Headteacher
Bristol Cathedral Choir School
Bristol, City of
- £86,061 - £94,914 per year
- Quick apply
- Expired
- Salary:
- L30 - L34 on the CST Pay Scale
- Job type:
- Full Time, Permanent
- Start date:
- 01/09/2021
- Apply by:
- 22 January 2021
Job overview
Cathedral Schools Trust is seeking to appoint a Headteacher for Bristol Cathedral Choir School, from September 2021. The Headteacher will work closely with the Executive Principal, Governors and other Headteachers within the Trust to provide outstanding provision for children and families.
Bristol Cathedral Choir School is a vibrant and hugely successful Church of England school enriched by its music specialism serving a diverse community across Bristol. It is an academy, based in the city centre of Bristol. Music is central to the life of the school and BCCS has an outstanding national musical reputation across genres.
The School offers and inspires pupils with both a leading-edge music education and the opportunity to participate in outstanding choirs, orchestras, ensembles and provides the choristers for Bristol Cathedral Choir. Following an outstanding Ofsted report in 2016 and an “Excellent” SIAMS inspection in 2019 the school is driven to build upon this supported by a well-established leadership culture and from Cathedral Schools Trust (CST). The school has a large sixth form with over 400 students and outcomes have been very strong over time with significantly positive progress at both key stages. The school has approximately 1150 students and the PAN has recently increased to 150.
CST is a Mixed MAT and is currently made up of three secondary schools (Bristol Cathedral Choir School, Trinity Academy and St Katherine’s School) and four primary schools (Headley Park Primary School, Victoria Park Primary School, Stoke Park Primary School and Cathedral Primary School). The trust has had an affiliated Teaching School Alliance providing support for primary and secondary schools across the region, a comprehensive ITT route and offering CPD opportunities for staff including NPQ and MA accredited courses. There are also opportunities for staff to become accredited SLEs, LLEs and NLEs.
We are looking for a candidate with significant leadership experience and a love of music coupled with the resilience, innovation and initiative to further strengthen the school and to work collaboratively between schools.
You will be an inspiration to pupils in the school, an excellent communicator, a team player who is able to work under pressure and to effectively manage change.
You will need to provide outstanding education leadership, ensuring the highest expectations and standards in teaching, learning, behaviour, community engagement and resource management.
If you can demonstrate that you possess the necessary experience, knowledge and qualifications and aspire to our vision and values then we would like to hear from you.
The Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Successful candidates will be required to complete an enhanced DBS check upon appointment.
If you would like an informal discussion about the role, please contact Neil Blundell at enquiries@cathedralschoolstrust.org to make an appointment.
More information about the school can be found at the website: https://bccs.bristol.sch.uk/
Please see the attached application pack for further details about the role including job description and person specification.
Closing date: Friday 22nd January 2021
Interview: 8th, 9th and 10th February 2021
Please note that we will only consider applications through TES and will not consider CVs so please ensure that your supporting statement on the application meets the requirements of the person specification. We encourage you to be succinct and to restrict your supporting statement to no more than four pages in length.
Attached documents
About Bristol Cathedral Choir School
About Bristol Cathedral Choir School
Gathered together, that all may thrive
The Cathedral School was founded in 1140 and refounded in 1542; the older buildings form part of the monastic buildings of St. Augustine's Abbey. BCCS is situated adjacent to the cathedral along Anchor Road. New buildings occupy the west side of College Square. Located in the historic heart of Bristol, there is easy access to a range educational opportunities and established links; these include the Colston Hall, Central Library, Bristol University & UWE, the Old Vic, St George’s Hall and the Watershed. The area has been the focus of Bristol’s urban regeneration via the Harbourside development and the School is at the heart of the city’s cultural quarter. Students come from all over Bristol.
The move to academy status was completed in 2008 and the new school benefited from a large capital investment with building works completed in 2010. Recent ambitious building projects, in collaboration with the LA to enhance facilities have been completed.
In 2016 the trustees established Cathedral Schools Trust. This currently includes Cathedral Primary School (situated on College Square adjacent to BCCS), Victoria Park Primary, Headley Park Primary and Trinity Academy has opened in Lockleaze. Other schools, primary and secondary, are currently in discussions to join CST.
BCCS welcomes students from all of Bristol. There is a Year 7 co-educational intake of 150 pupils and BCCS is the most oversubscribed school in the city. There are currently around 690 students in Years 7-11, growing to 750 by 2021. BCCS, in line with its admissions policy, admits a high proportion of looked after children (or previously looked after) and children with Educational Health and Care Plans (both well above national average).
The Sixth Form is established as a centre of excellence for A levels and now numbers around 400; a large number of students choose to join Year 12 from other schools in the city. The majority of students progress from the sixth form to a wide range of university courses, including Russell Group and Oxbridge.
The academy is a designated Church of England School with an inclusive ethos derived from christian values. There are no faith admissions criteria; students and staff of all faiths and none are welcome. The school has many events in the cathedral and there is a whole school assembly there each week which everyone attends. School values emphasise tolerance and respect for the beliefs of others; we are proud of the cultural and ethnic diversity that is part of our community. Students take an active part in promoting these values. There is strong commitment to charitable activities, driven by student voice.
BCCS is one of only a few state cathedral choir schools. The Music Specialism is at the heart of the academy. Ofsted referenced the exceptional range of opportunities. Over half of students receive instrumental music lessons and an even higher number take part in musical ensembles. Music making is inclusive and caters for all students. The eight choirs, orchestras, steel pans, jazz ensembles, concert bands and chamber music ensembles ensure that there is something for everybody to enjoy. Very high numbers of students choose to take GCSE and A level Music. A large number of students choose to join the sixth form because of the musical opportunities. Students progress to a range of prestigious opportunities including conservatoires and national choirs & orchestras. The cathedral choir enjoys a national reputation for excellence. All choristers from Year 7 are educated at BCCS, both rehearsing and singing in cathedral services regularly.
BCCS operates a vertical pastoral structure; students are assigned to houses and tutor groups (Years 7-11). Each student is assigned a tutor, who is concerned with the welfare and progress of each individual. There is a well-deserved reputation within the city for the quality of pastoral care, educating a significant proportion of disadvantaged students, including looked-after children.
There is a broad and balanced curriculum from Years 7-11. Attainment at both KS4 and KS5 is high and well above national averages, with outstanding progress outcomes. In 2019 38% of all GCSE grades were 7-9 (equivalent to A*-A), 84% of all students obtained 4 or above in English and Mathematics. Progress 8 was +0.35 at KS4; at KS5 results have been in the top 20% of value added measures nationally for the last three years. DFE performance measures consistently demonstrate that students make excellent progress from their starting points. BCCS was graded as “Outstanding” by Ofsted in January 2016.
To complement all the academic endeavour and achievement, BCCS offers a wide range of co-curricular activities. There is a proud sporting tradition with regular fixtures and tours, including Canada and Spain most recently.
Bristol Cathedral Choir School is privileged to enjoy the services of a committed, expert and caring staff. Staff are extremely supportive of colleagues. CPD is at the heart of the academy and staff are expected to take a proactive approach to career development. CST runs a number of well-established MA accredited programmes such as the middle leadership course with a number of other schools in the city.
We are dedicated to meeting the needs and aspirations of all our students. This is an exciting time to join a high performing school as it continues to benefit from playing a key role within Cathedral Schools Trust.
Paul Atkins
Headteacher
Bristol Cathedral Choir School
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