UWCSEA Dover has a vacancy from August 2025 for a Head of Middle School Visual Arts. The appointee will teach a range of Middle and possible High School classes and will lead the Middle School department. The successful candidate must be experienced and passionate about teaching Middle School Visual Arts.
The Head of Middle School Visual Arts is a pedagogical and organizational leader of the Middle School academic department responsible for the teaching and learning of Art. The Head of Middle School Arts has responsibility for the quality of the Visual Art Department’s courses, management of departmental resources and the professional practice of its personnel. The incumbent will also be a key member of the Middle School Faculty of the Arts, which incorporates Visual Arts, Music, Theatre, Film and Dance.
Main Responsibilities
Effective Leadership – Leading across all five areas of the learning programme
- Puts student learning at the forefront of all decisions and planning
- Has a clear vision for the department and translates this into practical and achievable plans
- Ensures that the learning programme in the department is consistent with the UWCSEA mission, the UWCSEA Learning Principles, the UWCSEA profile and with the strategic goals of the school, campus and College
- Ensures that the learning programme in the department develops and changes as necessary to match developments in technology and educational practice
Professional Development – Supporting the professional development of staff they lead
- Identifies and utilizes the full potential of staff in the department by being alert to professional development needs
- Mentors staff within the Professional Learning Programme, and coaches where appropriate so that they work most effectively
- Organises and/or runs informal/formal Professional Development opportunities for the department as individuals or as a whole
Collaboration – working collaboratively within teams
- Enthuses and motivates staff and fosters an environment where creativity and collaboration flourish
- Involves people in decisions, and delegates interesting and challenging tasks
- Gives, expects and acts on constructive feedback, and acknowledges error
- Assumes shared and individual responsibility for successes and problems and is happy to be accountable for the outcomes
- Sets clear boundaries and expectations providing freedom for the team to work effectively
- Acts and leads ethically and with integrity
Communication – communicates effectively within and beyond their team
- Relates well to individuals and deals sensitively with potentially difficult situations with colleagues/students/parents and has effective sensitive and/or difficult conversations
- Chairs meetings effectively and ensures opportunities for more informal communication to take place within the department
- Is clear and articulate in both spoken and written communications with students, colleagues, parents and the wider community
- Is proactive in making appropriate information available to colleagues, pastoral teams, parents and the College community
Teachers Generic Responsibilities
- Teachers should be willing to contribute positively to the collaborative culture of the Visual Arts department and broader Middle School teams.
- Teachers should construct learning experiences that challenge students, support the diversity of learners in each classroom and demonstrate a strong commitment to concept-based teaching and learning.
- Teachers should utilise the UWCSEA Learning Principles as a foundation for effective teaching and learning.
- Teachers should ensure assessments support ongoing learning and provide timely, relevant and appropriate feedback to students on formative and summative assessments.
- Teachers should demonstrate effective classroom management that shows an understanding of the academic, social and emotional dimensions of learning.
- Teachers should keep parents informed about the learning of their children, and be proactive in communication with parents.
Expectations and Standards
- Follow the UWCSEA Professional Code of Conduct and Safeguarding Code of Conduct.
- Lead in line with UWCSEA Leadership Standards
- Teach in line with the UWCSEA Teacher Standards
Person Specifications
- A relevant degree and professional teaching qualification is essential
- Experience of middle leadership, ideally in an international environment
- Successful experience with young adolescents (11-14 years) is essential
- Knowledge of developments in pedagogy and educational practice
- Knowledge of the role of team dynamics and instructional supervision and evaluation at a departmental level
- An understanding of a budgetary process and financial management within a department
- Fluency in written and spoken English to enable effective communication within working relationships
- A passion for the subject and a desire to share this with as wide a range of students as possible
- Good interpersonal skills and a collaborative management style that will develop a good team atmosphere within the department
- Honesty, integrity, compassion, and a good sense of humour
- Strong organizational, self-management and problem-solving skills
- Cultural sensitivity
- The ability to engage with students and to engender enthusiasm for learning is a prerequisite for teaching at UWCSEA.
- Applicants should be enthusiastic about teaching within a multi-cultural environment. Flexibility of approach and a collaborative style is essential.
- Teachers should be willing and eager to participate in the five key elements of a UWCSEA education: Academics; Activities; Outdoor Education; Personal and Social Education and Service
- Academic expectations include enthusiastic participation in Professional Learning
- Pastoral expectations include the leadership of a tutor group, unless the teacher is exempted due to other responsibilities
- On average the College expects a yearly contribution of two sessions per week in each season to Activities and/or Service
- The College expects that teachers will participate enthusiastically in the curricular Outdoor Education experiences which are relevant to their students and will also occasionally volunteer for holiday Outdoor Education trips
- A commitment to diversity and inclusion is essential alongside a willingness to adapt and develop pedagogy to meet the needs of our learners
Applications
The UWC Mission is to make education a force to unite people, nations and culture for peace and a sustainable future. We are committed to creating a community in which all members feel safe and secure, and know that their authentic selves and individual differences are accepted with respect and care. At UWCSEA, we acknowledge that diversity, equity, inclusion and justice (DEIJ) is an ongoing and evolving process and strive to create and sustain a sense of belonging for all members of our community, past, present and future. All qualified applicants, including those who identify as a part of marginalized group(s) and individuals with (dis)abilities are all encouraged to apply. Our school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all the students in our care and expects all applicants to share this commitment. We follow safe recruitment practices and all appointments are subject to interview, satisfactory references, identity and criminal record checks.
