Deputy Head of Primary Phase

St Peter’s is an exceptional, oversubscribed Catholic school in Dorset on the South Coast of England close to Bournemouth Town.

The area is famous for its miles of sandy beaches which provide opportunities for water sports and beach activities. Bournemouth itself has a vibrant, cosmopolitan centre which attracts over 5 million visitors annually. The area offers plentiful choice of restaurants/cafes, theatres, comedy clubs, music venues and outdoor or indoor activities for both children and adults alike. There is also easy access to the beautiful and historic New Forest and the ‘Jurassic’ coast.

St Peter’s Catholic School is an ‘all-through’ Academy which, by 2020, will educate over 2,000 young people between the ages of 5 and 18. The school has two sites: our Primary Phase is located at Iford and the site for Years 7 to 13 which overlooks the coast at Southbourne.

St Peter’s is a school with a strong tradition of success, oversubscribed and benefitting from a deservedly positive reputation in the local community. Relationships with families are affirming and constructive, with parents and carers keen to support the school and their children’s learning. Approval ratings are very high.

We are not a complacent community; all staff are keen to learn and improve, developing pedagogy through research, shared practice and innovation. Our relentless focus on strengthening pedagogy has resulted in improving progress measures for all students at every key stage. Our progress scores are either above or, in most cases, significantly above the national average.

St Peter’s seeks individuals who are committed to:

• comprehensive and inclusive education
  
• developing their practice through collaboration with colleagues
  
• delivering the best possible progress for all, by having the highest expectations
  

Our most recent Ofsted report graded the school as ‘good’ overall and ‘outstanding’ for EYFS and for Personal Development, Behaviour and Wellbeing.

We seek to appoint staff who are comfortable with the Catholic ethos of the school and able to support our core values. We are looking for teachers who have a clear pastoral commitment, are able to get to know their pupils quickly and tailor teaching to meet their needs. The strong Christian ethos underpins all we do. We are an Academy jointly sponsored by the Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth and the De La Salle Order – an international organisation which has been running schools for over 350 years.

The school opened in 1936 as a Boys’ Independent Boarding School, combining with two other local schools in 1980 to become a co-educational comprehensive school.

St Peter’s was once a specialist performing arts and sports college (when such things existed) and became an elective academy in 2011. With the growth in birth rate, St Peter’s was approached in 2012 to open a two-form primary phase and in 2014 we welcomed our first 60 Reception children. Each year we will accept another cohort until we grow to reach the full complement of primary pupils. If you are passionate about teaching and learning we would love to welcome you to join us for the next chapter of the St Peter’s story