Deputy Head (Academic)

This role is a new position within Birkdale following the promotion of the current Director of Studies to senior Deputy Head (Pastoral) at the school. The change in title to Deputy Head (Academic) reflects the breadth and scale of responsibility commensurate with this post.  We therefore seek to appoint for September 2019 or January 2020 an individual to join the Senior Management Team and be active in leading the academic development of the school.   

An attractive salary is on offer.  A generous remission of fees scheme is available for children of staff.  The school is a member of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme.

Birkdale is a very successful and friendly day school of 810 + pupils: boys 4 – 18 with a co-educational Sixth Form.  Since its foundation in 1904 it has grown and flourished with academic, pastoral and extra-curricular developments being underpinned by an ambitious programme of physical development across its three sites in south-west Sheffield : the 11-18 (Y7 to Y13) Senior School, the 4-11 (Reception to Y6) Prep School, and the playing fields.  The School has a strong Christian ethos.  Birkdale is the only HMC (Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference) school in South Yorkshire and the Head Master is also a member of the Society of Heads.  The Head of the Preparatory School is a member of IAPS (the Incorporated Association of Preparatory Schools).

Visitors to Sheffield frequently comment on its greenness: there are in fact more trees per person here than in any other English city.  Birkdale is located in an inner suburb close to the Universities, 1½ miles from the city centre and 4 miles from the Peak District National Park.  Indoor and outdoor leisure facilities of all kinds - from theatres and restaurants to sailing and hill walking - could hardly be closer at hand, making the quality of life very good indeed.

There are undoubtedly particular advantages enjoyed by independent schools and their staff.  A survey of newly qualified teachers revealed five main attractive features of teaching in an independent school: the more disciplined environment, the opportunity for teachers to express their passion for their subjects, good resources, smaller class sizes and greater professional freedom.  In common with most independent schools, Birkdale offers a fully accredited statutory NQT induction programme.

A coherently constructed appraisal scheme exists partly to enable teachers to think about and develop their careers: as teachers develop, so does the school.  There is a generous annual budget for staff training and development.

The Christian ethos of the school manifests itself in the particularly friendly and supportive atmosphere.  A good proportion of the staff are committed Christians, although as a community Birkdale is open to all, whatever their religious beliefs.  The school is strongly committed to the care of its pupils and staff.