Class Teacher

Class Teacher September 2025

Ark Castledown Academy

Ark Castledown Primary Academy is looking for a motivated and creative teacher to join our dedicated school team. 

Are you someone who has high expectations and a desire to improve the life chances of pupils? If you have a passion for education, we can offer you both support and challenge you to develop further as a classroom teacher.

A rare opportunity has arisen to join our outstanding teaching team.

As part of Ark Castledown, you will join a community of staff dedicated to transforming education in Hastings, rising to the challenges and opportunities of the area we serve.

What we are looking for:

A highly enthusiastic teacher from 1st September 2025 on a full-time basis.

Year group to be decided according to the skillset of the successful candidate, ECTs welcome to apply.

The successful candidate will have:

• Excellent classroom practice and experience of working in primary school.
• Effective communication skills and a commitment to teamwork.
• High Expectations for all pupils.
• Energy, loyalty, passion and integrity.

What we can offer you:

• A strong, highly committed school community that adopts a collaborative team approach.
• A large and highly trained team of pastoral and teaching support staff.
• A multitude of opportunities to progress your career through our programme of outstanding CPD. We will support you to become the best you can be.
• You will have access to health packages, discounts at major retailers, travel loans and other benefits, through the Ark Rewards scheme.

Ark Castledown Primary Academy is a popular and successful school in the heart of Hastings, that was graded as Good with Outstanding Leadership in November 2021. We serve a diverse community that has significant levels of disadvantage. We pride ourselves on providing high quality professional development that drives ongoing school improvement. Our staff team are extremely dedicated and focused on ensuring our school provides a high quality of education for all of our pupils. Since transitioning to the Ark Network in 2017 our pupils have consistently achieved outcomes significantly above national averages in all key stages.

As part of the Ark schools network, we are committed to making sure that every child has access to a great education and real choices in life. We know that great schools need great teachers, which is why we offer you the very best training and support at every stage of your career. Our highly successful network of 34 schools educates over 20,000 students across Birmingham, Hastings, London and Portsmouth. They are achieving some of the best results in the country despite being largely in areas of historic academic underachievement.

Interested in this exciting opportunity? Please submit your application by visiting our academy website: https://arkcastledown.org/jobs

Visits to the school are strongly encouraged. Please contact the school office on: 01424 444046 or by email: [email protected]

Closing date: 09.00am Wednesday 18^th June 2025

Interviews: WC 23^rd June 2025

Salary: £32,251.00 - £51,051.00

Contract: Permanent

Location: Hastings

Ark is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people in its academies. In order to meet this responsibility, its academies follow a rigorous selection process to discourage and screen out unsuitable applicants.

Ark requires all employees to undertake an enhanced DBS check. You are required, before appointment, to disclose any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975. Non-disclosure may lead to termination of employment. However, disclosure of a criminal background will not necessarily debar you from employment - this will depend upon the nature of the offence(s) and when they occurred. To read more about Ark’s safer recruitment process, please click this link.

• Salaries 2.5% higher than main pay scale.
• Twice as many training days as standard.
• Generous pension scheme.
• Access to Ark rewards – a scheme offering savings from over 3,000 major retailers
• Interest-free loans – up to £5,000 available for season ticket or to buy a bicycle.
• Gym discounts – offering up to 40%.
• Access to Employee Assistance Programme – providing free, confidential counselling, legal advice and a range of different support.

We are community primary school that is dedicated to providing the very best education for the children of our town.

We hold a strong child-centred approach to teaching, where consistency, praise, encouragement and challenge are key. We believe that every child has a unique potential and we work hard to inspire and motivate children to achieve their goals.

We know that a successful and happy school depends on all of us working together, and that parents make an important contribution to children’s achievements at school. We are committed to developing excellent working relationships with our families and all members of our school community.