House Director

About CATS Cambridge

CATS College Cambridge offers an outstanding international pre-university educational experience to students aged 14+ from all over the world. CATS students live and work at the custom built Cambridge campus, studying for GCSEs, A levels and University Foundation Programmes, and preparing for admission to universities across the country and elsewhere. We pride ourselves on our approach to teaching and learning, with small class sizes and an informal atmosphere ensuring that students are treated as individuals and build great relationships with staff.

The Principal and Senior Leadership Team are currently looking to appoint a House Director to join the pastoral / academic team at CATS College Cambridge. In this role you will lead a team of personal tutors who oversee the holistic care of the students. You will manage tracking of attendance, achievement and discipline. Alongside your team you will be responsible for creating and managing a wide range of house competitions and events. The role comes with a teaching timetable of 15 hours per week. We are accepting applications from all teaching specialisms. 

OVERVIEW OF THE ROLE

▪ To support, develop, hold accountable and lead others in your House team, to ensure both high standards of 

pastoral care and the wellbeing of staff and students.

▪ To encourage, and monitor, student attendance and progress.

▪ To manage the on-going delivery of, and lead new initiatives in, your key areas (for example UCAS applications).

▪ To maintain a holistic view of the progress of students in your House.

You will be responsible to the Assistant Principal (Pastoral Care and Personal Development), who leads the team of 

House Directors within the College.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE ROLE

▪ To ensure that each of your students feels welcome, safe, supported and has a sense of belonging to their house 

and school community.

▪ To oversee a team of Personal Tutors, giving them effective support and feedback through individual support and 

regular meetings.

▪ To be a passionate advocate of developing students’ capacities to learn both through formal sessions, but also in 

the way that you and your team of PTs mentor, coach and support them. 

▪ To have a preparedness to become a thought leader in international education, prepared to offer talks and articles 

on the subject to relevant organisations and publications.

▪ To be proactive in the development of the College’s approach to personal development.

▪ To ensure that PT sessions are productive, worthwhile and recognised as such by students; and the PTs 

themselves, and thereby contribute to the College’s wider objectives.

▪ To proactively engage the academic departments in the creation, of content that supports personal development 

in the department’s schemes of work. 

▪ To ensure effective reporting to parents and agents, in accordance with College’s policies and procedures.

▪ To ensure effective reporting by each member of your team by monitoring their reports.

▪ To liaise with Heads of Dept. to monitor students who are falling below target grades using information provided 

by the academic reports.

▪ To ensure the appropriate level of staffing in PT groups, monitoring group sizes and supporting in the placement of 

students into PT groups.

▪ To provide or arrange cover as a Personal Tutor for absent or unavailable members of your team, while generally 

maintaining effective oversight of your team by means of a ‘roving role’ during Tutor time to monitor and support 

staff.

▪ To participate in arrangements to support programmes for targeted students such as Oxbridge entrance, Medics 

and those with ALS etc. as appropriate.

▪ To engage with the boarding team about your students, ensuring that there is an on-going dialogue. ▪ To facilitate 

and encourage academic pastoral activity during boarding time in co-ordination with the Head of Boarding and with 

the support of the Assistant Principal Pastoral Care and Personal Development. 

▪ To provide supervision in the communal areas during lunch and breaks in the day as directed by the AP(PC&PD).

▪ To support the election of students to the Student Council ensuring students from your PTs are effectively 

represented.

▪ To support and assist PTs to ensure that they understand, and are actively implementing, key aspects of the College 

Behaviour and Attendance policies, including sanctions, incentives and rewards.

▪ To maintain, initiate and review Academic and Pastoral Contracts for students where there are concerns, in 

consultation with the Vice Principal and Head of Welfare and Boarding.

▪ To discuss progress options and choice with students as appropriate and take appropriate action regarding this in 

liaison with Heads of Department and the Vice Principal.

▪ To meet regularly with the AP(PC&PD) to review progress and discuss issues arising. 

▪ To ensure a safe and secure environment for staff and students when they are working within the College by 

consistent implementation of Health & Safety guidelines and risk assessments.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

▪ Inspirational – the ability inspire colleagues and students. 

▪ Exemplary – plays a lead role in encouraging staff development in the team and beyond and leads by example.

▪ Maintains up to date professional knowledge of team, academic and pastoral issues.

▪ Supports the College ethos and mission statement.

MOTIVATION

▪ Is proactive rather than reactive in approach.

▪ Takes responsibility and ownership for work issues and problems of a primary operational nature although the 

ability to think in a strategic way may also be required.

▪ Implements improvements to work processes and practices within his/her remit.

▪ Understands College goals and direction and sees fit with own.

▪ Motivate and challenge – students and tutors alike.

▪ DRIVE

▪ Is energetic and enthusiastic.

▪ Committed to role and to team/College.

▪ Gets things done through influence rather than by railroading others.

▪ Confronts and overcomes obstacles to progress within team.

What We Offer You

Competitive Salary 

Income Protection

Death in Service Benefit 

Contributory Pension

Health Assist Programme 

Long Service Award  

Cycle to Work Scheme 

Tech Scheme 

Professional and Personal Development through accredited courses and our training partner Linked In Learning 

OUR COMMITMENT TO INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY

We are committed to diversity, inclusion and belonging. Building on our core values – Pioneering, Persevering, People – we pledge to deliver a series of events, guest speakers and focus groups to make CATS Global Schools an employer of choice for all.  

AND FINALLY 

CATS Global Schools are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare or our students and expect everyone connected with the organisation to share this commitment. All positions are subject to safer recruitment pre-employment checks in line with KCSIE guidelines