www.wilsonsschool.org

Brief for the position of

HeadWilson’s School, Wallington

Required from September 2014

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Contents: The School 3

Introduction 3

The school roll 4

Admissions 4

Academic Profile 4

Teaching and Learning 4

Extra-curricular and co-curricular activity 5

Pastoral Care 5

Facilities 5

Ownership and Governance 6

The Foundation and Trust 6

Academy Status and Governance 6

The Diocese 6

Finances 6

Ofsted 6

External Relations 6

The Role 7

Post Title: Head of Wilson’s School 7

Purpose 7

Principal Duties 8

The Person 9

Remuneration 9

How to Apply 10

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The school has never been stronger than it is today. Our academic profile is very impressive; our staff are first rate; the school is hugely oversubscribed; our financial position is sound; and our facilities are excellent, with plans to improve them still further. More importantly, the school has a strong sense of its distinctive identity: our students and our staff have a genuine pride in the school and its achievements and derive great satisfaction and pleasure from their work here. The values of excellence and ambition in all aspects of the school’s activity are deeply rooted and explicitly supported by all sections of the school’s community. Our students, nearly all of whom remain with us for seven years, leave with a breadth and wealth of experience gained both within and outside the classroom that have helped to make them impressively well rounded, engaging and civilised human beings.

Candidates should familiarise themselves with the school’s website which contains a wealth of information about the school and its ethos, curriculum and activities. The website functions as the school’s on-line prospectus. It is also an important vehicle for communication with parents and other members of the school community. The weekly newsletter, which is published on the site, gives a very clear impression of the range of activities that mark a normal week at Wilson’s. A full archive of the newsletters is also published on the site.

The SchoolIntroductionIn September 2015, Wilson’s School will celebrate the 400th anniversary of its foundation in 1615 when Edward Wilson, the Vicar of Camberwell, obtained letters patent from King James I, to the effect that “for all time to come there shall be one Grammar School for the education, institution and instruction of children and youths in Grammar to be called The Free Grammar School of Edward Wilson.” From its beginnings as a local grammar school in inner London, and forty years on from its relocation to Wallington in Surrey, a move occasioned by the prospect of closure under the education reorganisation by ILEA in the 1970s, the school has emerged strongly and become established as one of the finest boys’ state funded schools in the country with results at A level that rival or better most of the best independent schools. It continues to embody the traditional ethos of the grammar school, in providing the opportunity of a first class academic education to children regardless of their financial status or social standing. Wilson’s continues to educate substantial numbers of bright children from families with very limited financial means and as a result provides life changing opportunities for them. Its population fully reflects the very diverse and ethnically mixed population of modern day London.

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The school rollWhen the school first relocated to Wallington it was as a four form entry school, taking 120 pupils a year. Its buildings were constructed to accommodate 750 pupils. In 2005, the school expanded to five forms of entry, taking 150 pupils a year. Currently the school has 1063 students, of whom 301 are in the sixth form. The school has recently made proposals to the Secretary of State to expand from 2015 to six forms of entry taking 180 pupils in each year group. In anticipation of his approval, we will expand in September 2014 by taking an additional 30 pupils in year 7.

AdmissionsThe school is hugely oversubscribed and is undoubtedly one of the most popular and well-regarded schools in the South London region.

We draw our students from a wide area although approximately 70% live within a five mile radius of the school. The remaining students travel from other London boroughs and from Surrey. Good public transport makes the school accessible from a wide area.

Students are selected by examination. The school collaborates with other South London grammar schools in running a Selective Eligibility Test as a first round selection test. In 2013, approximately 2300 students sat this test and 800 were passed for the second round tests. The schools run their second round tests independently. We test students in challenging mathematics and English tests that we write and mark ourselves.

We receive applications from between 150 and 200 students a year to join the Sixth Form. Each year we admit between 12 and 20 of the strongest of these candidates.

Academic ProfileThe school’s academic profile has improved greatly over the past decade. In 2003, its 3 year average A*-A grade score for GCSE stood at 60% and this has risen now to 89%. At A level 3 year average figures show a similar improvement, from 67% A*-B grades in 2003 to 93.4% in 2013 and 36.8% A*-A grades in 2003 to 72.2% in 2013. There is strong consistency of attainment across departments. Approximately 70% of our A level entries are accounted for by mathematics, the sciences and economics, but performance in the arts and humanities is equally strong. Full details of attainment in the public examinations for the 2013 session can be seen on the school’s website.

