Principal/CEO
Mary Hare School
West Berkshire
- Expired
- Job type:
- Full Time, Permanent
- Apply by:
- 19 May 2021
Job overview
Mary Hare, a national charity with a school at its heart, is the largest day and boarding school for deaf children in the UK, educating some 250 pupils aged 5 to 19 years at its two sites in Newbury, West Berkshire. Founded in 1916, the school continues to fulfil Mary Hare's vision of educating pupils through speaking and listening (the "auditory/oral method") rather than in British Sign Language. It is one of the UK’s largest Non-Maintained Special Schools, and therefore plays an important role in the field of special needs education.
The Principal/CEO is responsible for the running of the school itself as well as leading the wider charity, including the delivery of specialist training courses, overseeing a range of commercial activities and supporting fundraising for major capital projects. Additionally, public representation for the support of deaf education more widely is a key part of the role.
At Mary Hare, pupils thrive on learning in a nurturing yet rigorous environment and are enabled to achieve their full potential. The school meets the needs of a broad ability intake through a varied curriculum by offering a range of academic and vocational qualifications and a commitment to finding every pupil’s individual strengths. Safeguarding and promoting the wellbeing of pupils are also essential features. All told, pupils and parents frequently say that Mary Hare has transformed their lives.
The school continues its long history of development with support from its Foundation, a very active sister charity. Current plans are well advanced to relocate the primary school onto the main campus, with a target completion date in late 2022. Working closely with Governors, the successful candidate will have a central role in the development and delivery of future strategic plans.
Following 25 years of dedicated service, including eight as Principal/CEO, Peter Gale will be retiring in August 2022. The Board now seeks an ambitious and compassionate leader with a strong strategic vision to take Mary Hare through the next exciting phase of its development. Ideally the Principal/CEO will live on campus in the accommodation provided. Applications are encouraged from candidates who are either Qualified Teachers of the Deaf already or those who are committed to achieving this qualification, with the full support of the Governors, post-appointment.
For further information, please visit the website: https://www.maryhare.org.uk/
A candidate brief is available from www.odgers.com/82376
Letters of application, CVs and completed application forms should be sent by the closing date, 9.00am BST on Wednesday 19 May 2021.
Mary Hare is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
About Mary Hare School
- Mary Hare School
- Arlington Manor, Snelsmore Common, Newbury
- Berkshire
- RG14 3BQ
- United Kingdom
Our vision
That all deaf children should receive the education and support which will enable them to achieve their full potential at home, school and in their subsequent careers
Objectives
- Achieve the highest possible standards of educating deaf children, from early learning to tertiary education
- Be a major influence of national policy, practice and guidance in relation to deaf children and their education
- Enable families to achieve their vision and aspirations for their deaf child
- Support deaf children and young people in their emotional and social well-being
- Be recognised as a key provider of the highest quality training for all practitioners working with deaf children and young people
- Provide consultancy, advisory support, assessment and technical services that support the vision
Our history
Towards the end of the 19th Century, a number of prominent women were beginning to influence events in ways which were to have a profound effect on developments in 20th Century society. One such woman was the educationalist Miss Mary Hare. Her vision was that deaf children were capable of realising the full potential of their intellect and that they had no need of shelter from the rigours of hearing society in the growing number of asylums for the deaf and dumb. Such shelter served only to deny them opportunities and fundamental rights. She set about overturning the short-sighted view that the deaf child's prime needs were for care and protection, by establishing a small school in London in 1883. By 1916 this centre of learning had blossomed into the Dene Hollow Oral School for the Deaf based in Sussex and widely regarded as one of the best schools for deaf children in the Kingdom. During these twenty or so years of growth and development, Mary Hare had been able to show that her vision was not only justified and realistic, but achievable.
It was to honour the great contribution that this pioneer had made to the education of deaf children, that shortly after her death in 1945, Dene Hollow School was redesignated as the National Grammar School for the Deaf. Bearing her name, The Mary Hare Grammar School came to serve the needs of potentially able severely and profoundly deaf children throughout the United Kingdom. The rapid growth that this change brought necessitated a move to larger premises, and in 1948 the school acquired and occupied its present beautiful site close to Newbury in Berkshire. It is our hope that half a century after Mary Hare's death, the achievements of our pupils today still serve to honour her name and her vision.
Local information and facilities
Newbury is a market town located in West Berkshire in England in the UK with good bus, rail and road links and is located 50 miles south west of London. There are a wide selection of hotels in Newbury offering good hotel accommodation and bed and breakfast accommodation for visitors in and around Newbury. The Kennet and Avon Canal disects the town which has many historical buildings and places of interest including the Corn Exchange Theatre and the Museum by the Canal. The Newbury Racecourse is within 1 mile of the town centre and nearby are Highclere Castle, Donnington Castle, Snelsmore Countryside Park, the Ridgeway, the Downs and a host of other attractions.
School Information
Mary Hare School is the largest school for profoundly and severely deaf children in the UK. Mary Hare teaches using an auditory oral approach, so that children learn though spoken and written English – no sign language is used in teaching. The school has maintained a high standard, with over 85% of pupils gaining 5 or more GCSEs for the last 5 years and 95 % pass rate at A level. Nearly all leavers go on to further education.
The school is part of a large national charity and benefits from the additional activities of the Mary Hare Charity. An active fundraising department and various trading activities generate funds to support the development of the school. The Training Division provides opportunities for teachers to attend national and international conferences organised on site. The Training Division also offers post-graduate courses including the mandatory qualification for Teachers of the Deaf and the MSc in Educational Audiology and MA in Special Education (Hearing Impairment).
Mary Hare also has an Arts Centre on site, which houses the school’s music and performing arts department, but also offers a programme of arts events including music, theatre dance and comedy.
For further information please visit our website: www.maryhare.org.uk
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