MSSP Sports Coach and Competition Assistant

We are looking for a UKCC level 2 qualified (or working towards) sports enthusiast to form part of our core Partnership team.

The School Sport Coach and Competitions Assistant role will involve coaching school children as well as supporting our team to deliver an abundance of school sport festivals and competitions across the borough, inspiring children to develop a lifelong love of being active and taking part in sport.

About Us

At Merton School Sport Partnership (MSSP) we believe that high-quality sport, PE and physical activity play a crucial role in our young people’s lives.  We're fortunate that Merton schools back our beliefs and value the positive impact of PE, sport and physical activity.  Our main goal as a Partnership is to inspire children to be active, and to enjoy and achieve their best in PE and school sport. Working predominantly with the Merton primary and special schools, we facilitate a coordinated approach to sport and plethora of exciting opportunities for our young people.

Our core team deliver competitions and festivals, teacher training, sports coaching, and sports leadership across our 44 primary schools, 9 secondary schools and 4 special schools / pupil referral units (PRUs).  We also ensure a strong network is in place for our PE Coordinators to communicate, learn, share ideas and lead their own schools to deliver a high-quality PE curriculum.

Merton School Sport Partnership is hosted by Harris Academy Morden (HAMD) but works to support all the Merton state school members to achieve their goals within PE, physical activity and sport. The Partnership was first established in September 2003 through the government funded national PE School Sport & Club Links programme but in September 2011, due to a reduction in government funding, MSSP became a self-funded entity via a range of avenues but predominantly through its key stakeholders, Merton state schools and academies. The Partnership has continued to grow since then and now provides a specialist sports provision service, professional development programme and has developed PE resources which are used nationally. The majority of the Partnership’s programmes and support target children at Early Years, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 with more bespoke programmes targeting Key Stages 3, 4 and 5.  

Main Areas of Responsibility

Your responsibilities will be:

• To inspire children to enjoy being active and taking part in PE and sport, creating a safe and enjoyable, learning environment for them at all times.
• To plan and deliver coaching sessions for a range of abilities and age groups including PE lesson cover for primary schools (PPA), after-school/breakfast club sport and Physical Activity (PA) sessions at primary and secondary schools.
• To work with the Primary School PE Coordinator at a designated school, to arrange intra school (house) games and sports days alongside the PE lessons and extra-curricular clubs.
• To support and with appropriate training, lead on the delivery of a range of sports competitions and festivals which fit with both the MSSP and National Competition Framework (School Games) providing intra and inter competition pathways for pupils.
• To deliver a programme of multi skills festivals to key stage 1 & 2 pupils and sports leaders training within the Partnership.
• To establish and develop sustainable links to local sports clubs and other community providers. Work with these providers and schools to secure facilities and support for school based activity and to encourage more pupils to access clubs and leisure facilities.
• To develop and support young leaders and volunteers as coaches, leaders, officials and organisers.
• To be committed to our REFSPECT programme and encourage fair play, a growth mindset and respect to all throughout programmes and competitions.
• Administrative duties including web site updating, recording data, event risk assessments, document filing, preparing resources, writing session plans and reports.
• To communicate, promote and market MSSP programmes and resources to our network in a professional manner; using multimedia where appropriate to support this.
• To be committed to personal continual professional development in order to achieve the aims and objectives of the Partnership.
• To ply a part in the life of the Partnership and our host HAMD’s community, to support their distinctive aims and ethos’ and to encourage staff and students to follow this example. To actively promote HAMD’s corporate policies and adhere to the dress code.

Qualifications & Experience

The successful candidate will have:

• Experience of coaching young people to progress within PE and sport
• Experience of working with schools and young people
• Understanding of High Quality PE, school sport and the National Curriculum 
• Experience of using technology and multi-media as communicative tools
• Technical knowledge of one or more sports
• Level 2 or higher UKCC coaching qualification (or equivalent experience)

Professional Development & Benefits

Our people are at the heart of our success. We have developed a strong culture of collaboration and best practice, with professional development and career planning at its centre. We invest in our staff with support, coaching, mentoring, and a wide range of top-quality training programmes delivered at every level to senior leadership.

We look for talented individuals who share our vision for creating exceptional places of learning, and are committed to ensuring that every child in London has access to the best possible education.

In addition to the opportunities for career progression, training and development, we also offer a competitive rewards and benefits package which includes our Harris Allowance, a Performance and Loyalty Bonus, Pension Scheme, a Wellbeing Cash Plan and many other benefits.

Safeguarding Notice

The Harris Federation and all our academies are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share in this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to an Enhanced DBS check, references, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed for all applicants. Before applying, please review our Policy Statement on the Recruitment of Ex-Offenders.

Equal Opportunities

The Harris Federation is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates.

As a provider of employment and education, we value the diversity of our staff and students, and all our staff are equally valued and respected. We are committed to providing a fair, equitable and mutually supportive learning and working environment for our students and staff.