In 2013 the school sent 24 students to Oxford and Cambridge, 17 students to medical and dental school and the great majority of its students to Russell Group universities.

Teaching and LearningThe school’s excellent outcomes, and particularly their improvement in recent years, owe a great deal to the excellence of the teaching and learning that take place in the classroom. We have invested a huge amount over the past few years in ensuring that our teaching and learning practice across the school is of a very high order. There is a strong culture of pedagogical development and interest within the staff room as well as in departments: a significant number of staff are actively engaged in pedagogical CPD and in support for NQTs and new teachers at the school.

We are strongly committed to ensuring that all teachers have the opportunity to develop their professional skills to a very high level. We have a shared vision for what excellence in learning for our students should ‘look like’. Based closely upon the Classroom Quality Standards for Gifted & Talented education, we strive to create a real passion for learning in our students and a real enthusiasm for pedagogy amongst our staff.

All members of staff pursue a well-supported range of professional development routes to help develop their personal practice. Teaching and Learning is led by a team headed by the school’s Assistant Head, who is assisted by two teaching and learning coordinators and the Deputy Head. In addition, a good number of other staff are actively engaged in pedagogical and professional training and development.

Candidates should familiarise themselves with the school’s current programmes, details of which can be found at http://www.wilsonsschool.sutton.sch.uk/community/staff /

We do not expect any teacher to be outstanding all the time – far from it - but we do want all to strive for excellence in their normal pedagogical practice. A commitment to that ethos and vision is something that we regard as absolutely essential in all our teachers.

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educating pupils in self discipline and in adopting a positive and public-spirited approach. Relationships between students and staff are very positive, a feature of the school frequently commented on by visitors. The excellent relationships between teachers and students make Wilson’s a very pleasant school to work in. The students are engaging, courteous, well motivated and well behaved.

FacilitiesThe school has substantial, modern, light and well maintained facilities which are completely adequate to our current needs. The main school building, which was constructed in 1975 for a much smaller school and which remains at the heart of much of the school’s activity, has been supplemented in phases as the school has grown. In 1998 a Sixth Form centre was added and in 2005 a large new three storey teaching block was built with the benefit of a substantial grant. At the same time we extended and refurbished our art and DT facilities and sports hall.

We have plans, which are now at an advanced stage, to build a new two storey Lower School building comprising 12 new classrooms, a large canteen and some additional music space, to support our expansion to 6 forms of entry. This new building, which will be engineered off-site, will be built between June and December 2014, with foundations designed to support a third floor in due course to enable the school to address the demands of additional pressure on science facilities as the school expands. The new building will enable us to address some of the pressures on circulation within the main school building.

We are exceptionally fortunate, given that we are a London school, in having extensive grounds. We are able to lay out five football pitches to support our fixture programme and we have 13 all-weather rubber crumb courts which are run and maintained on our site by PowerLeague Ltd which uses them to run a 5-a-side football business after school hours.

Extra-curricular and co-curricular activityActivity outside the classroom is intrinsic to the character of Wilson’s. Our programme is very rich, wide-ranging and varied. The experiences that students gain through participation in these activities are among the most enriching and rewarding aspects of their school life and they derive much enjoyment from them. One of our key aims is to ensure that all pupils participate in extra-curricular activity and this is supported by a number of different structures at the school, not least the House System, which provides for a full range of competitive and charitable activity.

A number of very well developed activities, all of which are marked by genuine excellence, lie at the heart of the school’s extra-curricular and co-curricular offering. School sport is exceptionally strong. Football and cricket are the school’s main sports: in a typical year, more than three hundred football fixtures will be played. Over the past few years rugby has become an increasingly important sport at the school supported enthusiastically by a significant number of students. The school is a badminton academy and we are one of the country’s most successful badminton schools. Athletics, table tennis and basketball all feature prominently in the school’s sporting curriculum and fixture calendar. The Sports department aims to develop elite sportsmen alongside the parallel objective of securing the widest participation. Simple participation is valued and encouraged for its own sake and forms the foundation for a developed competitive structure.

