Application Pack for the post of

HEAD Newton Prep School for September 2013

HEAD for September 2013 Newton Prep School, London Co-educational • 592 pupils • 3 to 13 years

School Profile Newton Prep is a successful and dynamic independent school, offering a challenging education for boys and girls between the ages of 3 and 13. Although a relatively new school, having been set up in 1991, it has grown from strength to strength (current role is 592). Newton Prep’s excellent reputation is enhanced by its fine modern facilities and a dynamic curriculum which provides opportunities that benefit both its pupils and staff. The school premises are bright and spacious with plenty of outside space including an all weather pitch, used for tennis, cricket, netball and football and a garden. Newton has expanded above and around the original Edwardian building to include; two gyms; two art studios; a 300 seat auditorium (with professional sound and lighting systems); three stateof-the-art science labs and ICT suites; a warm, welcoming library filled with over 16,000 books; plus a new lower school building for the Apple Nursery, Years 1 and 2, and the new lower school assembly hall. An extensive building programme is currently nearing completion which will provide a third gymnasium, new changing rooms, and a new music school with a recital hall and a high-tech music technology room. Our aim is to provide a rounded education which seeks to achieve a proper balance of academic excellence, social development and a wide range of extra-curricular activities. The school offers exceptional opportunities for personal development, encouraging curiosity and imagination at every stage of school life. As a result, our pupils respond to new challenges with interest and determination, thriving on new experiences and discoveries. The curriculum is taught by subject specialists from Year 4 upwards. French is taught from Reception, Spanish in years 2 and 3, and Latin from Year 5. Pupils who stay on for Years 7 and 8 follow the Common Entrance syllabuses leading to transfer to senior independent schools at 13+. Streaming and setting according to ability and achievement are widely used to enhance learning throughout the school. The average class size is 16 with 20 being the desired maximum. The Nursery year has two classes as do Years 7 and 8; the rest of the school has four classes per year group.

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HEAD for September 2013 Newton Prep School, London Co-educational • 592 pupils • 3 to 13 years

Management

Senior Management Team

Newton Prep is privately owned, but its governance closely resembles that of a charitable trust school. The Chairman, Dr Farouk Walji, is advised by the School Council which has several sub-committees: Education, General Purposes, and Fees & Salaries. Our School Council, made up of many eminent educationalists, meets once a term to challenge and inspire the senior management team. A list of members of the School Council can be found on the school website.

Newton Prep has three deputies: Upper School (Years 3 to 8), Lower School (Nursery to Year 2) and the Deputy Head – Academic. The SMT comprises the three deputies and the Bursar. The Head chairs a weekly meeting with the SMT and has weekly individual meetings with each member. The three deputies and the Bursar enjoy equal status and equal access to the Head Teacher.

The Finance Committee, which meets weekly, comprises the Chairman, Head and the Bursar. The SMT attends the termly meetings of two of the sub-committees of the School Council: Education, and General Purposes. Every other year, the SMT and School Council have an ‘Away Day’ during which strategic aims are discussed. The SMT has been closely and directly involved in recent years in the planning of the major redevelopment of the school, attending special meetings with the Chairman, Head and the professionals involved in the building project which is nearing completion.

The Deputy Head – Upper School (DHUS) leads a team of Heads of Year: Head of Years 7 & 8; Head of Years 5 & 6; Head of Year 4, and Head of Year 3. The DHUS is the designated Child Protection Officer for his/ her section of the school. The role of the Deputy Head – Lower School (DHLS) is identical in character to that of the DHUS. The Deputy Head – Academic (DHA) is responsible for the curriculum throughout the school and for matters of staff training and target setting. Simply put, the DHUS and the DHLS look after pupiloriented issues which often involve consultation with staff and parents, and the administration necessary for the smooth running of their sections. The DHA’s management role focuses on staff rather than pupil issues, and on the management of the curriculum through Heads of Department. The management structure currently in operation at Newton Prep was adopted in September 2010. The lack of hierarchy and the direct contact with non-executive members of the School Council have ensured that school business is conducted briskly and efficiently. Great emphasis is placed upon delegation which helps to bring about the professional development of more junior colleagues. The Deputy Heads enjoy considerable autonomy in the running of their respective areas of responsibility but are expected to consult frequently with the Head.

