Deputy Headteacher for Standards (Behaviour)

At St Mary’s, Cheshunt, the Governors believe that staff are the most important resource in the delivery of a high quality education provision for children and young people. The recruitment of high quality staff is critical to the success of a high performing school.

Our School is in a very strong position having been judged to be GOOD by Ofsted in October 2023. The report says

• Pupils live up to leaders’ expectations of their behaviour. Pupils follow the      well-established routines in lessons and usually focus on learning.
• Pupils behave well and treat each other with kindness.
• The school  has a well-designed, ambitious curriculum. This is evident in the good      quality of pupils’ learning demonstrated in lessons and in their books.
• Pupils speak enthusiastically about their learning from the educational visits to      local, national, and international sites of interest.
• Pupils are proud of their school.

All members of staff – whether working in the classroom or in the non-classroom based support teams – are valued equally and each has a part to play in working together to achieve success . Our recent successes and continued improvement profile can be attributed to our work as a team and recognition that we all contribute to support of all students and their families. This makes for an effective and efficient school, where students from all backgrounds are supported to make good progress.

Staff wellbeing is valued and an important aspect of work at St Mary’s and this is recognised in our recent inspection reports. The wellbeing of staff is important because staff are expected to work very hard and to maintain very high standards at all times. In return staff are well supported, provided with effective and regular training and high quality performance appraisal. In addition, the governors are committed to providing teaching staff with increased non contact time to support high quality planning and assessment for learning. Staff feedback tells us that staff are made to feel very welcome at St Mary’s and that there is an excellent culture of peer and collaborative support.

The staffing structures of the School provide clear opportunities to support progression and professional development. A member of the senior leadership team is responsible for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and programmes to support staff at all stages of their career and aspiration.

New staff are entitled to an induction programme and network of personal support appropriate to experience and level of confidence. CPD is tailored to meet the needs of staff and staff are given opportunities to contribute to whole school improvement. The Headteacher takes induction of staff seriously (see here https://st-maryshigh.herts.sch.uk/staff-induction/) and all new staff receive an induction programme that links to their role (whether that be teacher or leader, or a combination of these). There is also a robust performance management appraisal system reflecting a commitment to individual career development as well as underlining the expectation of high levels of performance to secure the continued success of our community.

Our multi-cultural student population is lively and engaging. The students have a wide range of needs including those who demand high levels of intellectual challenge and those who require carefully planned support. The future for St Mary’s CE High School is exciting and we welcome all potential or new colleagues to visit our learning community. If you are interested in hearing about opportunities at St Mary’s, visiting our School or applying for a post, please contact Pauline Llewellyn, HR Officer on recruit@st-maryshigh.herts.sch.uk