HEAD OF HOUSE MONK HOUSE APPLICATION PACK

St George’s School Harpenden

HEAD OF HOUSE

MONK HOUSE

APPLICATION PACK

St George’s School Harpenden

Contents

About St George’s Pages 2—3

St George’s school vision Page 4

St George’s House System Pages 5—7

About the Role Page 8

Monk House— Head of House Perspecve Page 9

Job Descripon Pages 10—15

Important Informaon and How to Apply Page 16

St George’s School Harpenden

About St George’s

St George’s is a thriving, busy and heavily over-subscribed 11-18 all ability, co-educaonal school

with 1370 pupils including 400 in the academic Sixth Form and approximately 118 boarders. There

are over 98 well qualied and commied full-me and part-me teachers; the full complement of

adults employed by the Governors is over 250.

The school is rated outstanding by Ofsted; and for the last six years we have connued to have

success at both GCSE and A level. 92% of students in Year 11 have achieved 5 or more GCSE passes

at grades 4 - 9. At A Level 96% of students achieve at least 3 A Levels and 100% at least 2 A Levels.

Our Progress 8 measure is 0.78 and places us as ninth out of all non-selecve schools in the country.

We are proud of what our young people achieve both in and outside of the classroom.

We believe that our sta are the best asset that our school has. We appreciate the skills,

knowledge and understanding that sta have of the cra of teaching, and other areas of

experse. We are always encouraging sta to connue to develop their own skill base and

experience, as well as provide opportunies for the sharing of that knowledge with others. We

consider ourselves to be a supporve and friendly environment.

As St George’s is a Chrisan Foundaon School, we ask our sta to support us in this

endeavour, even if it is not their personal belief or faith. We consider that it is our duty to

provide pupils with good role models, and to that end we request that sta have high personal

standards in dress, manners and behaviour. Our Chapel is central to the life of our school, and as

part of our teaching community you aend Chapel once a week with your House and

tutees. Many of our sta choose to take an acve part in chapel life, and we are grateful that many

are willing to share their own experiences of faith and life with students. Part of our expectaons

of pupils, is for them to aend Sunday Chapel three mes per term. Sta are very welcome to

aend Sunday Chapel, but it is not part of our formal expectaons for most sta.

The Pastoral System at St George’s is centred around four Houses. These form a “school

within a school” culture. Students are known by their house, are loyal to it, and are passionate

about being a part of it. Sta are also appointed as tutors and have an extensive range of

responsibilies aached to this posion. Tutor groups are arranged on a paral vercal system with

lower school tutor groups comprising pupils from year 7 and 8, middle school tutor bases, year 9, 10

and 11 and the Upper School tutor bases having a mix of year 12 and year 13

students.

St George’s School Harpenden

About St George’s connued...

We encourage all sta to contribute to our extra-curricular programme. Our pupils are fun to

be with, are grateful for the eort that sta put into extra-curricular delivery, and are

supporve of it. Our strong behaviour ethos means that they are excellent companions of trips

and are keen to learn from these educaonal and cultural acvies. We are a busy school,

with a great many things happening.

St George’s is a State Boarding School, one of only 38 in the country. We currently host 118

boarders in our community from places as far aeld as Herordshire, Spain and Nigeria. We

ask all of our sta to take an interest in our Boarding community and to be involved whenever

and where ever that is possible.

This year we have been recognised as The Sunday Times Comprehensive School of the

Year 2019. The accolade recognises not only our outstanding examinaon results but also our

excellent pastoral care and our work on behalf of various charies within our community.

At St George’s we oen refer to ourselves as the “St George’s family” or the “St George’s

Community”. We consider that our “school” includes our parental body, and the many external

agencies that we work with. We are grateful that we enjoy considerable support from our

parents who provide valuable assistance. They raise much needed funds through the Cecil

Grant Trust Fund, and provide entertainment and fun, as well as nancial assistance through

our acve and engaging PSA. We also have a number of parental volunteers, who support the

school in helping to run the school shop, provide assistance to the Chartered Librarian, coach

sports and support our Science Technicians. In addion to this the School has an acve Alumni

Associaon.

