Week commencing 8th June 2026.

Our Employee Pledge: The College offers employees a generous holiday allowance of 55 days annual leave for our academic staff plus bank holidays. Pro Rata'd for part time employees. We also offer an attractive package of optional benefits for employees to take advantage of.

• Taking Teaching Further (National initiative): An early career support package would be available for eligible successful candidates to support new Teachers in all T Level pathway subjects and Maths, English and SEND subjects.
• Targeted Retention payments for FE Teachers: Targeted retention payments are available for eligible successful candidates in specific subjects.
• Annual Season Ticket Loans: We offer permanent or contract staff with a minimum of a 12 month contract the option to purchase an annual season ticket loan without the big financial hit in one go!
• Cycle to Work Scheme: The scheme is an incentive for staff, offering tax free bikes through bike shops.
• Employee Support Helpline: The Employee Assistance Helpline can be contacted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• Eye Tests for DSE Users: The College will refund the cost of regular eye tests for staff that use Display Screen Equipment regularly as part of their duties.
• Flu vouchers: We offer established staff a free flu vaccination voucher.
• Gym Facilities: Our Sports Centre at Southgate Campus is available for all staff.
• Hair Salon Services and Beauty Treatments: A range of competitively-priced hairdressing services are accessible at our Colindale Campus.
• High Street Discounts: Discount for teachers is a shopping benefits website for staff.