Teacher of Art, Full or Part-Time (Maternity Cover)

We are looking for a dynamic and inspirational teacher for our well-established Art team. The successful candidate will be an outstanding teacher in his/her own right or if an NQT the potential to be outstanding and be able to teach to KS5.

Examination results at Wycombe High School are outstanding.  An impressive 44% of all A Level grades in 2016 were A* or A grades. The whole school A* rate was 14%.  The significant majority of our students gained their first choice university place – an exceptional achievement given this year’s competitive climate.  Our results at GCSE are equally outstanding, with 89% of all grades A*-B and 33% of all grades were A*.

The Art team currently consists of two full-time specialist teachers, who lead learning across the age range from Key Stage 3 to A Level. The team is dynamic, creative and committed to Art education amongst our young   people.  The team achieves very good academic standards. For example, in 2016, 100% of the Art GCSE students achieved A* - C, with 56% achieving an A* or A grade. At A level in 2016 72% of students achieved A* to B with 39% gaining an A grade. The new teacher will be determined not only to carry that standard forward into the future, but to further improve our results. The subject team is led by an experienced and dedicated curriculum leader.

Students in Years 7 and 8 follow programmes of study based on the National Curriculum Key Concepts for Key Stage 3 Art & Design. At KS4 we follow the AQA GCSE Fine Art Specification as a full course option; this is normally taken by around 40 students each year. In the Sixth Form the AQA Fine Art syllabus is followed, with a strong uptake in Year 12 of about 20 students, with 15 continuing to A2. 

On the extracurricular front, the Department runs a Year 7 Art Club and a Christmas Crafts Club for students and staff.  The Art Department is always involved with painting of scenery and props for school productions.  GCSE and A Level coursework ‘drop-ins’ are held every day.  Opportunities are also provided for developing leadership skills:  Year 10 can apply to be Art leaders, whilst Sixth Formers help to run the Year 7 Art Club. 

The Department’s facilities consist of four purpose-built Art rooms, an office and a kiln room. There is a stockroom and various store cupboards. Three main teaching rooms are located on the ground floor interconnecting and   surrounding the main office/stockroom. The fourth room is a Sixth Form Art Studio and is located on the top floor of the building. The kiln room is located in a building near to the department. All rooms are multi-purpose areas with large tables, built in cupboards for equipment and storage and sinks. The Sixth Form Art Studio has purpose-built cubicles which provide AS and A Level Art Student with space to work.  A library of visual images and books are located next to the main office and close to all teaching rooms on this floor. Every teacher is provided with a tablet. 

All staff are encouraged to develop professionally, to improve and extend their knowledge, skills and experience, share outstanding and innovative practice and contribute to the development of an exciting, challenging and    supportive learning environment.

Wycombe High School is a girls’ selective state academy school with 1350 students on roll, of whom over 400 are in the Sixth Form. It is geographically placed in the town of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. High Wycombe is the county’s largest town and is a lively, modern location with plenty of tourist attractions & points of interest. The school is close to the town’s main amenities. 

Our staff are professional, forward-looking and committed to extending the horizons of our students, encouraging them to aim high, to take on leadership roles and to become independent learners. We have an ambitious development plan, with a focus on improving the quality of teaching and learning, both within and beyond the classroom. 

We are a National Support School, a Teaching School and a Mathematics Hub and have strong community partnerships. We have invested substantially in IT systems and training. We have an outstanding reputation for the performing and visual arts. Numerous educational visits take place each year and for every age group, at home and abroad. 

High Wycombe offers excellent rail, road and coach links. Chiltern Rail links High Wycombe to London Marylebone in as little as 23 minutes and the M40 and M4 offer easy access to many other parts of the UK. There is a coach park, with parking facilities, within five minutes walk of the school offering coach access to many cities and to Heathrow and other airports.

The town centre offers the Eden centre with a range of shops and restaurants, as well a shops and leisure facilities including a busy and popular theatre, bowling alley and cinema. The town is also home to a state of the art leisure centre, with 50m swimming pool, climbing wall, squash courts, sports hall and modern gym.