About Us
Downlands Community School is a thriving, inclusive, and ambitious school committed to providing transformative opportunities that take all pupils beyond their lived experience.
This is an exceptional opportunity for an outstanding teacher to contribute to a thriving and highly successful Art Department as it continues to build on its strong reputation for excellence, creativity, and innovation.
Art is a cornerstone of the Creative Arts Faculty, working in close partnership with Drama and Music to deliver a rich and inspiring creative education. The school places significant value on the arts, recognising their vital role in developing creativity, critical thinking, confidence, and cultural awareness.
The department is committed to fostering a culture of artistic excellence and creative exploration. Students are encouraged to work with increasing independence across a diverse range of media; including drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography and mixed media. The department is well equipped and includes a kiln and two printing presses.
Student artwork is celebrated throughout the school and wider community through exhibitions, competitions, and collaborative projects that showcase the exceptional talent and dedication of our young artists. Enrichment opportunities, including gallery visits, artist workshops, exhibitions, further enhance students’ creative development and provide valuable insight into the wider world of art and design.
At Key Stage 4, Art is a highly popular and successful option subject. Students follow the AQA Fine Art specification and consistently achieve outcomes that exceed national averages.
The department has a strong track record of nurturing artistic talent and inspiring students to pursue further study and careers in the creative industries. Many of our GCSE students go on to study an art subject post KS4.
The school has a very strong programme to provide professional development for teachers of all experiences and aspirations including ECT’s. For this reason, the post is suitable for an ECT or for a more experienced teacher who wishes to further their career.
Job Details
TEACHER OF ART AND DESIGN
Job Title: Teacher of Art and Design
Grade: Main Pay Range / Upper Pay Range
Contract: Full-time
Reporting to: Head of Creative Arts
Start Date: 1st September 2026
Are you a qualified teacher with a passion for Art who has the skills to help students excel?
Do you want to work in an academically successful school that achieves outstanding results?
Do you want to work in a school that is committed to the Creative Arts?
This is an outstanding and rare opportunity to join a thriving, successful and oversubscribed, 11-16, mixed, comprehensive school with an excellent reputation, set in an enviable location at the foot of the beautiful South Downs just north of Brighton
The post is suitable for a newly qualified teacher or a more experienced teacher wishing to further their career.
MAIN PURPOSE OF THE ROLE
To carry out the professional responsibilities of a teacher in accordance with the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document and the school’s policies, under the direction of the Headteacher.
Further Information
Downlands School and West Sussex County Council are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect this commitment. All successful candidates will be subject to an appropriate Disclosure and Barring Service check along with other relevant employment checks, including satisfactory references.
How to Apply
To apply for this role please download the job description and application form below.
Please complete the application form and ensure that you outline your motivations for applying and explaining the skills and experience you can bring to the role (please refer to the key skills in the job description).
Once complete please return this to [email protected]
Should you have any questions regarding the role or the application please feel free to contact us.
NOTE TO CANDIDATES - Please do not select the ‘Apply online’ button as the School processes your applications directly rather than through this site.
The reference number for this role is SCHO02526.
Job Reference: SCHO02526
