Director of Sport - More House School

Permanent, full-time, non-residential, position, for January 2023 or earlier.

The Headmaster seeks to appoint an outstanding Director of Sport to lead the Physical Education department across the School, inspiring pupils towards the highest levels of engagement and achievement in sports and fitness.

An exciting time, the School is currently seeking planning permission for a new Multi-use Games Area (MUGA; full-size U16s football and hockey) and new sports pavilion.

The Director of Sport will provide leadership for all aspects of Physical Education at More House School, including curriculum from Year Four to Year Thirteen, extracurricular sporting activities, and supporting the boarding team in developing their physical education programme.

www.morehouseschool.co.uk

The School:

Nationally celebrated, More House School provides an exceptional, mainstream education for intelligent boys with Specific Learning Difficulties and weakness in their developmental language skills. Providing a transformative education repeatedly recognised as ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted over more than a decade, we offer a specialised learning environment for 490 day and boarding boys from Year 4 to Year 13. Our pupils are taught to recognise their strengths and develop their self-belief so that they achieve independence and extraordinary results at GCSE, BTEC and A Level, above the national averages. A majority progress to university. Class-sizes are small, with a maximum of 14 pupils.

About the department:

Located at the heart of the school, the Physical Education department affords pupils superb opportunities and experiences, delivered both within the timetabled curriculum and through extra-curricular activities. Physical Education is a vital element of our offering and improving the School’s sports facilities is at the fore front of our strategic School Development Plan.

Current staffing arrangements comprise five P.E. teachers and a graduate sports assistant, and facilities include an outdoor, heated swimming pool, sports hall with spinning suite and changing rooms, hard games-area and extensive playing fields. The School is currently awaiting planning permission to lay down a multi-use games area in the form of a full-size under 16s football and hockey all-weather pitch, together with a new pavilion comprising two changing rooms, storage, and a hospitality space.

About this post:

The Headmaster seeks to appoint a permanent Director of Sport, who will be responsible for planning and leading the growth of Sport and Physical Education, within the curriculum and beyond. The successful candidate will have overall responsibility for all Physical Education and Sport across the School, including implementing a comprehensive after-school sports-activities programme.

General key responsibilities:

To provide outstanding leadership to the Physical Education department, setting ambitious targets to ensure that teaching and learning is outstanding, and enables all pupils to make consistently high levels of progress, and to encourage maximum participation and enthusiasm;

• To manage a well-balanced, inclusive internal and inter-school competitions and fixtures programme;
• To co-ordinate the programme of sporting-based extracurricular activities, ensuring a wide range of quality and enjoyable activities are offered to all pupils, including weekly and termly boarders;
• To undertake regular quality-assurance checks within the department to ensure that the highest standards are being achieved in all aspects of the department’s work. This will include regular work scrutiny and teaching observation, and ensure a high regard for Health and Safety;
• To share best practice and ensure consistency in the delivery of all Physical Education subjects through department meetings and more-widely shared minutes;
• To lead the department’s strategic planning and self-evaluation processes with regular reflection on the department’s Self Assessment Report (SAR) and Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) including the promotion and delivery of all extra-curricular activities;
• To act as a role model to others, demonstrating high standards of professionalism in all aspects of leadership;
• To contribute to wider whole School policy.

The post-holder will be responsible to the Headmaster and will report to, and be supported by, the Deputy Head (Curriculum). S/he will work proactively with all members of the School to create an open, valuable working relationship which thrives on using the knowledge and expertise of individuals and groups to produce optimal outcomes for pupils, including advising on recruitment and retention of staff.

Essential Qualifications and Experience:

• Undergraduate degree evidencing study in a relevant subject area.
• Experience of teaching Physical Education within a school environment, state-maintained or independent, mainstream or special needs.
• An ability to teach and differentiate for intelligent pupils with different learning challenges (much guidance, training and support is provided).
• Experience of leading sports-focused activities.
• Ability to make effective use of strategies to motivate and engage children and young people in sports and fitness, and to promote good student relationships and outcomes.
• Evidence of a commitment to own professional interest and development in relation to Physical Education.
• Competence with basic Information Technology applications, including those within the Office 365 suite.

Desirable:

• Qualified Teacher Status
• Relevant sports-coaching qualifications, awarded by recognised national bodies.

Hours:

Teaching staff are required to be on-campus and ready to commence their work by 8.20am. Timetabled lessons and form-time conclude at 4.20pm, and teaching staff are involved in the after-school activities programme until 5.30pm (not necessarily every afternoon). (Note: academic terms are typically shorter than those in the state-maintained sector, and School holidays are therefore significantly longer).

Attendance at School events outside these hours from time to time, as well as at INSET days towards the beginning or end of School holidays.

Safeguarding:

This role is deemed to be one of working in regulated activity, meaning that the post-holder may expect to come into unsupervised contact with children and young people frequently in the discharge of their duties on-campus. As such, the expectations of conduct, required of all adults working at More House School, apply to this position, as does a full Safer-Recruitment vetting process of any appointee. A key responsibility of all adults working within the School is that of ensuring the effective safeguarding of all children and young people, through adherence to the School’s policies; full training is given.

For a full job description, please visit our website and complete the online application form: https://morehouseschool.co.uk/vacancies/teaching-and-therapeutic-staff-application-form.

Closing date for Applications: Tuesday 28th June 2022 at 1700

Interviews expected to be held: W/C Monday 4th June 2022

Shortlisted candidates will be required to attend a face-to-face interview at their own expense.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent