Director of Sport

TLR1A £7,546 with approximately 0.7 timetable commitment

1 To be responsible for all aspects of curricular Physical Education (PE) and extra-curricular School Sport at Westcliff High School for Boys (WHSB) including the development of the School’s strategic vision for Sport in consultation with the Headmaster and the Assistant Head: Director of Studies. 

2 To ensure the strategic vision is developed into specific targets and plans for each sport, which reflects the targets of the School’s Development Plan. The Director of Sport will be responsible for the management of the delivery of that strategy against an agreed timescale and provide an annual report on its progress to the School’s Senior Team.

3 To be aware of the new developments and advances in the teaching and direction of PE and Sport, liaising with outside agencies and the various governing bodies of sport.

4 To provide inspirational and dynamic leadership of a team of teachers, and sports coaches and, in particular, to monitor standards of Teaching & Learning and coaching within the Sports/PE Department, to make recommendations on INSET (including updates on subject knowledge, coaching expertise and refereeing/officiating), and to seek to achieve targets in relation to examination results and sporting success set out in the Departmental Development Plan and the School’s strategic vision for Sport.

5 To motivate members of the Department and to give them the opportunity to contribute to policy. To maintain a record of matters discussed at meetings and to make a copy available for the Headmaster and the Assistant Head: Director of Studies.

6 To provide for the Department guidance, advice, INSET training and leadership and to ensure that these matters are the focus of regular Departmental discussion.

7 To ensure that the Department has in place arrangements to provide for the needs of pupils of differing abilities and in different circumstances including the most able, those who may have some disadvantage and those who are within the School's Special Educational Needs provision.

8 To ensure that members of the Department use information on prior pupil attainment in planning their teaching of particular groups and that the Department respects and follows the School's procedures for pupil tracking and target setting to enhance performance.

9 To monitor academic standards within the Department, to maintain pupil records, to identify difficulties with individual pupils or groups and to generate solutions.

10 To manage the Departmental Budget, together with the Assistant Head: Director of Studies, and to have regard to the quality of teaching materials both purchased and internally prepared, as well as the allocation of resources to each sport.

11 To organise and develop a competitive and high calibre fixture and practice programme across all sports and all age groups and to have oversight of all entries by WHSB into local and national sporting competitions, liaising with the Assistant Head: Director of Studies as appropriate. Each team should have a full practice and fixture list including mid-week and Saturday fixtures and should be entered into appropriate local, regional and national competitions. These fixtures should be arranged to ensure the continuity of pupils’ education and clashes should be avoided with other school calendar events where possible. The Director of Sport will use Departmental Administration support to ensure appropriate transport and catering arrangements are in place.

12 To lead and make provision for morning and lunchtime practices, including strength and conditioning sessions.

13 To establish and maintain a record of pupil participation (individual pupils and the School as a whole) in sports practices and fixtures and follow-up any instances of absence as appropriate. This should include the development of measurements/benchmarks to judge improvement and success.

14 To ensure that high standards of kit and behaviour are maintained within all PE lessons, practices and fixtures and to act as a role model in this regard. This includes ensuring pupils maintaining high standards of appearance (the wearing of School uniform) before and after fixtures.

15 To maintain an accurate and up-to-date record of all fixtures and results and to ensure that these are publicised regularly through whole-school assemblies, the website and through publications such as The Westcliff Diary and to keep details of pupils who have achieved representative Honours and School Colours and to advise the Headmaster as appropriate (for example, for publication in the Annual Speech Day programme).

16 In consultation with the Headmaster and Assistant Head: Director of Studies to recruit and develop specialist staff, including coaching staff, ensuring appropriate induction, training, safeguarding and professional development opportunities are put in place and to monitoring (through the appraisal system) the work on these staff in the delivery of both curricular and extra-curricular activities.

17 To encourage and nurture non-specialist staff to support and contribute towards the School’s sporting programme.

18 To coordinate a balanced programme of sports tours (both within and outside of the country) giving consideration to the continuity of pupils’ education and the financial burden placed on parents.

19 To oversee the development of links with local sports clubs and primary/junior schools for the benefit of the School, including seeking to attract talented pupils, and the community including the management of sporting elements of our outreach work through the Community Development Office.

20 To market the School’s sporting opportunities locally, regionally and nationally as appropriate and to actively participate in the promotion of the School’s sporting life at Open Days. This will involve overseeing the relevant sports section of the WHSB website and the use of the sport-related Twitter accounts as well as coordinate press releases of sporting achievements.

21 To coordinate the award of Sporting Colours and scholarships and to organise the termly Colours Assemblies to celebrate sporting achievements. The scholarship system will involve the identification and development of the School’s most able sportsmen/women and the encouragement of talented individuals to pursue county, regional and national representation.

22 To ensure that risk assessments are fully up-to-date and that all relevant aspects of Health & Safety (including First Aid) are understood and followed by all staff involved in PE and School Sport at WHSB.

23 To oversee the management of all stock (including playing kit) and to purchase replacements as appropriate.

24 To coordinate, in consultation with the School’s Heads of House, the Annual Sports Day.

25 To oversee the management of the effective running of the School’s sports facilities, ensuring that all staff supervising facilities (e.g. the fitness suite) have appropriate training and that all students using the facility have been correctly inducted into its use.

26 To plan, shape and maintain a stimulating, invigorating, motivating and up to date learning environment, ensuring that the learning resources are well organised and accessible to staff and pupils, embracing practical work, documentation and display.

27 To produce each year, according to agreed schedules, a written review of the Department's work, covering public examination results; Teaching & Learning in Years 7-10 and 12; staff development; Departmental extra-curricular activity; Departmental resources; and progress made towards meeting targets laid down in the School Development Plan.