Head of Learning
Mount Grace School
Hertfordshire
- Quick apply
- Expired
- Salary:
- Competitive
- Job type:
- Full Time, Permanent
- Start date:
- March 2025 (earlier start negotiable)
- Apply by:
- 23 February 2025
Job overview
Non-Teaching Head of Learning
Employment type: full time
Contract type: permanent
Closing date: 23rd February 2025
Interview date: TBC
Start date: March 2025 (earlier start negotiable)
Salary: H6 £28,624 - £31,067 FTE plus Fringe Allowance £1,013 FTE
Weeks worked: Term Time plus two weeks (INSET days)
Hours worked: 37 hours per week, Mon-Fri: 08:15-16:15 (earlier finish at 16:00 on two days a week, 30 minutes lunch)
About the Role:
We have an exciting new opportunity to join our Pastoral team and become a Non-Teaching Head of Learning!
The function of the Head of Learning is to secure the effective care of the social, emotional and learning needs of all individual students within their year group(s). They are the key face for students in upholding behaviour and uniform standards as outlined in the school policies and oversee the form time programme. They are responsible for the welfare, learning and behaviour for all students within their year group(s) whilst working with parents and other staff to create a safe and supporting environment for learning.
Main Responsibilities:
Supporting Safeguarding
· All aspects of safeguarding to ensure that every student within the year group(s) remains safe: this will involve undertaking child protection investigations, working collaboratively with external agencies and other members of the safeguarding team and other duties as required by the Assistant Headteacher – Director of Behaviour & Pastoral
· Working with the Attendance Officer to monitor the attendance of members of the year group(s) and intervening to promote high levels of attendance, including conducting home visits.
Supporting Behaviour/pastoral
· Planning interventions around behaviour and key pastoral issues that arise within the year group(s).
· Writing and reviewing Individual Support Plans (ISP), Pastoral Support Plans (PSP), Risk Assessment Management Programmes (RAMPS); and Safety and Support Plans (SSPs) and any other behaviour strategies.
· Communication with parents and carers around key behaviour and pastoral issues.
· Leading and holding form tutors to account for the quality of the tutoring programme and for upholding the school expectations such as behaviour, conduct, uniform and equipment.
· Liaising with the relevant colleagues in order to monitor the behaviour strategies and interventions for all students within the year group(s).
· Attend meetings with families following a suspension or other behaviour issues to ensure successful reintegration.
· Maintain strong records and tracking of interventions and behaviour support and make recommendations about next steps to the Assistant Headteacher: Behaviour and Pastoral.
Supporting Learning/Character Development
· Arrangement of appropriate support to be given to individual students with regard to their progress within school.
· Liaise with the SEND team and teachers to distinguish between behaviour and SEND issues and plan for support.
· The collaborative planning of an ambitious and appropriate tutoring programme for the year group.
· Mentoring students within the year group(s) in support of the learning process.
· Overseeing the enrolment and induction of new students within their year group(s) to support a smooth transition.
· Lead assemblies and organise external visitors/speakers to develop students’ character.
· Support the relevant middle/senior leaders in events related to the year group(s) including but not limited to evening events (Parents Evenings, Open Evenings, Options Evenings etc.)
· Monitoring the progress of each student in the year group(s) to ensure every student makes good academic progress towards meeting or exceeding their targets.
· Working collaboratively with teachers and middle leaders to ensure effective teaching strategies are employed for all students within the year group(s).
Additional duties:
· Be a positive role model to students.
· Use the school’s processes and systems to gather and respond to student/parent voice.
· Where necessary, supervise students removed from lessons and ensure this time is used to good effect.
· Complete duties on a rota for detentions, Internal Exclusion Room, Patrol, supervising students in unstructured times.
· Undertake any other task reasonably requested by the senior leaders.
· Respond to parental concerns/issues/queries.
· Adhere to all Safeguarding and Child Protection Policies.
About Mount Grace:
Mount Grace is a traditional, mixed comprehensive school occupying 20 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds. We are a rapidly improving, truly inclusive school with approximately 600 students including over 100 in the Sixth Form. We have a genuine partnership with local people and we are the community school of Potters Bar and the surrounding villages. Every student is offered a varied, personalised curriculum and will be challenged to achieve their full potential.
For more information about the role, please see the attached job description!
Visits to our school are warmly welcome! Please contact
HR@mountgrace.herts.sch.uk to arrange a mutually convenient appointment.
Due to the volume of applications we receive, we regret that we can only contact those shortlisted for the position. If you have not heard from us within 5 working days of the closing date, please assume your application has not been successful on this occasion.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role.
Unfortunately, we cannot offer sponsorship for this role.
Mount Grace School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service. Online search checks will also be carried out on all shortlisted candidates.