Music is equally strong, providing an extensive range of opportunities for involvement and participation. There is a full range of ensembles, orchestras and choirs and standards of performance are very impressive (a number of recordings of students’ performances can be found on the music microsite which can be accessed from the school website).

Other equally strong and impressive aspects of the school’s provision include the very well supported and run CCF, the Duke of Edinburgh Award (bronze, silver and gold), drama, chess and debating.

Full details of the school’s extra-curricular and co-curricular activity can be found on the school’s website.

Pastoral CareThe pastoral system of the school is a particular strength and does much to maintain high levels of motivation among the students. Our aim is to foster the development of the whole person and to provide scope for every student to explore his own strengths, to understand and begin to tackle his weaknesses and to develop teamwork skills. We aim to support students in developing a resilient, optimistic, confident and ambitious outlook.

Each key stage has its own Director who manages a team of Year Heads. Pastoral support is provided by a team of tutors who monitor progress and deal with any difficulties promptly.

We strive to be a caring community and to provide a challenging environment in which everyone feels valued and accepted and, consequently, can have the self-confidence, motivation and opportunity to fulfil their potential. Behaviour management systems in the school are good-natured but firm, with a strong emphasis on

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Ownership and GovernanceThe Foundation and TrustThe school is supported by the Wilson’s Grammar School Foundation and the Wilson’s Charitable Trust. These two charities, albeit separate legal entities, are managed by the same board of Trustees, most of whom are old boys of the school. The Foundation continues to own the former school buildings in Camberwell and to manage the rental income from these assets, which are now used by the London University of the Arts. The Trust manages the income which derives from parental donations and the rental income from PowerLeague.

The Foundation has been able to support significant capital development over the years. It will be the major source of funding for the new Lower School building. Income from parental donations is made available in its entirety to the school to support its educational activities and it is this additional income that enables us to support the unusually extensive extra-curricular programme as well as to support other aspects of our provision, including maintenance of minority subjects, very favourable group sizes and setting arrangements which would otherwise be unviable.

Academy Status and GovernanceWilson’s adopted Academy status in 2011. The Academy Board of Directors is the school’s Governing Body and is referred to as the Governing Body. Several members of the Foundation and Trust are also Governors of the school. The Governing Body oversees all aspects of the school’s activity and monitors the performance and financial stability of the school very carefully. Its main committees are the Education and Policy Committee and the Finance and General Purposes Committee. The Governing Body is deeply respectful of the leadership and management function of the Head, whom it regards as its chief executive and to whom it delegates very high levels of autonomy.

The DioceseThe school has a historical link with the Church of England but is not a Church School. Religious affiliation plays no part in the selection processes of the school either for pupils or staff.

Two members of the Trust and Governing Body are appointees of the Southwark Diocesan Board of Education. The school is inspected periodically by the Diocese under Section 48 of the Education Act. In its most recent Section 48 inspection the school was deemed to be outstanding.

The relationship between the school and the Diocesan Board is outlined in a Memorandum of Understanding which defines the school’s religious character in broadly ethical terms and which respects the school’s very diverse community as well as its Christian heritage. There is no expectation that the new Head will be a practising member of the Church of England or any other Christian denomination, but it is important that the new Head will lead and run the school in accordance with the principles outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding.

FinancesThe school’s finances are very sound. We have been prudent in recent years in accumulating the additional funding that has resulted from academy status to support the transition of the school to the more restricted regime that is resulting from cuts to sixth form funding which will, by the time transitional funding disappears in 2015/16, amount to a cut of approximately 9% in the school’s total funding.

Our decision to expand has been taken very largely for financial reasons and specifically to give us the economies of scale that will enable us to maintain our existing programmes and provision.

OfstedThe school’s last Ofsted inspection was in May 2007. A copy of the report can be found on the school website. On that occasion the school was deemed to be outstanding in every category. The school has continued to improve strongly since that time and we believe that it will be very well placed to meet the higher bar represented by the new framework with equal success.

External RelationsThe school works in a collaborative and very productive and positive way with the other secondary schools within the London Borough of Sutton. Wilson’s was the first of the local secondary schools to become an Academy and played a pivotal role in the establishment of the partnership of Sutton Secondary Schools following the move to academy status of the majority of secondary schools in the area.

The partnership includes 14 secondary schools (5 grammar schools, 8 comprehensives, 1 special school) and a PRU.

