We are looking for our next Head of Sixth Form
Information Pack
The History of the College Bishop’s Stortford College was founded in 1868 by a group of prominent Nonconformists who wanted to establish a public school in which they might secure for their boys an effective and Christian education on terms that should not be beyond the reach of the middle class generally. They approached the Bishop’s Stortford Collegiate School, a non-sectarian school founded in 1850, and acquired the school buildings, naming the new educational establishment as the Nonconformist Grammar School. Two grammar schools in the town proved confusing so in 1901 the name was changed to the Bishop’s Stortford College and the association became instead a board of governors with nominees from the Baptist, Congregational and Presbyterian churches on the panel. The College’s first headmaster was the Reverend Richard Alliott and its first pupils were 40 in number. Reverend Alliott led the College for 31 years and his successor Francis Young was also in post for 31 years. It is notable that the College only had five head teachers during its first one hundred years. During its early years, the College built up a strong reputation in the sports field and swimming, and was one of the first schools in the country to have its own indoor heated pool, built in 1895. Under the headmastership of Francis Young, the College continued to grow in both size and reputation. Young commissioned many of the red brick Victorian and Edwardian school buildings, acquired the sports fields which occupy 100 acres of land and, in 1902, took over an existing school for boys aged 7 to 13 years. The Prep School, began with just eight day pupils and eight boarders. The Memorial Hall, was designed in Georgian style by architect Clough Williams-Ellis and was erected in 1922 to commemorate the pupils who had lost their lives in the First World War. Further Page 2
names of pupils who have lost their lives in subsequent conflicts have been added. In 1968 the College celebrated its centenary with a visit from the Queen Mother and in 1978 the first girls were admitted into its Sixth Form. The transition to full co-education throughout the College began in 1995 coinciding with the opening of a Pre-Prep Department for both girls and boys aged 4 to 7 years. The last ten years have been a time of growth and sustained progress for the College. We have seen the significant strengthening of academic achievement and full co-education. Curriculum development supplemented with an expansion of choices at A level and GCSE. The development of Information Technology has seen greater use of IT to support learning, built on the investment in a robust physical network and, more recently, driven by research through the Digital Leaning Working Group and direction from the ICT Steering Committee. To support this growth the estate has been significantly improved and added to over the last twenty years. Projects have including the construction of a new swimming pool, new Pre-Prep, the Prep School Dawson building and more recently over the last 5 years the College has completed two new boarding houses and the rebuilding of Robert Pearce House. The College is in the final stages planning for the major redevelopment of School House to provide twelve modern classrooms, staff welfare facilities and a new home for College administration facilities. The three different sections of the College, employ over 325 staff, enjoy the same spacious, 130 acre site and share a common ethos and purpose, yet each has its own distinctive character. This enables the College to offer the benefits of a well co-ordinated education and a smooth transition for the children between stages, whilst retaining the novelty and excitement of ‘moving up’ to the next school.
Three schools in one Pre-Prep
The Prep School
Senior School
Pre-Prep currently has 122 pupils across 3 year groups:
The Prep School has 448 pupils across 6 year groups:
Senior School has 588 pupils across 5 year groups:
Reception Pre-Prep Year 1 Pre-Prep Year 2 The Pre-Prep has purpose-built, secure accommodation with a separate classroom for each teacher, an assembly hall, library, music and IT rooms, staff room and offices for the Head of PrePrep and secretaries. The Pre-Prep also benefits from access to the extensive resources and facilities available to the rest of the College, such as the swimming pool and dining hall.
Page 3
Lower Shell (Year 3) Upper Shell (Year 4) Form 1 (Year 5) Form 2 (Year 6) Lower 3rd Form (Year 7) Upper 3rd (Year 8) The pupils in these year groups belong to one of four Houses, three; Monk-Jones, Westfield and Newbury are administrative units, whilst the fourth, Grimwade, is a physical building and also the boarding house for the Prep School.
