Director of Sixth Form Application Stephen McAllister
Director of 6th Form Application 1
Dear Mr Beirne, I am writing to apply for the position of Director of Sixth Form at Beaulieu Convent School. I will outline in this letter why I believe my skills, experience and understanding make me an ideal candidate for this role.
Director of 6th Form Application 2
Qualifications I currently hold a Llb Law degree which includes a specialist module in Child law, a Master's degree in Computing and Information Systems and a PGCE in Secondary ICT. I also hold a Catholic Teachers Certificate completed alongside the PGCE. In addition, I have completed all mandatory safeguarding courses run in twilight sessions at Beaulieu.
Experience In my previous employment at De La Salle College, I successfully fulfilled the role of Assistant Head of Sixth Form between April 2008 and my departure from the College in July 2009. During this time, I helped to lead and manage a range of academic and pastoral issues within the College. I was responsible for introducing a new computerised reporting system that sought to inform parents of student academic progress on a month to month basis. The system was utilised by sixth form mentors and hailed as a success for its ability to give efficient and meaningful updates on a regular basis whilst not being an onerous task placed on staff. I have also held the position of sixth form mentor at Beaulieu, guiding my group in a range of pastoral and academic issues. During this time I used my legal background to successfully prepare a group of sixth form students for the youth assembly in which they performed exceptionally. At Beaulieu, I undertook the role of key lead in the recent Strategic Plan Working Party in the areas of Operational Management, Finance, Resources and New Technologies. In this role, I worked in close conjunction with senior leaders within the school, staff, parents and educational consultants to craft a coherent plan of key aims and positive outcomes.
Director of 6th Form Application 3
Leadership I have a very clear vision for the Sixth Form at Beaulieu Convent School. My vision is to build on its current successes by making it an outstanding provider of sixth form education in the Island. I want our sixth form to be seen as a Centre of Excellence in a range of subject areas that takes account of students’ needs and caters for a wide range of abilities. I want our sixth form to appeal to a broad spectrum of children from all sections of the Island, including boys. My vision is that we develop mature and selfreliant individuals who are fully prepared for the diversity of University and the adult workplace. I sincerely believe that the addition of boys will make this more achievable. As part of the Strategic Working Party, I was fully involved in the strategic planning for the next five years at Beaulieu. I provided valuable insights into the thinking surrounding new technologies and was also influential in what was included in the final draft of the strategic plan, in terms of key aims and positive outcomes. I have also played a large part in the development of BIT, in conjunction with Mr Steel, analysing pathways and structures as part of an overall strategy. In the development of BIT, I supported Mr Steel using my analytical thinking skills to breakdown the theory of the concept into manageable parts, brainstormed the form BIT should take and provided conclusions regarding the best approach to adopt. When I first joined Beaulieu, I shared my vision of the ICT Department with my colleagues; my very clear aim was to make ICT the highest achieving subject in the school. At the time, my colleagues may have been sceptical, but my enthusiasm and drive was evident. This had the effect of motivating my colleagues and they were challenged to achieve this goal together as a department. Within two years we had achieved our goal and the motivation and commitment within the ICT Department was the reason. The latest cohort of Beaullieu ICT students have a value added score of 1.4, a statistic that is unrivalled in any school on the Island. I have an excellent working relationship with my colleagues. I have a good understanding of their needs, motivations and emotions. I hold a deep respect for my colleagues and feel the respect is returned from both my fellow teachers and students alike. I am regularly approached by fellow staff members seeking both curriculum and pupils advice.
Director of 6th Form Application 4
Thoroughness is one of my key attributes. As assistant Head of Sixth Form at De La Salle, I was tasked with clarifying and enforcing the uniform policy for Years 12 and 13. This was an ongoing concern amongst a small number of students, but through a program of policing and adopting a consistent and fair approach, I was able to virtually eradicate uniform infractions amongst the sixth form. I gained vast amounts of experience at both De La Salle and Beaulieu in developing and enabling colleagues. I have run workshops in the development of staff ICT skills; concentrating on areas which enabled them to use their time more efficiently and effectively. In addition, I have run a positive behaviour management workshop, which dealt with best practice in dealing with behavioral issues at Beaulieu. I delivered a presentation of the findings and recommendations to all staff and the feedback revealed that many staff found the techniques useful in their day to day teaching.