The school is commied to safeguarding and promong the welfare

of children and young people and everyone who works at the school

and volunteers must undergo the rigorous Veng and DBS

procedure before taking up their appointment.

Helen Barton MA

Headmistress

St George’s School Harpenden

St George’s School Vision

“Aim Higher”

"A school does not exist to send out men and women solely to play a part in life whereby they

achieve a competence and honourable life of useful work, but it exists to send out for posterity

and for their own generaon, men and women who by their character shall leave the society in

which they live, the beer for their presence and hence the world much nearer the Kingdom."

Dr Was

For over 100 years the vision for our school has not changed. We rmly believe that the

principles and vision on which our school was founded are as t for purpose today, as they

have always been.

We seek to encourage all within our community to “Aim Higher”; through personal

development and leadership; academic achievement; the exploring and expression of our

Chrisan Faith and through “service beyond self”.

This Vision is reected in our Governors Aims that state that as a School we strive to:

 Providing a rst class educaon which helps all of them to achieve their full potenal.

 Encouraging respect for moral and spiritual values which reect the Chrisan Foundaon

of the school.

 Helping all of them to grow into mature, self-disciplined cizens and caring members of

society prepared for the challenges they will face.

 Having an environment which provides for equality of opportunity and promotes good

relaons between individuals within the school and in the wider community on the basis

of mutual respect.

St George’s School Harpenden

St George’s School House System

St George’s—90%+ GCSE 5 good passes (including English and Maths): overall results hide a

number of very challenged students. The House system at St George’s

Vercal Integraon—House System

There are 4 Houses (Monk, Goddard, Was and Grant), covering Years 7-13, with 365 students in

each House.

Each House has 13 Tutor Groups:

 4 Lower School—Years 7 & 8

 5 Middle School—Years 9, 1 0 & 11

 4 Senior School—Years 12 & 13

Each House is centred in a parcular area of the school, with decentralised House Oces. Each

House has its own e.

Sta mobility is kept to a minimum.

St George’s School Harpenden

House Management Structure

 Deputy Head and Assistant Head (Pastoral)

 Head of House, Leadership Spine 9-13

 Deputy Head of House

 Full-me House Pastoral Assistant, who works 80% in the House and 20% in the Student

Services Hub

 Team of 13 or more Tutors

 Student House Captains x2 and Depues x2

 19 other Prefects, some with specialist roles

 14 year 11, Year 10 and Year 9 Sub-Prefects

 2 Form Captains per Tutor Group

House Management Communicaon

 Weekly ‘mini’ meengs for Heads of House, Deputy Heads of House, support sta and Tutors

 Meengs of the Heads of House Group once a week:

In Week One—the meeng revolves around ‘securing outcomes/emerging threats.

In Week Two—the meeng is a ‘core Heads of House’ meeng concerning House events

and school acvies.

 Regular meengs of ‘The Huddle’: Heads of House, Directors of Learning, Head of Sixth, to

consider how we can be most eecve across the school community

The ‘Huddle’ works with the core leadership team to maintain our high standards and advise

on the implementaon of change and whole school development when needed.

St George’s School Harpenden

Benets of the House System

 Students are well known as ‘individuals’ throughout their career, both in a pastoral sense and

as a learner

 Houses develop a close understanding of individual family situaons

 Students are inducted into live thriving community, rather than having to nd their feet

together as a new Year 7 group

 Students develop rootedness and a sense of community

 Students develop close es with students in senior years, who model desired behaviours and

have rich opportunies to take responsibility (students in Year 7 have sixth form mentors

during their rst term)

 Houses ensure richness of acvity—they are test beds of innovaon, and unlike in a year

group system, a development which works in one house can generally be transplanted to the

others

 All compeve acvity is energised, as the houses used for compeon are those which the

child lives and breathes day in day out

Why does it work at St George’s?

 It is consistent with the original vision of the school’s founder

 It is historically embedded

 It is re-enforced by the layout of the school’s buildings

 It is supported by high quality pastoral managers: weekly metabled meengs sustain focus

 There are fewer daily discipline issues than many other schools

St George’s School Harpenden

Monk House—Perspecve

Monk is the blue House with the Monkey logo. The House moo is ‘Going in the Right Direcon’…aer

Bertram Monk, the rst Georgian killed in World War One, who led his men from the front.

The atmosphere in the house is encouraged to be posive. Tutors are asked to strike a balance between be-

ing rm but using humour, avoiding unnecessary sancons and nding incenves to foster pupil achievement

and behaviour. The tutors and certainly the HOH, DHOH and HPA are very approachable. Monkees (and their

parents) have a denite loyalty which is inslled from the outset and ramied in reasonably relaxed and

humorous House Assemblies and talks to parents. A strong compeve spirit is encouraged and the only

me that the management are controlling is ensuring that teams are representave, and that informaon

and outcomes are displayed on the house noceboards which are kept up-to date and user-friendly.

As in all the houses pupils have a variety of roles. In Monk we do not disnguish between the four House

Captains at the head of the prefect team, ie we do not have Deputy House Captains like the other houses.

The DHOH is in charge of the sub-prefect team (made up of years 10 and 11 pupils) and they are deployed

(amongst other roles) to mentor pupils with academic and organisaonal needs.

Monk pupils are encouraged to be magnanimous, supporve of friends in other houses and to look aer

each other and their environment. Pupils thus do not disparage other houses. If Monk pupils leave the school

as beer people with a healthy regard for others, loyalty to their house and school, and fond memories of

being nurtured, encouraged to be involved and enabled to full roles, then the Monk vision will have been

achieved.

Geographically within the school, Monk House can be perceived as being disadvantaged in that its tutor base

classrooms are all either Science labs or Art rooms, hence tutees have to queue to get in twice per day, and

seang is not conducive to discussion groups.

However, the benets of the locaon are that we have access to the sports hall and its lobby, the old gym

and we are the house that gets access to the sixth form suite of computers. So House Assemblies, Year 12 on

7 mentoring and Friday 5 ICT me are housed in areas which are easily staed and where seng up House

Assemblies when not in the Assembly Hall is easier than for the other houses.

As a Head of House the one thing that I pride myself on is having a good handle on each pupil in the house,

what they do beyond school, and how they ck. This may take me but I will get there as soon as I can. I will

always ensure that I watch pupils taking part in house events, the best of which are music and drama as they

are the vehicles where older pupils interact with and foster the ambions of the younger pupils.

Mr Ali Robertson

Rering Head of House, Monk

St George’s School Harpenden

About the role

Following the rerement of our current Head of House, we are seeking to appoint a new Head

of Monk House from the start of the Autumn Term 2019.

You will be an experienced member of the profession, ambious and appreciave of the

demands and expectaons of a Leadership post. You will have empathy for the needs of

students from varied and diverse backgrounds.

The Head of House will be an exceponal communicator and fully supporve of the school’s

standards. You will take a leading role through your personal involvement in, and commitment

to, the general extra-curricular life of St George’s.

This is a Leadership Spine post which reects the personal and professional commitment that

colleagues are expected to make to St George’s, commitments which may dier from similar

posions held in other schools.

In return we can oer you:

 A reduced teaching commitment (around 50% of that of a main scale teacher)

 Career development and training

 The opportunity to be part of a vibrant, inspiring and supporve team, where everyone’s

contribuons are valued and encouraged

 A place where your work will make a dierence and be appreciated by pupils

 A unique opportunity to work in one of the leading state boarding schools in the country

 Excellent behaviour from pupils

 A sense of belonging; to be part of the community and the St George’s family

Working at St George’s also comes with a number of free addional fringe benets: on site

parking; access to excellent sports and tness facilies; childcare vouchers and provision of

lunch.

Applicaons are welcome from individuals from any subject specialism.