Summary In short, Newton Prep is a large, well resourced prep school run on secondary school lines.

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HEAD for September 2013 Newton Prep School, London Co-educational • 592 pupils • 3 to 13 years

BACKGROUND

Experience:

Newton Prep has the good fortune to be strategically placed within range of the most strikingly expanding area of central London and is at a correspondingly exhilarating stage of its educational development. By the beginning of the next academic year, we anticipate the £10M building project being complete so this appointment presents a unique opportunity for someone with the vision to take the School to new heights of distinction.

• Relevant management and leadership experience at a senior level with a proven track record of success

The new Head will inherit an efficient organisation and administration which s/he will naturally be expected to lead. We will however be looking for someone who brings not only organisational experience but the capacity and experience to look beyond day-to-day management and realise a vision of how the school should develop in the future.

PERSON SPECIFICATION The successful candidate should be someone with a commanding presence, an outgoing and warm personality and the ability to lead by example and delegate effectively to a well qualified and experienced senior management team. S/he should also be a good communicator. A strong academic background is a key requirement, preferably with a professional qualification, as is a keen interest in all aspects of education and an ability to build positive relationships with leading senior schools, as well as with staff, children and their parents. Previous experience of working in the independent sector is preferable. One further very important feature of the post is the relationship between the Head and a strongly supportive Chairman who has a keen interest in education and wishes to see the School make its mark as a leading innovative prep school. Specifically we are seeking to appoint someone who is able to demonstrate the following experience, knowledge and skills:

• a well-qualified and experienced and successful teacher with the knowledge of how to establish clear standards and expectations of teaching and learning in order to manage and evaluate performance • experience and ability to market and represent the school effectively

Skills: • the ability to lead, guide and inspire staff, through an inclusive and empowering management approach which promotes trust and team work • Vision, energy and the ability to think strategically to ensure that the School continues to develop and be at the forefront of educational • a good understanding of financial matters to ensure that the School’s finances are managed and spent effectively • strength of character, integrity and self confidence to be able to communicate; deal fairly and sensitively with people at all levels; and manage conflict • the ability to nurture and develop positive relationships with members of the school and wider community • share and identify with the school’s ethos and values

Other qualities and competencies: • Excellent communication skills, oral and verbal • Time management skills • The capacity to delegate • Intellectual calibre and maturity • Emotional resilience and maturity • Personable • An appetite for hard work • Dedication and a sense of vocation • Empathy with and respect for those with whom s/he works: pupils, staff and parents

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HEAD for September 2013 Newton Prep School, London Co-educational • 592 pupils • 3 to 13 years

JOB DESCRIPTION

Main duties and responsibilities:

The School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Curriculum

Summary of the role: The Head is appointed by the Chairman and is responsible to the Board of Directors through the Chairman, with advice from the School Council. The Head is ultimately responsible for all aspects of management and running of the school and for establishing and maintaining the ethos of the school through personal example. The Head delegates many of these responsibilities to the members of the Senior Management Team, the Registrar, Director of External Affairs, the HR Manager and the Facilities Manager and must therefore monitor their work appropriately, either directly or indirectly.

Inspire best practice and foster excellence in teaching by setting high professional standards in attitude and commitment to the curriculum and its development to:• Ensure that all pupils are able to benefit from a broad and balanced curriculum • Ensure that the educational needs of all pupils are appropriately met including those of high ability learners • Ensure that teaching and learning is properly resourced • Ensure that the delivery of the curriculum is properly monitored, reviewed and evaluated in keeping with current educational initiatives • Ensure the proper assessment, reporting and recording of pupils’ academic progress • Ensure that the school is properly prepared for inspection

Senior Management & Administrative Structure • Senior Management & Administrative Structure • The Head is responsible for leading and supporting academic and administrative staff in the best interests of the school • The Head has direct line management responsibility for the five members of the School’s senior management team who in turn are responsible for the wider administration of the School.

