RGS Springfield

Introduction

RGS Springfield is a preparatory school and part of the RGS Family of Schools. It is located in a beautiful listed town house in the centre of Britannia Square, at the heart of Worcester City Centre conservation area.

The current School population is around 120 from Nursery to Year Six. In year Seven most pupils transfer to nearby RGS Worcester Senior School. RGS Springfield is an academically successful School, and each year a number of children win Senior School Academic Scholarships. It is not, however, an academic hot-house and children very much enjoy school and benefit from the wide range of Co-curricular activities on offer. Pupils enjoy superb facilities for play and RGS Springfield is an acknowledged centre of excellence for Forest School. There are several musical and dramatic productions each year, including an annual choral concert in Worcester Cathedral and wide programme of Co-curricular activities.

RGS Springfield is a city centre Prep School and Nursery nestled in the heart of the beautiful Britannia Square in Worcester City Centre.

Offering an outstanding, broad education to children from the age of 2 to 11, with small class sizes, quality specialist teaching and a highly personalised approach.

The Good Schools Guide, 2022

“Most schools trot out clichés such as ‘happy family atmosphere’ and ‘home from home’, but we found a genuine sense of intimacy and belonging here. The secret in the square is well worth discovering.”

RGS Springfield is well-known for the high quality of relationships between children and teaching staff and for high levels of parental satisfaction. It has a wonderful family atmosphere, supportive parents and happy children.

Further Background

RGS Worcester is one of the oldest schools in Great Britain and is a leading independent HMC school in the West Midlands. RGS Worcester now comprises four schools: RGS Worcester (11 to 18); RGS Springfield (2 to 11), RGS The Grange (2 to 11) and RGS Dodderhill (2 to 16).

RGS Springfield is a very special place indeed and its individuality can only be understood via personal contact on a working day.

RGS Springfield is a member of the Independent Association of Prep Schools (IAPS).

Our Staff – RGS Springfield is proud of its high academic standards, its pastoral care, and the wealth of co-curricular opportunities the School provides. Key to this success are the staff that work here. We employ a wide range of staff in addition to our well-qualified and experienced small team of Teachers, which include Estates, Finance, IT, Human Resources, Specialist Technicians, Early Years Practitioners and many others across the RGS Worcester Family of Schools.

Teaching Staff at RGS Springfield come from a broad range of educational routes, some having worked in other professions before qualifying to be a Teacher. Every year we host PGCE students from local Universities. We expect all applicants to have a good degree in their subject specialism. However, a teaching qualification, whilst desirable, is not essential; we can and do provide full support for those who wish to become qualified after appointment. We are deeply committed to the professional development of our staff. Our staff who teach here will have a love of their subject and the ability to inspire and challenge and stretch able pupils to reach their potential. Our Teachers enjoy making an active contribution to co-curricular activities, both for the reward of the activity itself and because of the different dimension it gives to their relationship with their pupils.

RGSW is committed to cultivating and preserving a culture of inclusion and connectedness. We are able to grow and learn better together with diverse staff. The collective sum of the individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, innovation, self-expression and talent that our staff invest in their work represents not only part of our culture, but our reputation and RGSW’s achievements as well. In recruiting for staff, we welcome the unique contributions that you can bring in terms of your languages spoken, culture, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, transgender, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion and beliefs. We also want you to achieve your absolute best during the recruitment process. Please let us know of any changes we can make at any point that will help support you in completing an application.

Staff Benefits

Professional Reward and Development

We recognise the expertise of our staff and aim to create an inspiring environment in which you can work to your full potential and develop your career.

What we offer:

·  Competitive salary with additional allowances for extra responsibilities

·  Contributions to professional training costs where there is a benefit to the School   and many opportunities for continued professional development projects

·  The opportunity to take part in our bespoke Teachers ‘Middle Leadership Programme’ for sustained long term development

·  Personal Development and recognition through our annual appraisal scheme

·  Full commitment to the induction and training of ECT’s, providing excellent support from our in-house Professional Development Mentor

·  Comprehensive INSET programmes, delivering high quality seminars, shared good practice and insights from external speakers

·  As one of only a few Apple Distinguished Schools in the Midlands, the opportunity to take part in becoming an ‘Apple Teacher’. More details here: https://www.apple.com/uk/education/apple-teacher/

·  Well-resourced departments

·  Automatic enrolment into the Schools Pension Schemes

· For Teachers you will have the opportunity to become a certified Showbie Educator

Rewards and Perks

To make everyday life just that bit easier, we are continually developing the variety of rewards, discounts and perks we can offer our staff.

What we offer:

·  Fee remission for staff of children who satisfy the admissions criteria (proportionately reduced for part time staff)

·  Access to your own laptop and iPad

·  Cycle Scheme for all staff

·  Free refreshments and lunches when the School is operational provided by our excellent Catering team from Holroyd Howe

·  Private healthcare with the option to add a spouse or dependant at preferential rates

Health and Wellbeing

Your health and wellbeing is important to us and we encourage our staff to make use of the services offered to help you live and work healthily and happily.

What we offer:

·  Family friendly policies including flexible working, enhanced maternity and paternity pay.

·  Two paid ‘Family Days’ to help staff cope with life’s emergencies

·  Free use of the School’s Gym at agreed times following an induction with a qualified member of staff

·  Free access to our Employee Assistance Programme with Health Assured 24/7, which includes up to 6 free counselling sessions and caring and compassionate advice to help staff cope with a range of life challenges such as bereavement, debt and consumer issues.

·  Free access to Health Assured’s Wellbeing app to support with health goals

Community and Environment

Tucked away in the beautiful grounds of Britannia Square, with over two acres of green playing fields just across the road from RGS Worcester, our unique city centre location gives a feel of a country school in the heart of the city.

This is a stimulating, welcoming community where colleagues build supportive professional relationships and friendships.

What we offer:

·  Across the four RGS Family of Schools we offer a supportive network of experienced Heads, Deputies and Senior Leadership Teams

·  At RGS Springfield, all staff work collaboratively for the benefit of pupils, developing close relationships with families and our positive and supportive ethos underpins all that we do.

·  Highly skilled and academic staff who, together, are integral to the successful running of the School, including specialists in French, Music, IT and PE.

·  As part of the staff community there are opportunities to take part in enjoyable social events, sports activities and more

·  By joining a family of four Schools, the opportunity to work across our School sites and work collaboratively with others, enhancing the development for both you and our pupils

·  A beautiful environment which combines well-maintained historic buildings with fantastic facilities, including a new international standard Hockey Centre with state-of-the-art water-based pitches, a joint venture with Worcester Hockey Club and Worcester Council.

·  Many parts of our beautiful and flexible School sites are available to hire at a discounted rate to staff

·  Friendly and supportive staff who work together and share resources and ideas

School Aims

The aims of the School are to reach a high level of academic achievement, to be a caring and civilised society within a well-disciplined environment and, by placing emphasis on a wide range of sporting, cultural and other activities, to extend pupils in as many ways as possible.  Overall, the aim is to offer a balanced and challenging education, which will stand pupils in good stead in their future schooling and within the community at large. Our School film 'It's a feeling..." (see below) gives a flavour of our pupil-centred approach.

The Governors of RGS Worcester are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service. Safeguarding forms part of the interview process.