Head of Art

Cottenham Village College, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB24 8UA

18 days remaining to apply

• Job start date

  1 September 2026

• Closing date

  5 May 2026 at 12:59am

• Date listed

  13 April 2026

Job details

• Job role:
  • Teacher
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Subject: Art and design
• Working pattern: Full time
• Contract type: Permanent
• Full-time equivalent salary: £33,235.00 - £52,064.00 Annually (Actual) MPS-UPS3 (currently £33,235-£52,064) plus TLR2a of £3,527

Head of Art job summary

Head of Art

Cottenham Village College

Start Date: September 2026
Contract: Full-time, Permanent
Salary: MPS / UPS + TLR 2a
Closing Date: 4th May 2026

Cottenham Village College is seeking to appoint an ambitious and inspirational Head of Art to lead and develop our successful Art department from September 2026. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced teacher or current subject leader ready to take the next step in their career within a highly supportive and forward-thinking school.

About Cottenham Village College

Cottenham Village College is a thriving, inclusive secondary school set in a pleasant location in beautiful Cambridgeshire. As part of the Astrea Academy Trust, the college benefits from a shared commitment to high academic standards, strong pastoral care, and staff development. We are proud of our calm, focused learning environment and our belief that all pupils, regardless of background, can succeed through access to a knowledge-rich curriculum and excellent teaching.

The Role

As Head of Art, you will:

• Lead, manage, and inspire the Art department, establishing a clear vision for excellence in teaching and learning
• Develop and deliver a knowledge-rich art curriculum rooted in ‘powerful knowledge’ and subject specificity
• Line manage staff within the department, supporting professional growth and high-quality practice
• Use assessment effectively to drive progress and attainment
• Contribute to whole-school improvement priorities
• Promote a love of Art across the school and within the wider community

We Are Looking For Someone Who:

• Is an excellent Art practitioner with a strong subject knowledge
• Has, or is ready to develop, leadership and management skills
• Is aligned with evidence-informed practice, including Rosenshine and Lemov
• Is committed to high standards, equality of opportunity, and disruption-free learning
• Thrives in a collaborative culture and values shared planning and resources
• Is ambitious for pupils and for their own professional development

What We Offer:

• Huge levels of support and clear progression opportunities
• A knowledge-rich curriculum built on ‘powerful knowledge’ and subject-specific excellence
• Collaborative planning with centralised, shared units of work and resources
• A feedback policy focused on whole-class feedback — no onerous marking
• Disruption-free learning with clear systems and expectations
• Highly visible and supportive senior leadership
• Centralised detentions, including homework detentions
• No graded lesson observations — ongoing, no-stakes feedback cycles
• Excellent CPD, career development and promotion opportunities across the Astrea Cambridgeshire region
• Opportunity to complete NPQs
• An unrivalled professional progression model
• Access to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Free on-site parking

Interested in Applying?

If you are passionate about education, looking for a fresh opportunity, or simply want to make a positive impact, we would love to hear from you. Take a look at the job description and candidate pack to find out more about the role and how to apply or contact our recruitment team at recruitment@astreaacademytrust.org.

Commitment to Safeguarding and EDI:

Astrea Academy Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. All appointments are subject to satisfactory background checks, including references and an enhanced DBS check. We value diversity and welcome applications from underrepresented groups. As a Disability Confident employer, we provide reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process to ensure all candidates can fully demonstrate their abilities.

In line with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016 and the statutory Code of Practice, the Trust requires all public-facing post holders to demonstrate fluent English. Within a school setting, this applies to all roles that involve direct or indirect interaction with pupils, parents, or members of the public.

Flexible Interview Dates:

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early, so don't miss out on this exciting opportunity. Please note that interview dates are flexible, and the academy reserves the right to interview shortlisted candidates during the application window.

Ready to Make a Difference?

If you're ready to take the next step in your career and contribute to our dynamic and forward-thinking team, apply today and be a part of our mission to create a positive impact!

Further information about the job

The candidate will be required to undergo a full enhanced DBS check and must be eligible to work in the UK.

Visas cannot be sponsored.

If you're interested in teaching or training to teach in England as an international citizen, we can help you understand your next steps.

Commitment to safeguarding

Astrea Academy Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and staff. Every child should feel safe and should be protected from any form of child abuse. We have robust policies and procedures that support our commitment to Safeguarding, this includes our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy. The in-house Safeguarding teams at each Academy work in partnership with families and safeguarding partners to ensure the safety of children is paramount. We are committed to ensuring that all staff access regular, contextual safeguarding training to meet the needs of the local community.

Applying for the job

This school accepts applications through their own website, where you may also find more information about this job.

CVs will not be accepted for this application.

About Cottenham Village College

• School type: Academy, ages 11 to 16
• Education phase: Secondary school
• School size: 877 pupils enrolled
• Age range: 11 to 16
• Ofsted report: View Ofsted report
• School website: Cottenham Village College website
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/cottenham-village-college-cambridge

Welcome to Cottenham Village College, part of the Astrea Academy Trust, a highly-successful 11-16 mixed academy situated close to the beautiful city of Cambridge; here you will find hard-working, well-behaved students and friendly, dedicated staff who are committed to a fully inclusive, comprehensive education.

The college was established in 1963, one of several village colleges in the region that were the inspiration of educational pioneer Henry Morris, who believed that the school should be at the heart of its community and that education should be a lifelong process. This vision of a school that serves and involves its whole community, that fosters high aspirations and inspires a love of learning is as central to our ethos today as it was when it opened.

Through a highly-ambitious curriculum at CVC, we aim to foster students’ curiosity, unlock their potential and raise their aspirations, as well as ensure that students achieve high levels of attainment that will open doors for their future. A stimulating and broad curriculum also places students in a strong position to question and debate the world around them, making them intellectually resilient and prepares them for citizenship in a democratic society. We believe this is a right of all students and one which is liberating and empowering.

We are equally proud of the wider curricular provision at CVC, both in formal lessons and outside the classroom. Our extensive range of extra-curricular activities, including sports, music, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award programme and residential trips, help to give all students a fully-rounded education and creates opportunity for their personal, as well as their academic, growth.

Cottenham Village College is a friendly, positive and exciting place to work and to learn and we take great pride in the high standards our students consistently achieve. We have very high expectations of all members of the College community and provide an inclusive, friendly and supportive environment in which everyone can thrive and achieve. Students leave as happy, well-qualified and well-motivated individuals who go on to excel in local sixth forms, colleges, universities and the wider world.

I hope you find the information on the school’s website useful. If there is anything you cannot find, please do not hesitate to contact us. If you wish to visit the school to see it for yourself, please contact the school and we would be delighted to show you around.

Zoe Andrews, Principal

School location

Get a job alert when similar jobs are listed

Find more school jobs in Cambridge and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough