House Parent
Downside School
Somerset
- New
- Salary:
- £10.77 per hour
- Job type:
- Part Time, Permanent
- Apply by:
- 17 September 2024
Job overview
House Parent Isabella House
Start Date: ASAP
Term Time Only plus Inset Days
Part Time
Downside School has an opportunity for a part-time House Parent to join one of our girls boarding houses. Downside School is an independent, co-educational boarding and day school for pupils aged 11 to 18.
Supporting the House Mistress, Assistant House Mistress, you will form part of a house parent team who looks after the welfare, safety, and pastoral care of students in our boarding houses. This role is working in Isabella which houses approx. 80 girls.
The role of a house parent involves ensuring our boarding-houses feel like a home to our pupils and involves building positive and professional relationships with pupils, parents, and school staff.
House Parents work as part of a dedicated team, assisting with and contributing to the supervision and care of pupils in the boarding House, and the smooth running of the House during the School day. This includes responsibility for their clothing/uniform, health (in conjunction with the Health Centre) and general well-being of pupils in the House. House Parents also support the domestic staff working in the House and assist the House Master or Mistress (HsM) and other pastoral staff in ensuring that their work is carried out effectively and efficiently.
It is essential that the House Parent is seen by the pupils as an approachable, helpful, and sympathetic person. There is also an element of administration involved with this role, so experience of using IT systems including MS office is required. Our buildings are located over several floors and the work may require climbing flights of stairs and some general lifting and carrying.
To be successful, you will have:
- A kind and caring nature
- Confidentiality and discretion
- Ability to work using own initiative but also as part of a team
- Excellent communication skills
- General administration experience
- An organised approach with the ability to adapt to changing situations
- Embraces and appreciates the ethos of a Benedictine boarding school
We can offer the successful candidate:
- Term-time plus INSET day working
- A supportive, skilled, and innovative staff team
- An inspiring, intellectually rewarding work environment
- Plenty of opportunities for CPD
- Free on-site parking
- We have an excellent catering facility, which offers all our staff a complimentary lunch
- Complimentary access to onsite leisure facilities including gym, squash courts and indoor swimming pool
- Employee Assistance Program including Cycle to Work Scheme
Contractual Details
Pay: £10.77 per hour
Hours: Option 1: Monday & Fridays 4pm-6pm, and every other Saturday afternoon 1pm-5pm
or
Option 2: Saturday afternoons 1pm-5pm
House Parent roles often provide opportunity for additional hours as part of bank house parent team, on a zero-hour contract basis. This is optional.
Working Weeks: 35 weeks per year (Term-time plus Inset days)
Holiday: 5.6 weeks paid holiday per year. Holidays are to be taken in line with independent School holidays
Contract: Permanent contract
Closing date for applications: 17 September 2024 (9:00am)
To Apply
To be considered for this role, please apply through our school website Downside School Opportunities - Downside School and complete your application through our online applicant tracking system, CVMinder or using this direct link:
Alternatively, please contact the HR department hr@downside.co.uk or call 01761 235100 to request an application form. CVs are not accepted.
Please indicate your preferred working pattern from option 1 or option 2 within your application.
Applications must be completed in full, to include full employment history and contact details of professional referees to cover the last 5 years of employment
We look forward to hearing from you.
Downside is one of Englands oldest and most distinguished Catholic schools. The School is situated at the foot of the Mendip Hills, twelve miles south of the city of Bath.
Downside School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful applicant will be DBS checked. We strive to be an equal opportunities employer. Registered Company No. 11751009 and Registered Charity No: 1184700
Attached documents
About Downside School
A clear and positive attitude to learning permeates the whole school, enabled by excellent relationships between staff and pupils’ and that our pupils are ‘enthusiastic and highly motivated learners, able to work independently’. Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI)
At Downside, we are committed to working in partnership with families and to providing an environment which nurtures young people of integrity who can think for themselves, stand up for their beliefs, and act to make a positive difference in the world.