St George’s School Harpenden

Job Descripon: Head of House

Reports to: Deputy Head

General

To be a member of the senior leadership of the school and share responsibilies for day-to-day

organisaon, decision making, discipline and welfare, sta dues and to aend meengs as requested by

the Headmistress. Responsibilies also include aendance at a range of Sunday Chapel services and

parcipaon in the Sunday Chapel duty rota in support of and promoon of the School’s Chrisan

foundaon. At St George’s a Head of House paid on the Leadership spine will be expected to be a part of

the Leadership Team’s commitment to ensuring the safe conduct and care of children during the lunch

period (by contribung to the duty rota), being present at major events and extra-curricular acvies, and

generally supporng his/her colleagues on the Leadership Team in upholding school policy. Liaison with

parents and outside agencies, when appropriate, is also an important part of the role.

Members of the Leadership Team, paid on the Leadership Spine, have a wider remit than classroom

teachers under the Condions for the Employment of School Teachers, are not bound by the prescribed

me budget, but are entled to guaranteed planning and preparaon me. Head of Houses are

responsible to member of the senior leadership team who will also be the performance management team

leader.

Impact on educaonal progress beyond assigned pupils

A Head of House should work with other relevant teachers to:

 Know all pupils in the House as well as possible and become accepted as a person to whom they can

turn for academic and pastoral guidance, in addion to their tutor.

 Oer advice and counsel to students in terms of their academic progress (opons, disconnuaon of

courses etc).

 Idenfy and disseminate, via tutors, appropriate overall aainment targets for pupils in the House.

 Monitor pupil standards and achievement against annual targets or benchmarks.

St George’s School Harpenden

 Co-ordinate the necessary acon with probaoners in the Sixth Form so that they maximise their

learning opportunies.

 Supervise and direct the Tutor Card system, including analysis of the cards and recommending

pupils for Commendaon or Report. Inspect and record pupils on Head of House Report and, in

liaison with the Headmistress, those on Headmistress’s Report in order to movate pupils to real-

ise their potenal against their targets and benchmarks.

 Prepare and hold House Assemblies which reinforce the ethos of the school as a learning and

caring organisaon which celebrates achievement in its widest sense.

 In discussion with tutors, direct and organise eecve academic and pastoral use of tutor period

me and Friday period 5.

 Be responsible for good discipline within the House and ensure that pupils are made aware of the

school rules and all policies relang to their behaviour and learn rounes such as lier duty and

silence during the calling of registers so that they can transfer this compliance to their other

learning situaons.

 Help to maximise learning opportunies by monitoring standards of pupil behaviour, aendance

and punctuality. Ensure that aendance registers are checked regularly, nong reasons for

absence and lateness, and punishing poor punctuality and truancy. Oversee the producon of the

annual aendance return, taking acon to minimise recorded unauthorised absence.

 Deal with students whose serious aendance problem is obstrucng their learning by involving

and supporng outside agencies such as the EWO or Links Centre.

 Act to resolve child protecon issues which can obstruct learning by working with the school’s

Child Protecon Ocer, and when appropriate aend training sessions on child protecon issues.

 Help to maximise learning opportunies for pupils by enforcing sancons in the school disciplinary

policy, monitoring the Heads of House Detenon system for punishment of lateness, and

parcipang in the rotas for Friday Detenons, ‘On Call’ and supervising pupils removed from

lessons.

 Be involved in monitoring the implementaon of the school’s Teaching and Learning policy by

subject teachers with respect to the pupils of the House.

 Ensure that the checking of prep books of Years 7 to 12 by tutors is done to schedule and that

remedial acon is taken where pupils are at risk of failing to maximise their learning opportunies

in partnership with parents

 Monitor the seng of homework to ensure the entlement of pupils is met and the agreed

metable is adhered to. Liaise with Subject Leaders where acon by them is seen as necessary.

 Liaise with SENCO, Boarding House sta and Subject Leaders to help to ensure that the academic

needs of all pupils in the House are met.

St George’s School Harpenden

 Organise, with the help of tutors, the selecon and supervision of House Captains, Prefects and Sub-

Prefects. Induct them in their role and ensure their development and eecveness.

 Oversee the organisaon of House Acvies (sporng, cultural, charies, etc) and inter-house events.

 Plan and implement strategies where improvement needs are idened.

 Ensure that relevant House aainment or achievement targets are met.

 Monitor the work of the House Team to ensure all sta are meeng minimum quality standards and act

appropriately where this is not the case.

