Chailey is a thriving, successful school set in rural Sussex, just north of Lewes, and within easy reach of Brighton and Haywards Heath. We are proud of our traditional values and innovative approaches to Teaching and Learning. 

Staff are friendly, dedicated and supportive; our students are happy and proud to be part of the school. We have a very low level of staff turnover because we are kind and supportive to each other.

Staff describe Chailey as “kind, caring, and nurturing” with a strong sense of community. Our recent staff survey highlighted what makes us special:

• A culture of kindness that permeates everything we do
• Supportive, collaborative teams where colleagues feel like family
• Positive relationships with students, creating a calm and respectful atmosphere
• Inclusive and nurturing environment, with exceptional pastoral care
• Broad, enriching education—we’re not an exam factory; we value creativity, trips, and personal development

Chailey is a school where teachers and students can thrive. Of course, working in a school is demanding and all of our staff are hard-working and go above and beyond to support our young people.

Visitors to Chailey School often comment on the calm teaching environment and fantastic relationships between students and teachers.

We had our last Ofsted visit in January 2022 which we were very pleased with.

The Ofsted report contained comments such as:

• ‘This is a kind school. The school’s values of kindness, resilience, independence and creativity permeate everything.’
• ‘Welfare and wellbeing are high priorities in this small rural community school.’
• ‘Pupils are knowledgeable about diversity including Black history and gender equality, sexual orientation and gender identity. Pupils respect different ethnicities and cultures. They value the different contributions that everyone makes.’
• ‘The curriculum is designed well to meet the needs and aspirations of all pupils including the most able.’
• ‘Leaders and governors are ambitious for what pupils can achieve. Parents and guardians speak enthusiastically about the school.’

We believe that this is a very strong foundation from which to aspire to excellence in everything we do.

If you’re looking for a school where professional excellence meets genuine care, join us and help everyone be the best they can be.

Current Vacancies

Finance & Administration Officer

We are seeking to appoint a Finance and Administration Officer to support the School Business Manager. The post holder will play an important role in supporting the Business Manager to manage the school with maximum effectiveness. The post holder will need to maintain and monitor the appropriate administrative and finance systems to enable the Business Manager to fulfil his responsibilities efficiently and effectively.

If you are interested in this role, please send your application to our Business Manager, Andrew Thompson   AThompson@chaileyschool.org. The ‘support staff’ application form is available to download on the website.

Closing Date:  29^th April – 12 noon

Interview date 04^th May