Assistant Head (Director of Student Engagement and Learning Innovation 14-19)

The Post

This is a new post commencing September 2019 and would suit an ambitious, forward-thinking and energetic teacher looking for her/ his first senior leadership role. The school is about to embark on a new phase of development involving substantial investment from GDST and significant re-positioning in the local market: it’s an exciting time to be joining us.

The School

Brighton & Hove High School is an independent selective day school for girls aged 3 – 18 in the city of Brighton and Hove. Founded in 1876 and a member of the Girls’ Day School Trust, the school has expanded from being a very small school for less than twenty pupils to its present size of over 500 girls. The main site is at Montpelier Road close to the Seven Dials area of the city; the Senior School and Sixth Form are located there. The Prep School is located on Radinden Manor Road in Hove, along with the school's hockey pitch and athletics facilities.

We are a warm and lively community in the centre of a great city. Our girls are bright and independent: they are resilient and not afraid to take risks; they have strong social consciences and enjoy learning.

As you would expect, we have a stimulating academic programme where high standards and excellent progress are of equal importance to us. Teachers are passionate about their subjects, deeply committed to the school and keen to draw the very best from the girls. This, coupled with a wide range of enrichment, sport and extra-curricular activities, is at the centre of what we do to equip our students for a changing and challenging world.

Supporting and encouraging a girl through the early stages of her life is a responsibility we take very seriously. At BHHS the girls really are very well looked after. We are fiercely proud of our reputation for excellent pastoral care.

Our school prospectus, with further information on our curriculum, facilities and extra-curricular activities, can be found online where you can also read our weekly newsletters for a flavour of what we do at BHHS.

GDST

The Girls’ Day School Trust is the leading network of independent girls’ schools in the UK, with nearly 20,000 pupils and over 3,700 staff in our 23 schools and two academies. GDST staff benefit from our 140-year history of excellence and innovation in girls’ education, with many opportunities to share ideas and best practice with colleagues across the network. They have access to an extensive central training and professional development programme to complement school-based INSET, and also funding grants for individual courses of study. 

The GDST provides an excellent range of employment opportunities throughout England and Wales. Competitive salary scales and other excellent conditions of service are standard across the GDST, and employees have access to pension schemes and a range of other staff benefits. 

Person Specification

We are looking for well-qualified candidates with vision, energy, ambition and excellent communication skills. The successful candidate will be enthusiastic, highly motivated and committed to the importance of empowering young women by providing an excellent, stimulating learning environment. She/he will have some experience of and enjoy working with girls in the 14-19 age range. 

 Main areas of responsibility

 The role involves: 

• Strategic leadership of the Sixth Form experience at BHHS, including line management of the Head of Sixth Form
• Oversight of the student engagement pathway from 14-19, including strategic planning for transition and recruitment 
• Driving the use of digital technology to support learning and innovation, working closely with the Deputy Head (Curriculum) and with the Marketing Team
• Contributing, as a member of SLT, to the overall strategic leadership of the school

 Terms and Conditions of the Post

Salary is according to qualifications and experience and will be on GDST Scale SLT1.   

Benefits include: 

• Staff Fee Remission – staff are eligible for fee remission, currently 50% of the basic school fee for a full-time employee subject upon their daughter(s) meeting the academic conditions for entry; part time staff are eligible to a reduction on a pro-rata basis  
• Membership of Teaching Staff Pension Scheme
• Free BHHS gym membership 
• Season Ticket Loans - Interest free loans are available to staff to enable them to buy annual season tickets. 
• Computer Loans - Interest free loans are available to staff to enable them to buy a computer for personal use at home. 
• Cycle scheme – the School is part of the scheme which enables staff to purchase bicycles and equipment at a tax advantageous rate and pay for the equipment over 12 months. 
• Lunches – free lunches are provided to all staff during term time.

Application and Interview Process

Applications should be submitted by 12pm on 27th March 2019 at the latest.  

Candidates should complete the application form provided (please click the apply button) and also include a covering letter and full curriculum vitae with details of qualifications and experience and the names, addresses, telephone numbers and email addresses of two professional referees, one of whom should be the Head of their present or most recent school.

Completed applications should be emailed to: t.lee@bhhs.gdst.net 

Long-listed candidates will be invited for interview which will take place on 2nd April 2019, with final short-list interviews on 4th April 2019. 

All adults employed at the school are cleared for working with children and young people through the Disclosure & Barring Service.