Leadership skills and management of people I work collaboratively with staff on many levels. At the strategic level, I have already highlighted my role in the Strategic Working Party. At the tactical level, I have managed staff in my department, two of which are members of senior management. I have analysed their strengths and assigned them to specific year groups based on their strengths. At an operational level, I employ team teaching techniques in specific lessons and work collaboratively with the Beliefs and Values Department, in particular with helping them to manage their workload. In a whole school subject such as ICT, it is essential that all members of the department are consulted on the decisions I take. I delegate roles to members of the team based on their key attributes. Mr Steel is tasked with coursework related tasks, whilst Mrs Horman has developed an excellent understanding of the younger years. I have given them the freedom to pursue their passions within the curriculum and encouraged them to develop materials that can be used by all. Each member of the department is clear on their role and my expectations. I work in close partnership with other members of my department to ensure that they feel valued, motivated and enthusiastic. We still share the goal that I established at the start of my tenure as Head of ICT and we continue to maintain the standards we have set ourselves, evident in the GCSE and A Level grades we have achieved. My management style ensures that conflict has never been an issue. I see the change in the ICT curriculum as an ideal opportunity to revamp our provision and begin to tailor the qualifications to the ever changing needs of ICT within society. The revised provision now means that there is a seamless integration from Key Stage 4 into Key Stage 5, which in turn links into our new BIT initiative. I also see this as having a wider appeal to potential students in the future. I am not afraid to make difficult decisions and I will tackle any concerns in a proactive manner. I have successfully dealt with underperforming colleagues in the past. Through mentorship, encouragement and motivation these colleagues have become proficient ICT teachers despite no specific ICT training.
Director of 6th Form Application 5
Quality in education provision Having been involved in sixth form provision for all of my teaching career, both as an Assistant Head and Sixth Form mentor, I have an excellent understanding of the issues in the sector. Some of these issues are unique to Jersey and Beaulieu, but my vision would show that we are at the forefront of sixth form provision and a beacon for others to follow. In both positions at De La Salle and Beaulieu, I have developed a high level ability to evaluate teaching at sixth form level. I am able to identify good practices and highlight areas that require improvement. I have undertaken many lesson observations and been able to provide a constructive critique of teacher performance. The analysis of student performance data comes as second nature to me; I have the ability to spot trends and patterns and use this analysis to target areas of weakness and improvement. I feel I would be more than capable of performing this function in a whole school context to help raise achievement across the whole of sixth form. I take part in regular subject based CPD workshops on ICT skills and behavioural management and have enrolled on leadership and management courses.
Understanding of educational issues I am acutely aware of the challenges facing sixth form provision in the Island. I feel that the initiative I am prepared to pursue will give us future stability and sustainability in an otherwise turbulent environment. My role in the Strategic Working Party gave me a valuable insight into the issues that occur behind the scenes and I now have a better understanding of the processes involved.
Director of 6th Form Application 6
My Value My passion has always lay in sixth form provision; this has stemmed from my previous roles in teaching at University level. I am excited by the opportunity to turn our sixth form into beacon of excellence and I am totally committed towards ensuring this happens. I have the ability to pursue this target on a long term basis and the resilience to see it through. This is evidenced in many aspects of my teaching and management within the ICT Department. I feel my enthusiasm is infectious and will inspire both my colleagues and students. My aim is to make them aware that they are part of something very special. In addition, I have exemplary organisational skills and have honed my communications skills over a number of years. Skills learnt during my law degree have influenced and helped me become a proficient communicator. I strongly believe that communication is absolutely vital in this role. As a practicing Catholic, I am fully committed to the Catholic ethos at Beaulieu and with ensuring that it continues to be a central strand within the sixth form. I would seek to enshrine and promote the catholic ethos within the sixth form. I look forward to hearing from you in due course. Yours sincerely Stephen McAllister Head of ICT
Director of 6th Form Application 7