Head
Moor Park School
Shropshire
- Expired
- Job type:
- Full Time, Permanent
- Start date:
- September 2022
- Apply by:
- 3 February 2022
Job overview
This is an exciting opportunity to head a delightful, co-educational independent preparatory (from 3 to 13) day and boarding school, with a nursery which caters for children from 3 months to 3 years, 50 weeks of the year. The position would suit candidates who can demonstrate an ability to lead and inspire, and those who possess outstanding communication skills. The position becomes available after 7 successful years for the current Head, Charlie Minogue, following his appointment to Fettes College.
Moor Park is nestled on the Shropshire/Herefordshire border, just three miles from the thriving medieval market town of Ludlow. The school offers an holistic, rounded education and prides itself on a strong sense of community and family.
Established 57 years ago, Moor Park enjoys a rich history and enviable location. Set within 85 acres, it boasts extensive boarding facilities, acres of sports fields, a floodlit astroturf pitch, a sports hall, swimming pool, all-weather cricket, tennis, netball facilities, and a squash court. Pupils enjoy a broad curriculum and French, Latin, and Spanish are introduced between Years 3 and 7. The school also has a Performing Arts Centre which includes a computer suite, teaching and practice rooms and a recording room. Moor Park children transfer to a wide range of schools including some of the finest in the country, such as Cheltenham Ladies’ College, Eton, Harrow, Radley, Shrewsbury and Winchester College.
This role presents a wonderful opportunity to guide and grow this exceptional and much-loved school; to ensure the school’s distinctive ethos is preserved for future generations, and that it continues to give the very best pastoral care and educational support to all the children in its care.
This is an extremely exciting time to lead the school into its next phase of development.
For a confidential conversation about the role contact:
Richard Stevenson rs@headspaceacademics.com (07722 022390)
An application form and further information can be found on the Leadership Opportunities page of our website headspaceacademics.com/opportunities. Please return your completed application form in PDF format. Please do not include a CV.
Closing date for applications: Thursday 3rd February
First stage interviews: Thursday 10th and Friday 11th February
Second stage interviews: Tuesday 22nd and Wednesday 23rd February
Moor Park is committed to the safeguarding and promotion of children’s and young people’s welfare and expects all staff and volunteers to share in this commitment.
About Moor Park School
About Moor Park School
Situated two miles out of Ludlow in South Shropshire, in 85 stunning acres, Moor Park is a thriving co-educational school of 220 children from 2-13 years. It also has Tick Tock, which the Independent Schools Inspectorate deemed an ‘Outstanding’ day care provider in 2016, where children can go from as young as 3 months.
Founded in 1964 by Derek Henderson and Hugh Watts, it retains its strong Christian values. The ethos is that children feel valued and cared for, so as to develop as individuals, as well as stimulated and inspired. The result is happy, rounded and grounded children. Family values abound and each child is treated as an individual.
Full and flexi boarding is offered, as well as day school. The Boarding team has been nominated for several Awards at the annual Independent School Awards in recent years. One such nomination was for our so-called Big Weekends; themed weekends designed to be huge fun and give children a flavour of boarding life.
Themes have included Bollywood, Nerf, World Records, Master Chef, Making Movies, Wild West and an ‘Armed Forces’ themed weekend complete with helicopter. Children from 8-13 spend Saturday afternoons and evenings ‘in theme’ and the experience is topped off by a big full English Breakfast on Sunday morning prior to departure. The boarding house is normally completely full for these events.
Academic
In the last seven years, every child that has left Moor Park has successfully passed into their chosen senior school. Destinations vary but really are nationwide and have included Eton, Harrow, Radley, Winchester, Oundle Uppingham, Shrewsbury, Malvern College, Downe House, Marlborough College, Christ College Brecon and Hereford Cathedral School in the last few years. Many leave with an Award to their senior school, be it academic, or music, art, sport, drama or DT. In the last two academic years, 59 Year 8 leavers have won a total of 53 awards, an enviable record.
Moor Park Mindsets
The world is a fast-changing place and we have challenged ourselves to look at the education we provide at Moor Park to ensure that children are given an advantage at secondary school and beyond. Having discussed this as a staff, we decided that children will need to be able to think in particular ways in order to be successful – passing exams, although important, would not be enough. As a result of this we identified six habits of thinking, Moor Park Mindsets: critical thought, curiosity, confidence, creativity, independence and resilience. We then reviewed our entire curriculum and teaching methods through the lens of these Mindsets to ensure that what we teach and how we teach it encourages the right thinking from Nursery to Year 8. This was launched in September 2018. A system is in place to monitor all of this and this enables feedback to be given to children and parents.
Sport
Children start playing team sports from Year 1 and competitive matches from Year 3. Pupils regularly represent the county in various sports, including rugby, cricket, hockey, netball and football and in recent years, the girls Under 13 hockey team have twice been national finalists. Our equestrian team has also already found success in both local and national events.
Music
Music is an integral part of life at Moor Park. A new Performing Arts Centre was opened in September 2018 incorporating an ensemble room, cutting edge music technology in the classroom and a recording studio. Most of the children have music lessons and the school boasts an Orchestra, Jazz Band and Brass Ensemble and a myriad of other groups. There are four choirs, ensuring the every child can take part whilst the more able are pushed on.
Drama
Benefitting from the addition of a dedicated drama studio in the new Performing Arts Centre, drama became a taught subject in the curriculum for Year3 and above from September 2018. There are six school plays every year, including the jaw dropping Year 8 production in the summer.
Art and DT
The inspirational ART and DT departments produce work of the highest quality every year and Moor Park wins more than its fair share of scholarships, particularly in art. The DT facility is larger than many secondary schools.
Facilities
The facilities at the school complement the superb work and commitment of the staff. The astro-turf, purpose built junior boarding house, new Performing Arts Centre, new swimming pool changing rooms and a new library opening in April 2019 are all examples of investment in recent years.
The spectacular setting gives ample opportunity for playing outdoors, be it in the woods, on the assault course or the 9 hole golf course.
An oasis of peace and calm, a little land locked island, it is a school of high achievement. Children leave Moor Park but Moor Park never leaves them.
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