Outdoor Education Lead Instructor

Oak Tree School is looking for an Outdoor Education Lead Instructor. Applicants need to be outstanding in their profession as well as engaging, empowering and inspirational to young people. Working within and leading a team of enthusiastic instructors, you will plan and deliver a varied programme of activities, courses and qualifications that really focus on academic outcomes as well as personal and social development in the outdoors.  Applicants should have the skills, knowledge and passion to grow this existing department.

The applicant needs to be responsible for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young people within the school at all times.

Salary: £24,000.00 to £35,000.00 a year (depending on experience and working weeks)

Working weeks negotiable (term time only to 52 week contract)

Purpose of the Job:

To plan and oversee a quality Outdoor Education provision tailored specifically around the needs of students of Oak Tree School.

To develop and lead a team of instructors currently employed at Oak Tree School. To liaise with Senior Leadership Team around the expansion and future growth of Outdoor Education provision.

To ensure quality outcomes can be demonstrated for our students in Outdoor Education.

To be responsible for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young people within the school at all times. The post holder will be expected to work on his/her own initiative and as part of a small team

Main Duties:

There are five main aspects of this role, they include:

Planning and Delivery of Outdoor Education sessions

• To audit existing Outdoor Education team and current provision
• Develop robust medium and long term plans to ensure wide skill set in instructors and quality programme of Outdoor Education across the school
• To oversee individual instructors ensuring they have clear plans for their groups and support them in the development of this
• To work collaboratively with class teachers and develop cross curricular links
• To hold regular team meetings to discuss plans, equipment, training and resource requirement
• To deliver outstanding group and 1:1 sessions as appropriate,
• To support and develop other instructors to deliver outstanding sessions
• To develop a subject development plan within staff meetings
• To bulid and maintain positive working relationships with external providers, such as climbing walls, watersport centres

Equipment and Maintenance

• To carefully consider the procurement priorities of the department and ensure equipment needs can be met as the department and school grows
• To develop an inventory and asset register of current equipment and liaise with Senior Leadership Team over future equipment needs. To develop and maintain a ‘wishlist’ of equipment
• To ensure all equipment is safe to use and regularly checked and serviced as required
• To consider solutions for equipment storage and be accountable for organisation
• To produce an equipment list pertinent to activities and where required liaise with outside companies regarding hiring equipment in advance

Team

• To lead a team of instructors and recognise additional training needs and gaps in current skill base
• To deliver outstanding sessions and embed this throughout the team
• To mentor less experience outdoor instructors in advancing their professional development

Progress and accountability

• To use in house IT systems to track and record students academic and social progress and embed this within the department
• To choose appropriate governing body award schemes in specific activities which can be achieved as an outcome for our students, examples may include DofE, BCU and SLSGB
• To be accountable for the performance of the Outdoor Education Team
  Outdoor visits and transport
• To oversee daily and monthly vehicles checks and plan for maintenance with an approved repairer
• To oversee the cleanliness of the school vehicles
• To be the school Educational Visits Co-ordinator, overseeing risk assessments are completed and all relevant checks are in place prior to outdoor visits / trips
• To maintain up to records of approved visits / trips
• To support staff in the planning off the Outdoor visit / trip

A job description can never be fully descriptive and exhaustive of unforeseen changes or circumstances. It is expected that staff will, within reason, respond to unforeseen circumstances and emergencies as they arise, commensurate with their qualifications, experience and the situation.