Teaching in East Sussex
East Sussex is a great place to develop your teaching career. With comprehensive support and training, you can make more of a difference in the classroom and beyond.
Teaching here
You can teach in a wide variety of locations from small primary schools in beautiful rural areas to large urban secondaries.
- Schools in East Sussex
- Continuing Professional Development for East Sussex teachers
- Teaching and leadership jobs
Supporting your professional growth and development
East Sussex has a strong school-led improvement system where collaborative working is a strength of the local landscape.
Through strong partnerships with local, regional and national partners East Sussex provides comprehensive support for teachers’ professional development at all stages of their career, from initial teacher training, through Early Career Framework and into leadership roles.
We support a range of career pathways that encourage teachers and leaders at all levels to engage in roles that draw on and develop their expertise further. This may be through school leadership or wider system leadership roles.
Find out more about system leadership in our video:
- Where can a career in teaching take you?
Living here
East Sussex is a great place to live and work.
Get into teaching
You can find out how to get into teaching on the Department for Education website:
Return to teaching
Are you looking to return to teaching? Want to refresh your teaching knowledge or regain confidence in the classroom?
Find out about the support you can get if you return to teaching - GOV.UK.
And why not think about returning to teach in East Sussex? We’d love you to join one of our schools.
Why choose East Sussex?
East Sussex is a diverse county with urban, rural, and coastal areas with different characteristics. The education sector is made up of a range of providers.
You can find more information about the local context in Excellence for All.
In East Sussex leadership is a skill that is needed from day one as a teacher. Class teachers lead in their classrooms and are working with a range of support staff, so the development of leadership skills needs to start early in a teacher’s career. East Sussex has a strong school-led improvement system where collaborative working is a strength of the local landscape.
We provide
- Continuous professional development (CPD) to support career pathways, from Initial Teacher Training and the Early Career Framework, to early leadership, and on to a range of leadership roles within and across schools. With our partner organisations we provide access to the full programme of National Professional Qualifications (NPQs).
- Comprehensive support and training, so you can make more of a difference in the classroom and beyond.
- Strong partnerships with local, regional and national partners provides comprehensive support for professional development at all career stages.
- A range of career pathways that encourage leaders at all levels to engage in roles that draw on and develop their expertise further. This may be through school leadership or wider system leadership roles.
Find out more about system leadership.
I’ve just completed my first year as a new head in East Sussex. I have really benefited from the fully funded mentor programme and the generosity of support and advice from local heads and the local authority.
In my 33-year career, I’ve seen a large proportion of the teachers come through the apprenticeship scheme.
It's been a challenge, but an exciting one that I'd recommend to anyone with a passion for leading colleagues to get the very best outcomes for our children.
Lyn White, Harbour Primary School
Headteacher induction programme 2023-24
For 2023-24 we will be running our fully funded headteacher induction programme.
It is our aim to provide ongoing continued professional development and support for every new, acting, or interim primary and secondary headteacher and every new Head of School.
We have a wealth of experience, with serving headteachers, consultant headteachers, colleagues from all departments of the Local Authority and external experts. This provides all delegates with an essential toolbox of skills and knowledge.
The course overview includes:
- Welcome to East Sussex
- The school improvement journey
- An inclusive school
- The curriculum intent
- School finance explained and
- Working with stakeholders
For further information please contact Katie Ridgway:
- email: katie.ridgway@eastsussex.gov.uk
- telephone: 07518 299603
Training and progression
Qualifications
There are many qualifications for teaching assistants (TA). They include:
- Modern Apprenticeships
- National Vocational Qualifications
- Higher Level Teaching Assistant Status
Some go on to become qualified teachers.
Higher Level Teaching Assistant Status (HLTA)
HLTA are senior support staff with a greater responsibility. HLTA is a status, not a qualification. You must have
- at least two years experience as a teaching assistant (or in a related post)
- a Level 2 qualification in literacy and numeracy
You can find a test centre on the Learndirect website.
Progression from TA to teacher
A TA role can be a useful step to becoming a fully qualified teacher. Many schools and academies recruit TAs with degrees to train them to become a teacher. A number of universities offer in-service degrees to become a TA.
More details on becoming a teacher can be found on our website:
Becoming a teaching assistant
Being a TA can be a very rewarding job.
TAs have an important role supporting teaching and learning in the classroom.
For example, they use specialist learning skills to support pupils and teachers to create high quality learning environments, help prepare lessons, and support pupils with their leaning, under the direction of the teacher.
For information on pay scales, visit our jobs pages.
TA's who have a degree may be able to progress to teacher training.
How can I gain experience or qualifications in order to become a TA?
Schools often have voluntary positions for people to gain classroom experience. Many volunteers also do the Qualification and Credit Framework (QCF) Level 2 Certificate in Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools. This replaced the Level 2 NVQ in Supporting Teaching and Learning.
To do the course you need to volunteer at least 15 hours a week in school. You’ll need the school’s support so you can meet the requirements of the qualification.
To find out about the qualification, contact:
- Jane Ghammache - Sussex Downs College
- Jo Bridger - Campus Training
What qualifications do I need to become a TA?
You don’t need formal training or qualifications to apply for teaching assistant posts. But experience of working or volunteering with children is an advantage.
You must be numerate and literate. It helps to have Level 2 qualifications in numeracy and literacy, such as GCSEs grade A to C (or equivalent). Some schools might also want a qualification, such as the Level 2 Certificate or NVQ mentioned above.
If you don’t have Level 2 numeracy and literacy qualifications, you can take them as an adult for free. Find your nearest study centre.
How do I find a TA job?
- Check the local press – schools may advertise vacancies.
- Contact local schools. You can find details of schools in East Sussex.
- Find vacancies online: