Teacher of Art

We are looking to recruit an exceptional Teacher of Art for a permanent role. You will join our outstanding Sixth Form team—where innovation, ambition, and student success power everything we do. This is an incredible opportunity to make a profound, long-term difference working with a team of like-minded professionals in a department that values both technical mastery and creative curiosity.

At Durham Sixth Form Centre, we don’t just deliver Art courses—we nurture tomorrow’s artists, designers, curators, and creative leaders. As an oversubscribed, “Outstanding” (Ofsted 2017) post-16 institution with results significantly above national averages, we provide a “mini-university” atmosphere where the arts are celebrated. With our purpose-built Visual Arts Centre and on-site Dead Dog Gallery, this is your opportunity to lead students through the complexities of the A Level specification and shape the future of visual inquiry in an elite creative setting.

What makes this role exciting?

• Deliver a dynamic creative curriculum: Lead the exploration of visual language across A Level Fine Art, A Level Art & Design, and our prestigious Level 4 Foundation Diploma in Art, Design and Media (FADM).
• Teach in a professional environment: Work within state-of-the-art facilities, including a dedicated theatre, digital media centre, and a visual arts centre with an ever-changing professional exhibition programme.
• Inspire the next generation of creatives: Challenge highly motivated learners from across the region who are passionate about exploring diverse media and achieving academic excellence.
• Bridge practice and theory: Lead outstanding teaching that moves beyond technical skill to engage with complex contemporary theory, art history, and the interrogation of visual culture.
• Mentor independent portfolios: Take a lead role in guiding students through their Personal Investigations (NEA) and portfolio builds, preparing them for transition to competitive art courses and Russell Group universities.
• Champion artistic engagement: Be part of a Faculty that celebrates active inquiry and enrichment, from local arts outreach programmes to high-profile collaborations with partners like Durham University.

We are looking for someone who:

• Is an outstanding A Level practitioner with a proven track record of securing excellent student outcomes (we also welcome applications from ambitious ECTs ready for their first specialist post).
• Possesses exceptional planning and time management skills, with the ability to inspire and challenge both students and colleagues.
• Brings deep subject expertise, with a passion for teaching and learning that motivates learners to develop their own evidence-based, sophisticated artistic voices.
• Is committed to collaborative, evidence-informed teaching, working within the Arts & Humanities Faculty to trial new strategies for technical demonstration and literacy in the arts.
• Understands how to build student confidence, preparing them for high-level progression into diverse creative and professional pathways.

Why choose us?

• Be a part of an Investors in People: Platinum [Employer of the Year 2025] organisation. 
• We are a flourishing high-performing sixth form where students achieve and exceed their potential.
• Be part of a team that’s ambitious, supportive, and driven by purpose.
• Benefit from personalised CPD, leadership coaching, and genuine career progression.

Join Durham Sixth Form Centre as a Teacher of Art. Inspire the next generation of artists, designers, and creative leaders in a high-performing, outstanding sixth form. We are located in the heart of Durham, just 20 minutes from Sunderland and 30 minutes from Newcastle city centre.