The school has productive partnerships, which are expressed in various ways, with Wallington High School for Girls and Trinity School, Lewisham – a Church of England comprehensive school. We work with a number of local primary schools in programmes relating to Mathematics and ICT.

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PurposeTo provide professional leadership and management of the school ensuring at all times the safety of all pupils and staff, implementing all safeguarding legislation and conducting the affairs of the school to the benefit of its pupils, pursuing objectives and implementing policies agreed and set out by the Governing Body of the school.

The RolePost Title: Head of Wilson’s SchoolResponsible to: The Chair of the Governors of Wilson’s School

The next Head of Wilson’s School will assume leadership of an outstanding school which enjoys a large number of enviable attributes. The Governing Body is very ambitious for the school and is determined to ensure that its new leader will see its current strength not simply as a source of satisfaction, but as a dynamic springboard for further success.

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• Implement the principles and ethos reflected in the Memorandum of Understanding between the school and the Diocesan Board of Education.

• Promote the intellectual, spiritual, physical, moral, social and cultural wellbeing of children and young people.

To lead change and continuous improvement

• Inspire and lead a dynamic school community with vision and enthusiasm, putting the needs of students first at all times and promoting commitment to the school and a spirit of shared responsibility for its well-being and development.

• Develop the school’s ethos, motivate staff and encourage students to reach their full potential.

• Shape and articulate a shared vision and set of aims for the school which inspire and motivate students, staff and all members of the school community.

• Build and maintain outstanding professional practice in all areas of the school’s activity, working constantly to improve the quality of students’ experience in their school lives.

• Design and implement good quality assurance strategies to monitor and develop the school’s effectiveness.

• Demonstrate personal commitment to continuous improvement through rigorous school self-evaluation and improvement planning.

• Encourage creativity, resilience and flexibility in the process of change, enabling staff to take responsibility for whole school improvement.

• Work in partnership with other services and agencies involved with children, young people and their families to effect improvement in well-being and learning.

To use resources effectively

• Make best strategic and operational use of all available resources.

• Develop and implement a whole school budget, working closely with the school’s Finance Manager and the Governing Body (of which you will be an ex-officio member).

• Consult appropriately with staff on economic, efficient and effective use of all relevant resources, integrating the planned budget with the school improvement and staff development plans.

Principal DutiesTo lead and manage learning and teaching

• Create a school ethos that puts achievement at the heart of all that it does and promote a culture of personal accountability and passion for education.

• Lead and support outstanding practice in teaching and learning and build a culture of pedagogical development and interest among the teaching staff.

• Maintain a culture of respect, good behaviour and service, setting high expectations for all within the school community.

• Monitor and evaluate the quality of learning and teaching.

• Promote the extra-curricular and co-curricular life of the school, ensuring balance and inclusivity of provision, with a focus on participation, opportunity and excellence.

• Provide pastoral care for all pupils, embracing the principle of inclusion.

• Model good practice in all interactions with students, staff, parents and other members of the school’s community.

• Ensure that the school operates in accordance with national legislation and guidance applicable to Academies.

To lead and develop staff and students

• Demonstrate a clear commitment to collegiality through developing and supporting effective teams and individuals, encouraging leadership at all levels.

• Manage, review and develop the performance of all members of the school staff, according to relevant policies and procedures.

• Recruit and select staff working according to relevant employment legislation and national agreements governing employment, including safer recruitment guidance.

• Promote and ensure equality and fairness in school life, complying with all relevant legislation.

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• Have experience of leadership and management of staff and of developing an open and supportive working environment.

Leadership and Management Skills

• Be able to translate an ambitious vision for the school into meaningful plans and objectives and to gain assent and commitment from the staff community.

• Be able to communicate well, both orally and in writing, in a range of contexts.

• Have excellent problem solving skills. Candidates should be able to demonstrate having dealt successfully with a range of challenges.

• Have good project management skills.

• Have excellent financial and resource planning and management skills.

• Be able to work with conflicting demands and timescales.

• Be able to delegate effectively.

Personal Attributes

• Be a builder of teams and a team player, with the ability to create and nurture a strong sense of common purpose around core values and aims.

• Have a strong personal presence, with the ability to hold and engage audiences, both large and small.

