Head of Pre Prep & Early Years

Head of Pre Prep & Early Years

The School West Buckland is a school founded in 1858 intended to offer an excellent education based on Christian values. It stands in nearly 100 acres of grounds, surrounded by farmland, near the western edge of Exmoor. Its rural location is outstandingly beautiful. The school is now a leading, multi-cultural community for boys and girls across North Devon and beyond. The school s buildings and facilities have developed steadily throughout its history and, in recent years, over 14m has been invested in outstanding facilities. These include an excellent sports complex, including the Jonathan Edwards Sports Centre, and the award winning 150 Building, which includes the Art and Design & Technology Departments and a Theatre. Parker s, a seventy bed, Sixth Form boarding house and The Michael Morpurgo Library, a state of the art building comprising of study facilities, library and resource centre, opened in autumn 2015. The school is fully co-educational and has grown considerably in recent years. In total there are just under 600 boys and girls aged, 3 to 18 years, with 120 in the Sixth Form. There are also over 100 boarders and, following the substantial investment, there has been an increased demand in this area. The school has its own colocated, Preparatory School and Nursery, with pupils aged 3 to 11 with Delderfield and Langholme buildings housing the Prep pupils Academic standards at the school are high and, for many years, West Buckland has been one of the most consistently high-performing schools in the South West at GCSE and A level. A level results typically exceed 70% A* to B and our GCSE students this year achieved 52.4% of passes at A* and A. There is considerable emphasis on extracurricular activities at the school, with a proud record in boys and girls games, Drama, Music, the Combined Cadet Force, Outdoor Education and the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme.

Job Description Head of Pre Prep & Early Years Reporting To Prep Headmaster Direct Reports Nursery Manager KS 1 Teachers Job purpose An opportunity has arisen for an inspirational, talented and caring professional to play a significant role as Head of Pre-Prep in the future development of our thriving prep school. The Head of Pre-Prep has responsibility for the teaching, learning and pastoral care of all pupils from Nursery to Year 2. The Head of Pre-Prep will be a member of the Prep School Leadership Team reporting to the new Headmaster who joins the school in April 2018. As a 3 to 18 school there will also be opportunities to contribute to initiatives across the campus. The successful candidate will be an outstanding teacher with significant experience teaching pupils within the pre-prep age range. They will be passionate about early years and key stage 1 education, have an understanding of modern educational developments and a willingness to contribute to the wider areas of school life. In addition, they should be able to present a clear vision for the pre-prep Statement of Management Responsibilities As a member of the school s Senior Leadership Team you will: Attend and make a full contribution to SLT meetings, reporting back to staff where necessary, and keep the SLT informed of issues affecting the school; Represent West Buckland Prep School at functions and meetings, both internally and externally, as requested by the Headmaster. This may include, but not be limited to, marketing events, open days, PTA meetings and events, Governors meetings; Contribute towards the marketing of West Buckland Prep through participation in marketing events and open days; Ensure high standards of pupil behaviour throughout the school; Develop and maintain positive relationships with pupils, parents an Line manage Heads of Department as directed; Contribute to the school s Appraisal Cycle as a Team Leader; Lead assemblies as directed; Mentor new staff within the Pre-Prep; Carry out all other reasonable requests as made by the Headmaster to the benefit of West Buckland Prep School.

Responsibilities Specific to the Head of Pre-Prep Model best practice to colleagues through excellent teaching, commitment to whole school life and professional integrity; Keep abreast of current best practice in teaching, in the maintained and independent sectors, sharing this with colleagues through INSET, workshops, staff meetings and mentoring; Develop and implement a lesson observation cycle to support, feedback and challenge teachers to maintain excellent quality of teaching and learning within their classrooms / subjects; Develop and implement a work scrutiny cycle, assisting the Heads of Year, Subject Coordinators and Heads of Departments to analyse pupils work to ensure consistency across year groups, progression between year groups to maintain excellent pupil outcomes; Have an excellent overview of the pupil assessment / tracking data and inform the Senior Leadership Team of trends and areas for improvement; Develop and implement a planning scrutiny cycle, assisting the Heads of Year, Subject Coordinators to analyse the quality of planning and ensure consistency across year groups. Work closely with the Head of Learning Support (Assistant Head) to share data to highlight any pupils requiring additional support or challenge; Develop excellent knowledge of EYFS Regulations and best practice within EYFS settings; Keep up to date with Independent School Regulations and assist the Headmaster ensuring the school is Inspection Ready ; Be responsible for key aspects of SEF (Self Evaluation Framework) regarding Pupil Achievement (Education Quality Inspections) and EYFS; Assist the Headmaster in the preparation of reports to Governors regarding teaching, learning and assessment; Monitor the implementation of academic policies and procedures in the Pre-Prep Department ensuring consistency of approach; Contribute to the development of academic policies and procedures when directed; Oversee the provision of curriculum information that is provided to Pre-Prep parents ensuring parity across year groups.

