Headteacher
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Sutton Grammar School
Sutton
- Quick apply
- Expired
- Job type:
- Full Time, Permanent
- Apply by:
- 8 February 2019
Job overview
Dear applicant
Welcome and thank you for your interest in the headship of Sutton Grammar School.
We are proud of the School’s development and many successes over the 120 years since the first 19 boys took up their places. Our students achieve outstanding examination results, among the best even compared with other selective schools. Most students go on to leading universities. But our focus is on enabling all students to fulfil their potential, wherever their talents and interests lie, and to move on to university and the world of work as mature, confident and thoughtful people. Our extensive programme of extra-curricular activities and our pastoral support framework make an essential contribution to this.
For me, it is particularly striking to see the strong appreciation of the School community both among those who are and have been students here, and among the staff. Gordon Ironside is retiring after 29 years as its headteacher and leaves a thriving school as his legacy. Our staff turnover is low. The active Old Suttonians Association enables students to maintain contacts and engagement and we receive excellent support from parents year on year.
If you have the vision, experience and skills to take a very successful school forward to the next stages in its evolution, we would welcome your application. We know that school leadership demands a great deal of headteachers. The Trust Board are committed to providing the support the successful applicant needs to fulfil the role, building on the School’s strengths while creating and responding to new opportunities and the demands of changes in the educational landscape.
Copies of the job description and person specification accompany this letter, together with a brief description of the School’s status, structure and facilities and a copy of the Prospectus. There is more information about many aspects of the School, including the latest exam results and the destinations of our students on the website, www.suttongrammar.sutton.sch.uk.
Please complete the application form and tell us in your supporting statement, in not more than 1000 words, why you are the ideal person to be the next headteacher. The deadline is Friday 8 February and interviews will take place on 27 and 28 February.
You are warmly invited to visit the School before you apply. I am also pleased to discuss the School further with you if this would be helpful. Please contact Julie Mottershead on admissions@suttongrammar.sutton.sch.uk to make arrangements.
I look forward to receiving your application.
Julian Edwards
Trust Chair
Attached documents
About Sutton Grammar School
Introduction
Sutton Grammar School is a five form entry boys' grammar school. It moved to the current site in 1928 and in recent years has added several new buildings to cope with the growth of pupil numbers. It is one of five selective schools in Sutton serving this suburb on the edge of London. From September 2017 girls have been admitted to the sixth form. We seek to provide a well rounded education with extra curricular contributions highly valued and supported - including lots of participation in drama, music, CCF and DofE. STEM project work is especially well developed with many national and international awards for individual students and teams.
Almost all students aspire to go to university and we place more than our fair share at the top institutions. We value the breadth and balance of our curriculum and seek parental support to sustain smaller subjects in the sixth form.
Location
Sutton Grammar School (post code SM1 4AS) is located near Sutton town centre in a residential area just behind the High Street. The railway station is only 5 minutes walk away and many bus routes radiate from Sutton town centre. The school owns excellent playing fields in Northey Avenue (Cheam).
Sutton is a London Borough but is on the edge of London so is conveniently close to London for its social life (train 25 minutes to Victoria) but is more affordable to buy or rent and is within minutes of the countryside.
All of Sutton's schools are very good and the borough is regularly in the top few authorities for school results.
Attraction for Teachers
The school is an attractive place to work and develop one's career. We have been a hub school for biology in the local Training School Partnership, and a regular provider of PGCE placements for other subjects too. Trained mentors are therefore available to support our own NQTs. There is a full programme of CPD for all staff, with a lot of sharing of expertise within the school. We have a single staff room and therefore all staff socialise together and we try to involve all staff to support their well-being. There is a staff badminton club, spin classes and the sports hall and gym can be freely used by staff. Tea and coffee are available in the staff room. Wide staff participation in school sport and supporting clubs and activities contributes to it being a busy but engaged staff team. We look to retain the loyalty of staff by being as flexible as possible when staff want to become part time or need to change aspects of their working arrangements. Teachers are assisted by an outstanding team of support staff - not great in number but highly capable and flexible. The pupil roll is currently 1,023 with 345 in the sixth form. The school is heavily oversubscribed and has an excellent reputation for its extra curricular programme as well as its strong academic results. It is a science and maths specialist school, but seeks and achieves high standards across all curriculum areas. Staff turnover is low which is an excellent indicator that this is a very good school to work in. Newly qualified teachers are always welcome but experience is also valued and for each post we look for the best person that will enthuse young people and complement the skills of our existing team.
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