Leading, developing and enhancing the professional pracce of others

A Head of House should work with other relevant teachers to:

 Maintain a high level of personal experse and share it with others.

 Lead a team of tutors, including fostering their professional development and supporng new colleagues.

Delegate appropriate responsibilies to the Deputy Head of House ensuring that they are prepared for

future promoon.

 Act as a role model of good professional pracce for other teachers.

 Ensure that the team of tutors meets regularly (as directed by the school calendar), understands the poli-

cies of the school and develops their tutor groups so that every pupil feels that the school is doing every-

thing possible to develop his or her academic and social capabilies to the fullest extent.

 Monitor and evaluate the operaon of the House tutor team including the delivery of the daily act of

worship.

 Induct, support and monitor new sta.

 Support tutors in their discussions with other sta and parents concerning their tutees.

 Ensure tutors complete their elements of the annual report eecvely, write a Head of House comment

and ensure reports are ready for dispatch on me.

 Monitor compleon of UCAS references by tutors. Check the quality of applicaons and references and

dispatch them using ‘UCASapply’.

St George’s School Harpenden

 Support performance management team leaders with professional informaon about teachers in

the House.

 Support and uphold the school’s standards and ethos by eecvely carrying out all dues assigned

by the Headmistress including leading a duty team, aending House Chapels with the team of tu-

tors during the week and to further contribute by his/her presence at designated Sunday services

to supervise pupils and ensure that they can verify their aendance.

Accountability for leading, managing and developing a House

A Head of House should work with other relevant teachers to:

 Idenfy relevant school and House improvement issues, contribung to the producon of the

annual pastoral development plan.

 Dene and agree appropriate improvement targets.

 Idenfy and coordinate connuing professional development (CPD) needs and opportunies.

 Evaluate the impact of all improvement acvies.

 Parcipate in regular meengs with the Leadership Group manager, including the Heads of House

meeng, iniate discussion and provide relevant House and pupil performance informaon as

requested.

 Arrange meengs with parents in order to acquaint them with school policy, or to discuss welfare

or general problems arising with their child. Telephone or write to parents and outside agencies

when necessary.

 Aend all Year meengs and Parents Consultaons Evenings with parents to be available to deal

with any issues parents may wish to discuss with them.

 Idenfy resource needs for the House and advise the Leadership Group of likely priories for me

and expenditure.

 Use the accommodaon available for the House to create an eecve and smulang environ-

ment within available resources.

 Report periodically on developments in the House to Governors and parents.

St George’s School Harpenden

 Ensure that the House contributes eecvely to whole school iniaves and events.

 Ensure that House oce records oer a complete picture of all student progress so that future

needs can be met.

 Ensure that developments in the House are eecvely publicised via means such as the school web-

site and Governors’ Report.

 Lead sta and students in keeping tutor bases and House areas dy and lier free.

Line management responsibility for a signicant number of people

The Head of House should:

 Monitor and evaluate the contribuon of other sta, both teaching and support, and senior stu-

dents, to school improvement across the House.

 Plan the deployment of House sta experse to achieve school improvement objecves in the most

eecve way.

 Take rst line responsibility for the pastoral care and welfare of the House team of tutors and

aached sta.

 Direct the work of the Deputy Head of House and House Pastoral Assistant to ensure the eecve

operaon and development of the House.

St George’s School Harpenden

Important Informaon and How to Apply

 Leadership Range: L 9—L 13

 Pay Range: £49,055—£54,021

 Start Date: Autumn Term 2019

 Closing Date for Applicaons: 8.40 am, Wednesday 6 February 2019

 Interview Date: Friday 15 February 2019

Please complete a St George’s applicaon form and send with a leer:

 Explaining how your experience to date has prepared you for the post;

 Your views on the way in which you would work as a senior leader to improve the

quality of experience and academic progress of the students in your charge and

 An outline of your career aspiraons and how your appointment to the post of Head

of Monk house will benet you and the school.

Please send to: [email protected]

St Georges school is commied to safeguarding and promong the welfare of children and

expects all sta and visitors to share this commitment. This post will require an Enhanced

Disclosure and Barring Service check (DBS)