Attached documents
About Mount Grace School
Mount Grace School is a co-educational, comprehensive 11-18 Academy set on 20 acres of beautiful grounds in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire.
We are an inclusive, first choice community school that cares for and meets the needs of all its students, who achieve ambitiously as a result of great expectations and excellent teaching. We build strong character to support students to navigate the world around them so that they can lead happy, successful and healthy lives.
We offer a highly effective, knowledge-engaged, curriculum consistently driven by the explicit teaching of vocabulary and reading. Our teaching is informed by educational research into how children acquire and retain knowledge and it is enhanced by exceptional character development. As a result, children develop skills so that they can embrace the challenges and demands of future work and life.
Our motto ‘Res Non Verba’ (Latin for ‘Deeds not Words’) reminds us that we have to act on our ambitions. Our aim is clear: we want to be an outstanding school where students excel academically, create positive memories, make meaningful connections and develop a strong virtuous character so that they flourish and succeed in all areas of life. To realise our vision we insist on strict standards of behaviour and courtesy that enable all to achieve, feel safe, be proud to belong and contribute positively to the school and the wider world.
Being a relatively small secondary school, we are proud of our personalised programme of support for young people. We acknowledge and break down physical, emotional and perceived barriers to success and seek to support individuals with their personal goals and ambitions. Our pastoral and mental health support is well resourced with expertise that understands the impact that nurturing a positive self-esteem can have on a child’s life chances. This, matched with the highest expectations for learning, reading and oracy as well as an ethos that promotes growth mindsets, means that all students can excel regardless of how low the starting point or how high the goal. But we don’t do this alone. We have a highly supportive parent, carer and community voice behind us and robust network of professional partners who work with us to enrich the child’s experience and ensure they thrive.
I am immensely proud of our successes and the significant progress we have made in recent years. There have been measurable improvements across all areas of our school as well as the physical improvements from ongoing investment to our learning environment.
Headteacher
Geeta Patel
Values and vision
Proud to Belong: At the heart of our ethos and values is the drive to create an inclusive environment where every student, staff member, parent, and community partner feels valued and proud to be part of our school. We cultivate positive self-esteem and high levels of wellbeing by insisting that both adults and children in the school take personal pride in delivering excellence.
An Ambitious Curriculum: This commitment is reflected in our rich and engaging curriculum, designed to challenge and inspire our students to achieve academic excellence. We provide a broad and balanced range of subjects, holding a parity of esteem between the traditionally academic subjects and the creative and practical ones.
Our Character Virtues: Beyond academic achievement, we place a strong emphasis on character development. Through our virtues-led approach, we ensure that character building is a deliberate and integral part of school life. Character virtues are explicitly taught and demonstrated within the curriculum, pastoral programme and through our enrichment offering.
Thinkers and Speakers: We believe in the transformative power of knowledge to open doors, enhance self-esteem and improvement life chances so that children truly achieve freedom through education. We encourage children to articulate their learning effectively and develop as confident thinkers and speakers who engage thoughtfully and critically with the vast array of information they will encounter in both life and work.
Enrichment and Opportunity: We are proud of our child-led enrichment offer and tailor bespoke programmes to meet the needs and interests of our children. This runs in parallel to us acting on our responsibility to ensure that children have the desire to experience beyond their comfort zones and sphere of familiarity. We organise trips to local, national and global destinations, organise workshops for music and drama and support children to access sports, STEM activities, competitions, cultural experiences and more.
Ofsted 2022
…Pupils have a variety of places they can go if they have a worry or concern, such as the ‘pastoral hub’ or ‘oasis centre’. They know that staff will listen and try to help with any bullying issues. Most pupils feel happy and safe…
…Pupils learn an ambitious curriculum, where they build up their knowledge over time. They are enthused by the practical activities they get to do in subjects like design and technology, and the whole school musical production…
…Leaders have ensured that teachers have been involved in the design of the curriculum. As a result, in all subjects, teachers have carefully planned the key knowledge they want pupils to learn. Leaders have also ensured that the curriculum offered is sufficiently broad and balanced. This includes a suitable balance of vocational and academic options in the sixth form…
…Leaders have implemented an effective whole-school focus on reading. This includes an appropriate progression of high-quality texts in the English curriculum and regular opportunities for pupils to participate in guided reading during form time. Those at the earlier stages of reading receive specific intervention support…
…Pupils have access to a wide variety of clubs and opportunities, including participating in musical and sporting activities and going on trips. Pupils joining the school are made to feel comfortable, especially through the summer school that is on offer…
…Leaders have ensured the school has an appropriate programme for personal, social and health education. Pupils are taught about relationships and fundamental British values. Careers education is well developed in the sixth form. Sixth-form students receive appropriate advice and guidance…
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