4th Form (Year 9) Lower 5th Form (Year 10) Upper 5th (Year 11) Lower 6th Form Upper 6th Form Pupils belong to one of nine (soon to be ten) Houses which are both administrative units and physical buildings. Each Day and Boarding House is in the care of a Housemaster or Housemistress. Every pupil is part of a Tutor group and below the Sixth Form they are part of a House-based group of pupils. In the Sixth Form the Tutor groups are organised around academic subjects.
The Headmaster’s Vision Bishop’s Stortford College has seen significant and successful developments over the last decade: • in the academic and other achievements of its pupils; • in the growing number of academic choices available for public examinations; • in the breadth of extra-curricular opportunities offered to its pupils; • in the extension and improvement of the facilities available for teaching, sport and other activities; • in the steady growth in its financial position; and • the steady growth in numbers. Against this background, it is the Headmaster’s vision for the Sixth Form that the period ahead should see: • enhancing the Sixth Form facilities; • continuing to review the Sixth Form academic curriculum; • developing the academic and boarding recruitment programme. We are, therefore, looking for a Head of Sixth Form who is not only able to sustain the advances made in recent years, but who also has the vision to identify appropriate future developments, and the leadership qualities to deliver those developments successfully.
Page 4
Our next Head of Sixth Form will: have the Experience, Knowledge and Skills to:
be an excellent classroom practitioner, with particular experience of Sixth Form and A-level teaching; be fully involved with EPQ or other independent studies programmes; deal with academic data management and pupil tracking; be able to work in an independent school Sixth Form; lead the Sixth Form team and tutors; oversee the management of the post-18; be a key member of the team leading on Oxbridge and Medical Applications.
have Qualifications that include:
evidence of graduating from a recognised British university or international equivalent; a post graduate qualification in education; evidence of recent professional development and a commitment to develop as a school leader.
have a range of Additional Attributes that include:
excellent communication skills; strong organisational abilities; calmness under pressure; a creative approach to problem solving; tact and diplomacy when dealing with challenging situations; flexibility; an interest in and experience of a range of extra-curricular activities; and excellent ICT skills.
have Personal Qualities a sense of humour; that include: energy and commitment; loyalty; an empathy with a collegiate approach to management; and an ability to build constructive relationships with colleagues, students and parents; resilience. Page 5
The Role The Role The Head of Sixth Form oversees all aspects of Sixth Form life with particular emphasis on the academic and personal development of Sixth Formers. The day-to-day pastoral care of Sixth Formers is overseen by the Head of Sixth Form together with the wider pastoral team. The Head of Sixth Form directs the on-going development of the identity of the Sixth Form as a distinct part of the greater whole of the College, while also articulating the vision of a successful Sixth Form to the school, to parents and more widely to the local, national and international community. We are seeking to appoint a well-qualified and suitably experienced graduate to lead the Sixth Form (approximately 250 pupils) and join the Senior Management Team of this thriving and successful school. The successful applicant will have strong academic qualifications; a proven record of success in teaching and in management; and first class communication skills. No particular specialism is sought. The Independent Schools Inspectorate Report 2017 said: “Results at A-Level have been well above the national average. The great majority of pupils leaving at the end of year 13 go to university, their choices covering a wide range of competitive courses. All pupils attained examination grades at least in line with and often well above their predicted grades.�
Page 6
Application Procedure Applications are to be submitted electronically. To: hr@bishopsstortfordcollege.org To apply, please send us your application form, CV and cover letter via our website or the above email address. The closing date: Thursday 21st March 2019 Procedure A list of candidates will be drawn up by the Selection Panel and interviewees will be invited to attend an interview in the w/c 25th March 2019. Whilst the order may vary the interview will consist of: • Arrival and administration of documents at 10 Maze Green Road, Bishop’s Stortford. • Tour of the campus. • Meet key staff • Interviews with Headmaster and Deputy Heads • A 10 minute presentation: “What is your vision of a successful Sixth Form”.
Page 7