Chief Operating Officer (COO) at More House School

The Governors and Headmaster of More House School, Frensham seek to appoint a highly skilled senior leader, expert in strategic planning and operational oversight, for the new post of Chief Operating Officer (COO).

The School

More House School, Frensham is a very special community and an extraordinary school. Consistently Ofsted-graded as Outstanding in its last five whole-school inspections (and again most recently in November 2023), More House is the market leading school for boys who have difficulties with their learning.

Situated on a wooded hillside in 30 acres of Hampshire/Surrey border within the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the school is close to Farham train station (an hour to Waterloo) and conveniently located for A3, M25 and M3 traffic from Guildford (20 mins), Basingstoke (25 mins) and Southampton (an hour).

With a vision “to lead in transforming the futures of intelligent children who experience Specific Learning Difficulties, Developmental Language Disorder and associated conditions, by empowering them” the school has grown from 65 pupils to 500 (aged 8 to 18) offering both day and residential boarding provision. The school’s outreach programme trains teachers and school leaders in state-maintained and independent schools across the country.

Rooted in its three core values of “Kindness, Spirit and Responsibility”, the school achieves academic, pastoral and co-curricular outcomes that reflect the transformational, trajectory-changing work of its committed staff and its pupils.

The staff team is stable, collaborative and passionate about More House. The school’s end of year Founder’s Day is a “beautifully emotional, thoroughly uplifting celebration of achievement, resilience and fellowship” according to one parent.

The school’s success - its culture and its outcomes - are widely admired and the demand for its places exceeds the school’s current facilities to service that demand. Consequently, supported by some philanthropic investor support, the school is now in a situation where it is preparing to increase its capacity and ability to grow.

The Business

Demand outstrips supply. The school is operating at capacity with 500 pupils aged 8 to 18. 60% of current pupils are funded through local Government Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs). These EHCPs are funded by over 30 different local authorities, reflecting the reputational and wide geographic reach which More House currently has. 40% of pupils are funded directly by parents and/or extended family.

The fact that 60% of pupil fee income is currently funded by local authorities means that the school’s demand for places and its financial resources are less likely to be severely impacted by the potential VAT on school fees. Furthermore, the school has consulted with teaching staff and has now withdrawn from the increasingly costly Teachers’ Pension Scheme, a decision which will allow the school to manage its staff resources and budgets more autonomously.

The Role

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) is a new post – the senior non-teaching role in the school, reporting to the Headmaster and working very closely with the Board of Governors and the Core Leadership Group (CLG) of the school’s executive team.

The COO will be encouraged and expected to contribute to all aspects of the school’s strategic planning and future project and change management. The COO will also have overall responsibility for leadership and management oversight of the structuring, recruitment and development of, and investment in, the core operational support teams and functions – including Finance, Human Resources, Estates & Facilities, IT services, Administration, Catering and Clerk to the Governors.

This role will suit an experienced leader and strategic planner who enjoys managing a diverse range of people, functions and projects in providing excellent professional and support services.

Candidates will need to demonstrate financial and commercial skills, along with strong interpersonal skills and an ability to manage team performance and change management. Candidates are encouraged from a broad range of different backgrounds but will be expected to embody the More House core values of Kindness, Spirit and Responsibility and will need to show a clear affinity with the provision of outstanding educational services to this market.

To apply

Potentially interested applicants are encouraged in the first instance to contact our recruitment advisor for this role, David Stephens on 07739 457000 or david@davidconsulting.co.uk.

This will allow for an informal and confidential discussion about the role and its requirements. Suitable candidates will be invited for an informal visit to the school.

Candidates wishing to be considered for this role are then requested to submit a completed More House School application form and a covering letter expressing their motivations and suitability for this role to schooloffice@morehouseschool.co.uk at the earliest opportunity and no later than the deadline of 12 noon, on Tuesday 23rd April. Please note that Safer Recruitment requirements mean the School is unable to accept CVs in place of the school’s own application form.

Closing date for applications: Tuesday, 23rd April 2024 (at noon).

Interviews are expected to be held during the weeks of Monday 29th April and Tuesday 6th May 2024.

It is hoped that the appointed candidate will be able to commence in role on or before September 2024, and otherwise by January 2025.

Further details can be accessed here: More House School - Chief Operating Officer (COO)

The School reserves the right to interview appropriate candidates in advance of the above-named dates, and to appoint. Interested candidates are therefore strongly urged to submit their application as soon as possible.

This post is subject to an Enhanced DBS clearance and the receipt of satisfactory references before a formal job offer is confirmed.

More House School is firmly committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.

NB – if shortlisted you will be required to attend a face-to-face interview at the school at your own expense. There is no relocation package available.