Reporting • The Head is responsible to the Chairman and reports to him in weekly meetings and through regular written reports to the School Council and its Sub-Committees.

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HEAD for September 2013 Newton Prep School, London Co-educational • 592 pupils • 3 to 13 years

Pupils • Ensuring that due regard is paid to the safety of pupils

The Wider Community Chairman and School Council

• Ensuring that all pupils are properly safeguarded with regard to child-protection

• Devising, reporting on and executing the school’s strategic development plan

• Ensuring that all pupils are properly looked after pastorally

• Keeping the Chairman and School Council abreast of developments, problems and achievements within the school on a regular basis

• Ensuring that the academic progress of all pupils is properly monitored • Ensuring that all pupils are properly prepared for senior school transfer

• The planning of School Council/SMT ‘Away Days’ • Advising the Newton Scholarship Fund Trustees • Establishing good relations with:

• The recruitment and retention of pupils as appropriate

• senior schools

• The discipline and conduct of pupils

• feeder schools

Staff • The recruitment of all teaching and administrative staff (with the exception of the Deputy Heads and Bursar who are appointed by the School Council) in line with best practice and within the financial limits set by the Finance Committee • The retention of staff • Recommending staff salaries to Fees and Salaries Review Committee and Financial Committee • The discipline and conduct of staff • The training and professional development of staff • The professional and pastoral support of staff

• professional associations, especially IAPS 3rd • media • alumni and alumnae • past parents • neighbours

The School Environment and its Resources • Ensuring that the school is a safe and clean environment for all • Ensuring high standards of maintenance are upheld within budgetary confines

• Target setting for staff on an annual basis

• Ensuring that all aspects of teaching and learning are properly resourced

• The day-to-day management of the school through delegation to the SMT

Financial Matters

Parents

• Responsible to the Board of Directors through the Chairman for the overall financial well being of the school

• Meeting and addressing prospective parents individually and collectively • Advising current parents on such matters as senior school transfer • Dealing with parental concerns and complaints on an informal and formal basis

• In conjunction with Chairman and Bursar ensure that the school’s finances are managed effectively and efficiently to achieve the school’s educational goals and priorities • Ensure that budgets are properly determined, allocated and managed.

• Liaising with the PTA

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HEAD for September 2013 Newton Prep School, London Co-educational • 592 pupils • 3 to 13 years

Other duties and responsibilities • To be available for consultation and meetings outside of term-time with the Chairman and School Council • To work in a manner which is safe and healthy for both yourself and others with whom you come into contact; • To comply with safety instructions and regulations; • To promptly report all safety hazards and unsafe working practices; • To be familiar with the school’s Health & Safety Policy and comply with it at all times; • To read and be familiar with the staff handbook and follow the procedures therein;

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HEAD for September 2013 Newton Prep School, London Co-educational • 592 pupils • 3 to 13 years

HOW TO APPLY

Anthony Millard Consulting

The closing date for applications is Monday 1st October

Anthony Millard Consulting was established in the summer of 2004 to provide the British education sector, both in the UK and internationally, with first class strategic and recruitment consultancy.

Candidates wishing to apply should • Visit the AMC website, clicking on the link “Apply for a Position” and complete every section of the online form as thoroughly as possible • Upload a CV and covering letter to complete the application process • If you encounter difficulty with the online procedure, please contact: [email protected] telephone +44(0)203 4275414 or contact Anthony Millard on +44 (0)7768 687052 • Applications will be acknowledged and then evaluated against the selection criteria.

In addition to managing the search and selection of Heads, Bursars, Marketing and Development Directors advice is provided on governance, management structures, development planning, marketing / PR and fundraising. Their clients range from nationally known independent schools to state comprehensive schools, from public and private companies involved in education. These clients are based throughout the UK, mainland Europe, Africa, the Middle East and South East Asia. Further information is available at www.anthonymillard.co.uk

• The letter of application should contain the names, addresses, email addresses and telephone numbers (landline and mobile) of three referees • Full references will be required for the short list interviews but will only be taken when AMC has received specific consent from candidates to do so • Short listed candidates will be required to bring original documentation, proof of identity and certificates with them to interview

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