EYFS Lead Teacher

What skills and experience we're looking for

The Executive Principal and Head of Primary are seeking an exceptional teacher with the energy and vision to teach and lead our Early Years unit. This is a permanent position for a September 2026 start and would include a TLR (CFS TLR
2).

The successful candidate will be a strong and committed professional with the ability and drive to offer the highest quality of Early Years practice. Working closely with the Head of Primary and other members of the primary leadership team to ensure that the Early Year team are supported, challenged and inspired to be the very best they can be.

CFS is a vibrant, collaborative and forward‑thinking school for 4‑16 year olds, where the personal development of our pupils is just as important as the academic curriculum. Our values of ‘nurture, challenge and inspire’ influence everything we do as a school, and genuinely permeate all areas of school life.

The person appointed to this post will be expected to work as a full‑time EYFS class‑teacher and take a proactive role in the extra‑curricular life of the school.

The successful candidate will:

• be a highly‑skilled and competent professional who is energetic and totally committed to the ethos of the School
• readily establish excellent relationships with both staff and students
• enjoy pioneering new developments in pedagogy
• embrace the use of new technologies in the classroom
• be skilled in behaviour for learning
• value creating an inspiring learning environment
• possess drive, expertise and enthusiasm
• be well‑organised and disciplined when it comes to administrative duties
• possess an optimistic and resilient style when faced with pressure
• be able to communicate well with children and young people, having an understanding of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people
• have recent experience of teaching in an Early Years setting

All teachers at CFS commit themselves to contribute fully to the ethos and life of the School in and outside the classroom.

CFS is now entering its second decade and is fully established in our state‑of‑the‑art facilities on the Carmelite Convent Site in the south of Chichester. Our PAN is 60 in Primary, and 120 in Secondary; in almost all year groups we are oversubscribed with waiting lists. Due to demand, we have a bulge intake of Year 7 who started in September 2023, with over 150 pupils currently on roll in this year group, with a similar sized cohort joining Secondary in September 2025.

The School joined Sussex Learning Trust in September 2023 – a move that we personally initiated through the desire to collaborate with a like‑minded family of schools. The Trust is currently small and based in Haywards Heath; CFS are well placed to launch a new Western Region of the Trust, which is really exciting.

As a Free School, we are the same as any other academy; we follow the national curriculum and are proud of our ambitious, inclusive and varied curriculum offer.

CFS is open to pupils of all abilities. We take part in the West Sussex County Council (WSCC) admissions process. As a school we benefit from longer holidays, specifically at October half term, Christmas and during the summer.

Commitment to safeguarding

CFS is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. In accordance with our Child Protection Policy we are unable to process applications without a fully completed application form. The post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. All convictions, cautions and bind‑overs, including those regarded as ‘spent’ must be declared when applying.

The applicant may post such a declaration in an envelope marked ‘Private & confidential for the Principal’. The successful applicant must obtain List 99 clearance and DBS clearance at enhanced level.