Other Professional Responsibilities Support the development of collaborative approaches to learning within the school and beyond; Work with the Co-curricular Coordinator & Headmaster to deliver an appropriate programme of professional development for all staff including quality coaching and mentoring, in line with the school improvement plan and performance management (INSET); To undertake any professional duties, reasonably delegated by the Headmaster. General Responsibilities To be supportive of the school s ethos; its foundation is based on Christian principles but there must be tolerance and understanding between people of different faiths, cultures and backgrounds; Work with the Co-curricular Coordinator & Headmaster in developing the policies and practice, which promote inclusion, equality and the extended services that the school offers ; To promote the agreed vision and aims of the school; To apply the school s policies consistently; To attend staff meetings when required; To attend Year Group meetings when required; To attend parent s evenings when required; To support the wider life of the school attending open days and other school events. Safe Working Practices for Adults working with Children: It is the responsibility of each employee to carry out their duties in line with West Buckland Prep School s ethos and culture of safe working practices for Adults working with Children and be sensitive and caring to the needs of the disadvantaged, promoting a positive approach to a harmonious working environment. Each employee should act as an exemplar on these issues and must, where appropriate, identify and monitor training for themselves and any employees they are responsible for. Freedom of Information Act and Data Protection Act: The post holder is required to comply with the above legislation and maintain awareness of the school s policies and procedures relating to the Freedom of Information and Data Protection Acts. Attention is specifically drawn to the need for confidentiality in handling personal data and the implications of unauthorised disclosure.

Equality and Diversity: The post holder will be required to comply with and maintain awareness of West Buckland Prep School s policies relating to Equality and Diversity. Health and Safety: The post holder must always carry out his/ her responsibilities with due regard to West Buckland Prep School s policy, organisation and arrangements for Health and Safety at Work. Flexibility: All staff will be expected to accept reasonable flexibility in working arrangements and the allocation of duties to reflect the changing roles and responsibilities of Education and Children's Services. Any changes arising will take account of salary and status. They will also be subject to discussion with individuals or sections affected and with appropriate Trades Unions. This job description sets out the duties of the post at the time when it was drawn up. Such duties may vary from time to time without changing the general character of the duties or the level of responsibility entailed. Such variations are a common occurrence and cannot in themselves justify a reconsideration of the grading of the post. Terms and conditions In common with other SMT positions, remuneration is on leadership payscales. SMT salaries are reviewed annually by the Headmaster and Governors. The post-holder is expected to teach a significant percentage of a full academic timetable. The successful candidate will be expected to contribute to the wider life of the Prep school and its community; this will be discussed at interview. If you would like to discuss the position with the Headmaster, Mr Andrew Moore, please contact him by email: adm@westbuckland.com or the Prep Head (designate Easter 2018) - Mr Nick Robinson via NGR@westbuckland.com

The Interview Interviews will be held the week commencing 23 April 2018 Candidates invited for interview will be shown around the school by the Deputy Headmaster and will have the opportunity to meet other members of the Senior Leadership Team. Candidates will be required to teach a lesson whilst being observed. Details of this will be discussed with the candidates some days beforehand. There will be a series of interviews with the Headmaster and other members of the Senior Leadership Team. Applications The application should include a completed application form, covering letter and CV. The deadline for receipt of applications is 22 April 2018. Applications should be received before midday on the closing date, addressed to: Bursary (Recruitment) West Buckland School Barnstaple Devon EX32 0SX recruitment@westbuckland.com Applications may be e-mailed and it is not necessary to also send by post. Further information may be found on our website at www.westbuckland.com.

Safeguarding Policy Statement The post holder's responsibility for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young persons for whom s/he is responsible, or with whom s/he comes into contact, will be to adhere to and ensure compliance with the school's Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy at all times. If, in the course of carrying out the duties of the post, the post holder becomes aware of any actual or potential risks to the safety or welfare of children in the school, s/he must report any concerns to the school's Designated Safeguarding Lead or to the Headmaster. West Buckland School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including reference checks with past employers and the Independent Safeguarding Agency. This post is identified as being within the scope of Regulated Activity and requires a cleared Enhanced Disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Agency. As such all previous criminal convictions deemed to be expired under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act are required to be declared, this may not negate the applicant from being appointed. West Buckland, Barnstaple, North Devon, EX32 0SX Tel: 01598 760281 www.westbuckland.com Tel: 01598 760281 www.westbuckland.com