Head of Senior School PE and Head Athletics Coach

Sport and Exercise (“SpEx”) at Highgate has a reputation for excellence and innovation in teaching and coaching and we are looking to appoint a well-qualified and experienced manager to take on the role of Head of Senior School Exercise and Head of Athletics. 

This role sits at management level alongside the Head of Senior School Sport, Head of Junior Sport and Exercise, Head of Pre-Prep Sport & Exercise and Head of SpEx Operations. It is an exciting opportunity for an experienced manager to play a key role in one of the largest departments at the school, which is vibrant and forward thinking and has benefitted from significant investment in both staff and facilities. 

SpEx is a pupil-centred programme which unlocks potential by exposing individuals to experiences and opportunities which guide them towards an outcome that they are invested in. Fundamental to this will be the way you ensure that the Exercise curriculum underpins Sport in each part of the programme. 

Head of Senior School Exercise

As Head of Senior School Exercise, your role will focus on leading on an innovative and forward-thinking curriculum putting into practice your high level of understanding of physical literacy, sport experience and strength and conditioning and placing them at the heart of our pupils’ ‘Exercise’ journey in SpEx. 

Our Exercise curriculum is designed to support pupils’ physical development through lessons that are focussed on physical literacy and movement competency planned through individualised programming. 

The concept of the Year 7 & 8 Exercise curriculum is twofold: to give an “experience” of different activities at an appropriate level for the pupils in that group and to deliver key components of fitness and physical literacy through the activities.  In the Year 9 & 10 curriculum, teachers are allocated smaller classes based on a pupil’s sporting pathway where the objective is better to understand and respond to the individual’s physical requirements in relation to their chosen Sport. Strength & Conditioning forms the basis of much of the teaching in this area and you will be responsible for ensuring that staff assess and report on pupils’ physical progress throughout the year. 

Athletics at Highgate

In recent years the Athletics programme has grown in strength and numbers and is now one of our most popular Sport Pathways. Pupils regularly achieve success at County, Regional and National level and we have a comprehensive fixture programme both indoors and outdoors. 

As Head of Athletics, you will bring a high level of coaching experience, passion and technical knowledge to allow our pupils to achieve their potential in this sport. Your leadership of this sport will develop the vision for Athletics at the school which you will translate into practice through your coaching, planning, staff development and widening of opportunities.  You will be expected to ensure that our talented athletes benefit from the established SpEx High Performance Programme which provides mentoring and a pathway for them to fulfil their sporting potential.

In the first two terms as well as running the indoor Athletics programme, you will take the lead of an ‘A’ team in one of our other focus sports; Football, Netball or Hockey. Preference will be given to those with a proven record of higher-level coaching experience in School, Club or Performance Sport. A commitment to extra-curricular practices and sports clubs is essential to ensure the quality of pupil experience. You will have the imagination, drive, enthusiasm and interpersonal skills to challenge and support our pupils to make the most of their opportunities and ability. 

The department

Thirty-two full and part-time SpEx staff are supported by over thirty teachers in delivering the SpEx programme. The Department is based around the well-equipped Mallinson Sports Centre (MSC). It is adjacent to the playing fields, near the Junior and Pre-Preparatory schools and within a few minutes’ walk of the Senior School. The Centre comprises a newly re-built swimming pool, large sports hall, strength & conditioning suite and mezzanine hall. In addition, there is a dance and movement studio, squash and Eton Fives courts. The MSC managers and staff provide a significant programme of community use; they also support pupils’ activities within the Centre and provide administrative assistance. The School has twenty acres of playing fields, including an all-weather pitch, which can accommodate ten netball courts, a full-size hockey pitch, or twelve tennis courts. There is also a multi-use games area which provides six cricket nets, three tennis courts, two netball courts and a hockey training facility. 

To succeed, you will need proven relevant management experience, the ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of people and an adaptable flexible approach. The role offers excellent career development potential at the TES Independent School of the Year. We are looking for someone who strives for excellence and leads by example, and as a dedicated practitioner will be committed to the further development of the Exercise curriculum and Athletics programme at Highgate.

Stephanie Pride, Director of Sport and Exercise, is very happy to answer any questions