Faculty Leader of Arts

Faculty Leader of Arts  

Required for September 2025 or January 2026 

We have an excellent opportunity for a creative and adventurous teacher to lead Ashford School’s Arts Faculty. 

The successful candidate will be passionate about establishing a high standard of creative work through a variety of artistic disciplines. They will have the imagination and vision to inspire students to enjoy live performance in music and drama, as well as develop a strong visual appreciation in art and photography.  

The Faculty Leader of Arts line manages the Director of Music, Head of Art, Theatre and Events Technician and the Performing Arts Administrator. As well as leading the faculty, there is an opportunity for the Faculty Leader candidate to also lead the Drama department. There are separate TLRs for the Faculty Leader of Arts and Head of Drama positions, as well as separate remission allocations for each role. 

Overview of the Faculty   

The Arts faculty showcases the skills and talents of pupils across a variety of creative forms, and a standout event each year for this is the Arts Festival. Throughout the year, the drama department takes a dynamic and versatile approach to devising productions, and in recent years has staged Annie, Matilda, Under Milk Wood, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Little Shop of Horrors and The Wedding Singer.  Ashford School pupils perform regularly in many regional festivals including Hastings, Kent and the English Speaking Union. Many students also partake in Speech and Drama examinations in order to gain LAMDA qualifications. 

The Music department works in partnership with Drama in staging its productions, but is also responsible for offering its own wide-ranging learning, composition and performance opportunities. These include: workshops, masterclasses, three major termly concerts, and up to twelve smaller ensemble recitals and scholar showcases.   

As a mark of our commitment to excellence, Ashford School has been an All Steinway School for over ten years and we were delighted to renew our partnership in 2023. 

Art is a very popular subject at Ashford School, and Photography has also been recently introduced at A Level. Each year students are shortlisted in the United Learning International Art Competition, and there is also a strong track record in the department of students taking part in internal, community and international art events.  

Concerts and drama productions are staged in Brake Hall at Ashford School. Lessons take place in dedicated and well-resourced faculty areas, including five art studios, two drama teaching rooms, a Speech and Drama classroom and one music classroom. There is also a Music Technology Suite which has 21 Apple computers. Individual music lessons are accommodated in one of ten practice rooms. There are number of dedicated technicians working in the faculty, and there is also an Administrator. Furthermore, a Composer in Residence, Director in Residence and an Artist in Residence are engaged to work with students at the School each year. 

The role of the Faculty Leader 

The successful candidate will join a team of seven Faculty Leaders at the School. Reporting to the Deputy Head (Academic), the Faculty Leader of Arts conducts appraisals of members of the faculty, as well as finalises the timetable for Arts teachers each summer. The Faculty Leader conducts lesson observations on an annual basis and also attends Faculty Leader meetings. In addition, the Faculty Leader of Arts builds strong links with the Prep School to drive a ‘One School’ philosophy.  

The successful candidate should be capable of guiding faculty practitioners to teach students of all abilities and also those whose first language is not English. Personal engagement is essential, and responding to the needs of the individual is at the heart of the faculty’s ethos. 

The Faculty Leader must be able to articulate what academic rigour looks like within the Arts, and show a strong understanding of the importance of data tracking and digital pedagogy. Furthermore, the successful candidate will show an interest in the School’s Strategic Priorities and Curriculum Philosophy. 

The Faculty Leader also reports to the Deputy Head (Co-curricular, Operations and Community Partnerships). 

The role of Head of Drama 

The Head of Drama line manages the Teacher of Drama and Lead Speech and Drama Teacher. 

The Drama department teaches both the OCR GCSE Drama and A Level Drama and Theatre Studies courses. As well as being a well-qualified practitioner, the Head of Drama will be expected to contribute to the teaching and development of the subject curriculum, and also the provision of beyond the classroom performance opportunities. 

Reporting to the Deputy Head (Academic) for curricular matters, the head of department attends a mock review meeting each year, and also reports to the Headteacher in the annual Department Review. 

The Head of Drama reports to the Deputy Head (Co-curricular, Operations and Partnerships) for all aspects of co-curricular and performance matters.  

The successful candidate should be familiar with computer technology as a tool for learning, teaching and administration, and be prepared to lead the department to develop their skills further. All drama teaching rooms are equipped with permanent internet access and interactive whiteboards; all students in KS3 and KS4 have access to a Microsoft laptop in their lessons with which to access a variety of learning platforms. 

A tutor responsibility is included in this role.  

Single person accommodation may be available in return for boarding duties. 

Salary by negotiation and dependent on skills, attributes and qualifications of the successful candidate.   

Note - We reserve the right to interview and offer to a strong candidate prior to the closing date. It is strongly recommended that candidates submit their applications as soon as possible. 

Ashford School is part of United Learning, a large and growing group of schools aiming to offer a life-changing education across England. As a group, we achieve more by sharing than any single school could. 

Ashford School is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates. 

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expect all staff to share this commitment. An enhanced DBS check is required for all successful applicants.