Job Introduction

An opportunity has arisen at Westminster Under School for two part-time technicians, with an interest in art and learning, to join our Art department.

The Art Department

The Art department has excellent facilities with two well-resourced art studios, an IT suite, large storeroom and kiln room. The department currently consists of the Head of Art and two other teaching staff.

This appointment is a technical position supporting the Head of Art with the smooth running of the department, while supporting other members of the department with lesson preparation. The Art technician will share the office space and have their own computer/laptop.

The Role

The Art Technician’s main responsibility is to provide support to teachers in the art department, and to ensure the efficient running of the art department on a day-to-day basis.

Within this context, the Art Technician will be a committed and professional member of the team, enhancing the excellent reputation of the art department.

Possessing a qualification in Art and/or ceramics or similar is an essential attribute. We also welcome applicants who have not had experience as an Art Technician. There is ample support within the department for those who are new to this type of role.

What is essential is a willingness to work as part of team, to wholeheartedly support the work of the Art department and its aims. We are looking for individuals with a can-do attitude, who is proactive in their work, and possesses a team spirit. An interest in art and in practical skill is essential, and ideally one technician with a specialism in ceramics.

The Art Technician is also responsible for considering the health and safety of themselves and others as an integral part of their job and are expected to comply with the School’s Safety Policy.

Role Responsibility

Detailed Responsibilities

• Ensure art classrooms are set up for lessons, including any materials or equipment as requested.
• Be responsible for all researching and ordering of materials and equipment under the guidance of the Head of Art.
• Maintain a catalogue of suppliers and a record of orders.
• Monitor the budget for materials and equipment and attend a termly budget meeting with the Head of Art.
• Replenish art stock in each studio, as required, on a weekly basis.
• Check incoming deliveries and distribute as necessary.
• Update the Art Library Catalogue.
• Oversee the upkeep of the storeroom, storage space and teaching spaces, ensuring these are kept tidy and are safe to use.
• Bring to the attention of the Head of Department any damage to resources, or equipment, in a timely manner.
• The servicing of the kiln room which includes use of and maintaining the pug mill, loading and unloading the two kilns and overseeing the kiln maintenance and maintaining all clay materials and equipment.
• Digitally document and archive all students work on a termly basis.
• Create the digital online whole school gallery.
• Support with IT, photoshop and InDesign.
• Stretching screens for screen printing.
• Assist staff and pupils in lessons where necessary.
• Provide help at the end of lessons, as required, to ensure that teaching areas/studio areas are clear.
• Complete department dockets where necessary.
• Assist with hanging the end of year exhibition. (This includes one Saturday )
• Responsible for art displays within the art department and School.
• Accompany the department on weekday day trips as and when required.
• Attend department meetings if held during working days.
• Support the department in organising staff events.

Undertake any other reasonable duties as required.

Hours of work

A four hour day, 9.00am-1.00 pm, with a minimum requirement of two days a week.

There may also be a requirement of two to three extra preparation days at the beginning and end of terms when necessary.

If you would like to discuss any other matters relating to this post please contact, Head of Art, Ashia Oozeer via email at ashia.oozeer@westminster.org.uk

The Ideal Candidate

Please refer to the attached person specification below.

Equal Opportunities

We are an equal opportunities employer. We therefore encourage candidates to apply irrespective of age, disability, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion and belief, gender identity, sex or sexual orientation.

Safeguarding and Child Protection

Westminster Under School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Package Description

Required for: September 2024

Location: Vincent Square - Westminster Under School

Contract: part-time, term-time only. 

Salary: Full-time equivalent of of £30,527.22 which will be prorated down to reflect the number of days worked.

The closing date for applications is 09:00 on Tuesday 27th August. Interviews will take place shortly after the closing date.

About the School

Working at Westminster Under School

Westminster Under School is a busy, purposeful and vibrant place to be and an excellent workplace. The community is made up of 292 pupils, 43 teaching staff and 50 support staff.

Westminster Under School is a friendly and welcoming place to work. There is a real sense of community here and staff members quickly become part of the rhythm of life, both inside and outside the classroom. Social events are regular and varied, with plenty of opportunity to socialise outside working hours. Support staff as much as teaching staff are encouraged to embrace the School’s day-to-day activities, whether that be attending a concert or a sports fixture.

At Westminster we will always select the best candidate for every position. We do know, however, that we can only truly choose the best person on every occasion if a broad and diverse pool of candidates see the job advertised and are encouraged to apply.

As such, we continue to work on how our job roles are encountered, and particularly welcome applications from groups who have traditionally been underrepresented here.

Westminster Under School is for everyone, regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or any other protected characteristic. We hope you are encouraged to apply.

The School

Westminster Under School is a great environment for happy and purposeful pupils, and for all the staff who support them. Our aim is to produce well-rounded individuals with a love of learning and an enthusiasm for life, and who relish coming into School each day. All members of staff play an important role in ensuring that day-to-day processes at the School run smoothly, and in turn helping each and every pupil to enjoy and benefit from all that the School has to offer.

The Under School is a day school with approximately 292 pupils aged between 7 and 13. The School was founded in 1943 in the precincts of Westminster School in Little Dean’s Yard, just behind Westminster Abbey. The 17 boys with whom it began rapidly became 60 in  number and by 1950 there were 80 boys in the Under School. The boys had to compete for space with the senior school pupils who had returned from evacuation at the end of the war, but in 1951 the Under School acquired its own premises in Eccleston Square. Numbers of pupils continued to rise during the 1960s and 1970s and in 1981 the School moved once again to its present site overlooking the Westminster playing fields in Vincent Square. A stone’s throw from the same Square is the striking Art Deco Sports Hall, which is used by both Westminster Under and Westminster Great School pupils.

To this day, the Under School enjoys a strong and important bond with Westminster Great School. Both schools foster a deep sense of the importance of independent thought and the ethos of a liberal education, giving them a unique shared identity. It is usual for Under School pupils to be offered a place at the Great School, and the vast majority accept their offers, continuing on until they leave the School in Year 13.

Westminster School