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Deputy Head (Academic)

Deputy Head (Academic)

Royal Grammar School

Newcastle upon Tyne

Salary:
Commensurate with the seniority of the role
Job type:
Full Time, Permanent
Apply by:
1 November 2021

Job overview

The Royal Grammar School in Newcastle is a remarkable school with a 500-year history of welcoming people from all backgrounds. From history’s Vice Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood to recent Nobel Prize molecular biologist Sir Gregory Winter, RGS has educated thousands of young people who have gone on to make an indelible mark on the world. It is an exciting place to learn that is forward thinking and inclusive. We aim to create a sense of belonging, to foster a belief in each other, inspire a love for learning and encourage an ambition to succeed.

The RGS has a reputation for excellence across academic and co-curricular activities, and our students benefit from the wide range of opportunities they can enjoy. We are equally dedicated to our pastoral care, as we believe that happy children learn best. We encourage our students to be intellectually curious, to think creatively and to challenge themselves in everything they undertake.

We believe that academic results should be the consequence, not the purpose, of an outstanding and well-rounded education. That said, we are immensely proud of the academic achievements of our community, which outstrip Independent and State schools in the region. It is testament to our students' commitment and teachers' dedication that we are ranked as one of the highest performing schools in the country and the Sunday Times' North East Independent School of the Decade. 

The Deputy Head (Academic) role is a tremendous opportunity for a visionary, innovative and energetic senior leader to join our dynamic Senior Leadership Team to develop both our curriculum and our teaching and learning yet further. The right candidate will also actively support our determination to raise aspiration and attainment for bright children across the North East through our established bursary and partnership programmes.

The position of Deputy Head (Academic) at the RGS becomes available following the planned Summer 2022 retirement of Roger Loxley, after 17 highly successful years in the role. The appointed candidate will be a key member of the Senior Leadership Team and will have the opportunity to review the current structure of academic leadership.

The post offers the right candidate an outstanding opportunity to have a significant impact on the future of the school.

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to email or to call the Headmaster, Geoffrey Stanford, at hm@rgs.newcastle.sch.uk or 0191 281 5711 or the current Deputy Head Academic, Roger Loxley (r.loxley@rgs.newcastle.sch.uk) on the same number. Potential candidates are welcome to come and visit the school. 

To apply, please visit our website via the Apply button.

Closing date: 9am on Monday 1st November 2021.

Longlist interviews will be held shortly afterwards. Applicants should arrive for interview with a clear idea of what would be involved in moving to the area (if necessary) and working at the RGS. 

Attached documents

About Royal Grammar School

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+44 191 2815711

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Thomas Horsley, the original settlor of the Royal Grammar School Newcastle (RGS) pledged his legacy to the School in 1525.  Almost 500 years later, RGS continues to flourish as the premier independent school in the North East of England and as one of the country's leading schools, and the Sunday Times’ North East Independent School of the Decade 2020. Most recently, RGS was awarded the Sunday Times’ 2023 North East's Top Independent Secondary School for Academic Performance. We regularly lead all northern schools in national league tables and pride ourselves on academic excellence, a high level of pastoral support, involvement in a wide range of sports and other co-curricular activities, and our commitment to bursaries and partnerships.

The RGS has grown substantially in recent years. There are now some 1,320 students, over 260 of whom are in the Junior School. The Sixth Form of 330 students is one of the largest in the independent sector. We became coeducational 20 years ago and girls now comprise 46% of the school.

The school is based in the heart of the City, immediately opposite Jesmond Metro station.  The school occupies over 30 acres of land and has state-of-the-art facilities, including five brand new art studios, a new library, a new Sixth Form Centre, a 25m swimming pool, two Sports Halls, a Performing Arts Centre, outdoor football/rugby pitches at Mooracres, an artificial turf pitch for hockey and the former County Cricket Ground.

Academically the school is highly selective. Students are assessed for entry at the key entry points (Y3, Y5, Y7 and a handful at Y9, plus sixth form). The biggest entry points are Y3 (60 students), Y7 (c.75 students) and Y12 (c. 45 students).  Beyond the academics, in Junior School (Y3-6) entry is assessed through activity days whilst at Y7 students are assessed through online tests and an interaction day. Sixth form entry is through interview only. Students sit baseline tests in Y7, Y10, and L6 – the average GLA CAT score for both the current Y7 and L6 is 117.

Academic selection and excellent teaching means the school’s results are exceptional. The published figures for 2023 are on the school’s website. For A Level, 34% of A level grades were at A*; 71% A*- A; and 89% A* - B. For GCSE, the proportion of grade 9s was 41.2%; 9 – 8 was 67.8%; and 9 – 7 was 85.8%. These results placed the RGS 51st, nationally, in The Sunday Times Parent Power survey, up from 73rd place in 2022.

In 2021 The Sunday Times Parent Power survey judged RGS Newcastle to be the North East Independent School of the Decade. Since then, the RGS has consistently ranked first for academic results in the North East. In 2023, as well as receiving accreditation for the Wellbeing Award for Schools, the RGS was awarded the overall title of Independent School of the Year for the whole of the UK, following winning the category for Outstanding Educational Partnerships. We have more recently been awarded the title of Sunday Times Parent Power North East Independent School of the Year for 2024.

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Applications closed