• Demonstrate cultural sensitivity and awareness, with an open and accepting attitude that celebrates diversity, welcomes difference and rejects intolerance.

• Demonstrate a capacity to combine resolution and firmness with kindness and empathy.

• Be able to think creatively and seek imaginative solutions.

• Be open to the views of stakeholders and a willing and effective listener.

RemunerationRemuneration will be according to the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document. The school is a group 7 school and the indicative range is L33-L39 (£86,066-£99,167). The Governors are determined to appoint the best candidate for the post and will, if appropriate, make use of provisions within the STPCD to recruit using a higher range.

• Monitor and evaluate the use of the resources, at all times prioritising the broad teaching and learning needs of students.

• Deploy staff to meet the teaching and learning, leadership and management, and administrative needs of the school effectively and efficiently.

• Be the accounting officer for the school.

To build the whole community

• Develop and maintain positive partnerships with parents, children and young people and other services and agencies to promote and enrich the educational experience of students and staff.

• Create and improve effective working relationships with all those involved in the school community, working proactively to resolve any issues or disputes that may arise.

• Work collaboratively with the Partnership of Sutton Secondary Schools.

• Promote and sustain the outstanding reputation of the school within the local community.

The PersonThe successful candidate will be an inspirational and innovative leader who will secure the full engagement of staff and all other stakeholders in the delivery of the school’s strategic aims. He or she will:

Qualifications and Experience

• Have a tertiary degree from a well-respected University.

• Have a PGCE or other recognised teaching qualification (NPQH is not a requirement of the post, but is considered desirable).

• Have substantial general experience across a broad range of educational activities, including significant middle management and senior leadership experience.

• Be able to demonstrate a record of outstanding performance as a teacher, including an excellent record in securing public examination success for your students.

• Be able to demonstrate experience and achievement as a leader and manager in driving for and securing improved academic results.

• Be able to demonstrate a sympathetic understanding of the particular demands of selective education and an awareness of current and future issues.

• Have an in-depth knowledge of current and developing education policy and the ability to assess its potential impact in the context of this school.

• Have impressive experience of engaging and building relationships with key internal and external stakeholders.

• Have experience of developing, implementing and monitoring strategic educational plans.

• Be able to demonstrate experience of successful resource management, both financial and human.

• Have experience across a range of staff management processes, e.g. recruitment, development, retention, performance management and capability management and/or dismissal.

REHABILITATION OF OFFENDERS ACT 1974 (Exceptions)

(Amendment) Order 1986

Wilson’s School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff to share this commitment. This Act requires applicants for employment concerned with the provision to persons under the age of 18 of schooling, supervision, training or recreational facilities which allows access to children and young people, to disclose ALL their previous criminal convictions, including “spent” convictions, bind-over orders and cautions as defined within the Act. Any offer of employment will be subject to clearance, satisfactory to the governors of Wilson’s School, that you are suitable for employment within the category of the post applied for.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

Wilson’s School has a strong commitment to equal opportunities and values diversity amongst members of staff and applicants for employment. It aims to ensure that individuals are treated equally and fairly. Wilson’s School and its staff will not therefore discriminate, directly or indirectly, (except insofar as the law may allow) on the grounds of:

Culture (including race and skin colour), ethnic or national origin, nationality (including citizenship), age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, HIV status, social class, marital status, membership of a trade union, or religion.

How to ApplyYou should complete the application and safeguarding information form and submit a covering letter which outlines how your experience and qualifications demonstrate your suitability to lead Wilson’s School. You are also invited to submit a full C.V. presenting yourself, your experience and your qualifications in the manner you feel best demonstrates how you meet the job description and person specification.

Applications must be received by noon on Monday 3rd February. Shortlisted candidates will be informed on Thursday 6th February and will be invited to make an informal visit to the school on Friday 7th or Monday 10th February, when they will have the opportunity to meet with the current Head, Mr Damien Charnock. Interviews will be held on Wednesday 12th and Thursday 13th February. Candidates will be required to attend on both days.

Applications may be submitted by email to Mrs Caitlin Lowe at csl@wilsonsschool.sutton.sch.uk or by post to Mrs Caitlin Lowe, Senior School Administrator, Wilson’s School, Mollison Drive, Wallington, SM6 9JW (tel 0208 773 2931, ext 167).