South Downs Education Trust
Culture
Our values are embedded throughout our trust and our schools. When it comes to our people, we look for those who share our values – community, resilience, integrity, respect and excellence.
Community: By working as one, we share expertise and achieve more for our schools.
Resilience: We prioritise the wellbeing of students and staff, creating a culture of care, balance and resilience.
Integrity: By showing honesty and truthfulness at all times we stay true to ourselves.
Respect: We value individuality and encourage every pupil and member of staff to bring their unique strengths and perspectives.
Excellence: Committed to delivering excellence across all our schools.
We know the value our people bring to our trust community and that’s why our schools are happy, caring and rewarding places to work.
"Becoming a teacher at Worthing High School has been a great opportunity. From my first day as a trainee to now as a qualified teacher, I have always felt valued and supported. The staff are approachable, experienced, and genuinely invested in helping each other, which has been vital to my development. The school offers some great opportunities for professional growth and personal development. Last year I was asked to join the MFL trip to Paris. This was an amazing experience, and it was great to see the students picking up skills away from the classroom. This year I have also started to run a Volleyball club. This is a great way to build great relationships with students and give them more opportunities to learn new skills outside the classroom."
Sophie Downham
Science Teacher, Year 7 form tutor and former pupil of Worthing High School
Welcome to the team
Experience is important to us and that’s why we conduct a two-stage interview process and also engage our applicants in tasks, student panels, tours and written tasks.
Each member of staff will engage in an induction programme where they will learn about different areas within the trust and the trust schools including safeguarding, teaching and learning, pastoral care, behaviour management, health and safety and HR.
We like to keep our staff engaged, upskilled and passionate about what they do so we invest in staff development and professional learning opportunities.
All staff at South Downs Education Trust are entitled to a full and varied staff development programme which benefits both staff and also pupils in the classroom. CPD is a strength of the Trust and focuses on ‘Improving, Not Proving’. Role and career stage specific CPD is essential.
This programme runs on an annual cycle and includes an infrastructure for developing and sustaining improvement within the school (online offer, courses, meetings, INSET days), mentoring, buddying and a particularly successful induction course for ECTs and all new staff.
We are also a range of leadership development aimed at aspiring middle and senior leaders.
We have a whole school CPD focus delivering Embedding Formative Assessment working with the SSAT.
"My training year at Worthing High School was an incredibly rewarding experience, providing me with invaluable support and opportunities to grow both personally and professionally. I was fortunate to be guided by a dedicated mentor who offered constructive feedback, enabling me to refine my teaching skills and build confidence throughout the year. The continuous guidance and encouragement I have received at Worthing High School has played a pivotal role in my professional development, and I am excited for the future and the new opportunities that await within the school community."
Jen Novis
Humanities Teacher, Worthing High School