Visual Arts Teacher

About the School - SBI Westminster

Southbank is a fantastic place to work - we are a friendly, happy school in Central London with a wonderful culture of support and collaboration, lovely staff and students from all around the world.

The school now has an exciting opportunity for an experienced Visual Arts Teacher to join our fantastic team.

About Cognita

Cognita is a global leader in independent education. Founded in 2004, we are a growing community of 100+ schools in 16 countries - in Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East - serving more than 85,000 students. Each of our schools are proudly unique, however our collective purpose is to create an environment where everyone can, ‘Thrive in a rapidly evolving world’.

At Cognita, we know every student is unique. We nurture their distinct personalities and strengths. We support them academically, socially, and emotionally, wherever they are in the world, wherever they’re starting from. And each and every one of our schools is unique too.

We protect what’s special about them, while offering them rich knowledge, opportunities, and best practices. And they get to be part of something bigger. We open their classrooms to the collective wisdom of over 100 schools in 16 countries, ensuring every child gets an education that’s, quite literally, world class.

It’s an individual approach that empowers every school, teacher and student to focus on what they do best and thrive.

About the role

• Job Role: Visual Art Teacher
• Employment Type: Permanent, late August start
• Location: Westminster Campus
• Salary Range: £49,522pa - £73,197pa (depending on experience)

We are looking to recruit an experienced and enthusiastic Visual Art teacher to join our highly successful and supportive Creative Arts department. The school follows the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) through Grades 6 to 10 and the IB Diploma Programme (DP) through Grades 11 and 12. Whilst preferable, no prior knowledge of these curricula is required, however, we do follow an inquiry led approach to learning and emphasis is placed on interdisciplinary links and the development of transferable skills. At Southbank, all students study MYP Art in Grades 6-8, and Art is available as an option right up until they graduate from the school at the end of Grade 12. Of greatest importance is a love of the subject combined with the passion and skills for communicating this to our students. We invite applications from outstanding teachers who are committed to consistently delivering lessons that capture the imagination of our pupils across the age range and fostering the enjoyment of art skills and techniques that encourage exceptionally creative development and achievement.

The department places value on employing innovation and imagination when planning and delivering lessons. Teachers are encouraged to incorporate learning opportunities that take place outside the constraints of a classroom and to develop sequences of lessons that are delivered in conjunction with other subjects as part of an interdisciplinary unit each year. The department offers a number of exciting field trips each year, including visual art trips to the range of galleries and exhibitions in our locality in Central London, as well as internal and external workshops such as those offered at the National Gallery.

The Creative Arts department at Southbank includes teachers of Theatre, Media, Film, Music and Visual Arts, along with a team of peripatetic music staff. As a team, we work closely together in an atmosphere of support and collaboration to explore concept-based learning across the Creative Arts. An ability and willingness to teach other Creative Arts disciplines is not a necessity but would be an advantage. For the successful candidate, you will have an opportunity to join our enthusiastic school team and in return we offer a high-quality professional development programme which is personalised to individual needs. In addition, we have generous non-contact time, annual leave, and other staff benefits.

Who we are looking for:

You have a degree in a relevant subject and experience delivering outstanding classroom practice. You’re committed to the IB philosophy and passionate about inspiring a love of learning in students. Reflective and open-minded, you embrace feedback and are always looking to grow professionally. You collaborate well with others, value diversity, and promote inclusion in your classroom. Above all, you genuinely want the best for every child and bring energy, curiosity, and integrity to everything you do.

All our teachers offer a termly extra-curricular activity which should motivate, excite, and interest children.

We welcome applications from experienced teachers who have worked in either the independent or state sector and/or internationally.

We will only consider applicants who have the right to work in the UK.

To view a full job description, click here.

Benefits at Cognita

• Competitive salary
• Childcare Vouchers
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Eye Tests
• Pension
• School Holidays
• School Fees Discount (conditions apply)
• Interest free season ticket loan
• Own device during employment
• Generous maternity/paternity conditions
• ‘My Staff Shop’ membership
• Professional Development  

How to Apply

Complete this application before the closing date. The Closing Date for Applications is: 24 May 2025.

Cognita Schools are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff, volunteers and other third parties to share this commitment. Safer recruitment practice and pre-employment background checks will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed.

We are an equal opportunities employer committed to diversity and treating all employees with dignity and respect regardless of background.

Early applications are encouraged, we reserve the right to interview and appoint prior to closing date for the right applicant.