Founded in 1606 and based just 25 minutes from the famous World Heritage City of Bath, we are a forward-thinking independent school and one of England's oldest and most distinguished Catholic schools. Our vision is to be a bright light in the world of education, illuminating the lives of young people and inspiring service in the world through experience of Benedictine culture. It enables pupils and staff to develop their own identity through experience of a community with Christ as its centre.
The School is set in 500 acres of beautiful English countryside with extensive facilities including an indoor swimming pool, a Mac Suite dedicated to music, a 24/7 Health Centre, and a Performing Arts Centre housing a 400-seat Theatre, a Recording Studio, a print screen room and a Mac suite for art.
We are uncompromising in the pursuit of academic excellence. We aim for the highest standards in our extensive and exciting co-curricular programme with over 100 activities, and we provide plentiful and varied opportunities for service and leadership.
The School endeavours, in addition, to provide our pupils with what may be referred to as a sense of ‘the poetry of life’, a sense of its beauty, form, mystery and joy. Everyone who comes here remarks on the happy atmosphere. It is truly a remarkable, inspiring place.
Please visit our website to find out more about our School: www.downside.co.uk/working-with-us
TEACHING AT DOWNSIDE
We are committed to high academic standards and constant development of the quality of teaching and learning. We have a Quality Assurance cycle, which allows us to monitor the quality of teaching and learning through lesson observations, learning walks and pupil feedback. Our tracking and monitoring systems are rigorous so that all pupils are supported in their learning, and colleagues are supported in their teaching.
Working at Downside is a truly rewarding experience. In keeping with our Benedictine ethos, Downside is a welcoming, caring community where each person is valued. Pupils are highly motivated, keen to learn and respectful of staff and their peers.
Our Induction Programme is comprehensive and fully supportive of all new staff, including the provision of training, where necessary. We are keen to support ambitious teachers, and CPD opportunities for individuals are identified in Faculty Development Plans and prioritised. Downside School is a member of the Canford Group, which includes most of the main independent schools in the South West. We are also closely linked with the other Benedictine Schools in England and Ireland. We expect all teachers to engage fully in co-curricular activities and the boarding life of the school.
At Downside, staff enjoy teaching polite and well-educated pupils, unique surroundings, and benefit from a generous salary scale, complimentary lunch and extended School holidays. Although it is difficult to quantify the hours which any individual Teacher may devote to their work in order to carry out their professional duties in a boarding school, the following guidance may be helpful:
The School timetable is taught Monday-Friday, and two periods on a Saturday morning, plus a 35 minute period of SMSC, followed by matches and activities in the afternoon. Games and activities, tutor periods, and hymn practice are incorporated into the weekly timetable. Department meetings can occur at the discretion of the Head of Faculty.
Academic timetable allocation:
Full time Teacher 15 double periods
Head of Faculty 13 double periods
Pastoral responsibilities: to provide support and guidance for a tutor group (typically 12 pupils), including one period (35 minutes) of PSHEE (Physical, Social, Health and Economic Education) and three tutor sessions, PSHEE has a specific programme and is treated the same as an academic lesson. All tutors attend Hymn Practice on Friday at 16.00 and School Mass on special occasions during the working week. Tutor periods are normally 12.35pm – 12.40pm Monday to Saturday and two afternoons a week, on Monday from 5.00pm to 5.35pm and Friday from 3.30-3.55.
6th Form Tutors deliver their PSHEE on Wednesday P5 rather than Monday 5pm. There is an additional tutor period on a Saturday from 11.25am -12.00pm. Tutors are also required to undertake one evening duty a week in House from 7.00pm – 9.00pm. There may be a requirement for flexibility around tutor timings to meet the needs of the school and timings are reviewed annually in line with timetabling. Tutors also have house duties such as managing the refectory on one day a week, as agreed with the HsM.
Co-curricular responsibilities: As a full time Teacher, there is a requirement to be involved in two co-curricular activities a week during term time e.g. CCF, service activities, games, music and academic societies. Additionally, you will participate in supporting the Saturday afternoon games programme. This may include activities and/or sport, and Teachers may be asked to support a specialist coach in games lessons and be responsible for the team when they play matches.
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