Director of Sport
Ipswich School
Ipswich
- Salary:
- We will offer a generous and competitive salary and benefits package to reflect your skills and experience
- Job type:
- Full Time, Permanent
- Start date:
- April 2025
- Apply by:
- 18 November 2024
Job overview
Full-time, permanent, from April 2025
About Ipswich School – we are one of the foremost independent schools in East Anglia, and are proud to be regularly ranked as Suffolk’s top independent School. We were established prior to 1399 and moved to our present site in 1852. We are a co-educational school with around 1100 pupils aged between 3 months and 18 years and we operate a five-day week.
We are ranked in the top 20 schools in England for sports success (source: School Sport magazine), and we were judged in September 2022, by ISI Inspectors, to be Excellent in all categories.
About the appointment – we are seeking to appoint an experienced person with a proven track record of leading, promoting and coaching school sport to be our next Director of Sport. This is a senior, key role in the School that will suit someone with a strong record in school sport, and the ambition to become a leading voice in the world of independent school sport. We will consider both teaching and non-teaching applicants for this role.
You will help us to build a culture that values participation, aspiration and excellence. You will be expected to understand the landscape of independent school sport, and to enhance awareness of the School and its sports programme.
This is an exciting and potentially career-defining opportunity. We seek an inspiring individual capable of leading a diverse, inclusive and aspirational programme, where high performers can sit comfortably alongside high levels of participation and a strong culture of health and fitness.
You will have the vision and expertise to lead on the strategic plan for our Sports programme, based on our current offering, but also planning for our future needs. You will provide leadership, working with the Sports Department to ensure excellence in sport, with a focus on co-educational sport, ensuring the School has a strong reputation, not only for sporting success, but for also encouraging all pupils to benefit in full from an enjoyable and fulfilling programme, and to have a lifelong participation in physical activity.
The benefits of working at Ipswich School:
- This is a full-time, permanent post
- The starting salary will be competitive and will depend on your skills and experience. Remuneration terms will be discussed with shortlisted candidates at interview.
- School accommodation may be available for a temporary period (e.g. to assist with a relocation to Ipswich).
- Free lunch is provided during term time.
- Staff are able to use the School’s swimming pool and fitness gym free of charge.
- Our pension arrangements for support staff contracts are as follows: after 3 months’ service and/or in line with workplace pension legislation, you will be auto enrolled into the School’s defined contribution pension scheme, with 10% employer contributions and x3 life cover.
- Our pension arrangements for teaching staff are as follows: after 3 months’ service and/or in line with workplace pension legislation, you will be auto enrolled into the School’s defined contribution pension scheme for teachers, with 15% employer contributions and x3 life cover. Our teaching contracts also offer critical illness and income protection benefits.
- You will have access to Smarthealth, an employee wellbeing app providing you with 24/7 GP access and mental health support.
- You will be entitled to generous fee remission (currently 50%) and the terms of fee remission can be discussed in greater depth at interview with shortlisted candidates.
Please download the full job description from our website www.ipswich.school/vacancies, and complete the School’s application form in full. Please note we are unable to accept a CV in place of a fully completed application form for a role that involves working with children.
Completed application forms should be returned by noon on Monday 18 November 2024 to: Nick Gregory, Head, Ipswich School, 25 Henley Road, Ipswich, IP1 3SG or email hr@ipswich.school. Longlisted candidates are likely to be asked to have an initial interview (remotely by way of Google Meet or similar) with the Head during the week commencing 25 November 2024, with shortlisted candidates then invited to spend an interview day at the School on Tuesday 3 December 2024.
Ipswich School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the job, including checks with past employers and an Enhanced Disclosure via the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Attached documents
About Ipswich School
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Ipswich School is one of the leading independent schools in the area. It has a long history dating back to at least 1399 and is known for its academic success, without being an educational ‘hot house’, its extensive sport, drama and music activities and its commitment to the local community.
Pupils at the school come from a really broad range of backgrounds, and this makes the school different to many others in the independent sector. The atmosphere is very positive and pupils really do get on well with each other and with teachers. Behaviour in lessons is first class and teachers are able to focus fully on their teaching and pupils’ learning without having to spend time and effort keeping everyone in order.
Those applying for teaching posts in the Senior School will find that class sizes are generally smaller than in the maintained sector, with Lower School classes typically being around 20, Middle School can be a little larger or smaller depending on subjects – but are never larger than 24. A Level classes in the Sixth Form are typically have around 10 – 12 students, with 15 students being the upper limit.
Teachers are well supported by Heads of Department and there is a first-class CPD programme in place which not only provides the latest on class room practice, but also involves a range of optional social events. Additional training is also available for all teachers.
For those looking at Prep School posts they will find wonderful purpose-built classrooms in a state-of-the-art Prep School building, small class sizes – typically around 15 in the Lower Prep and between 18 and 25 in the Upper Prep. They will also find parents are very supportive and keen to develop the potential in their children.
Those applying for support staff posts will feel themselves very much part of a community. There are no great boundaries between teachers and support staff. There is a well-refined CPD programme for members of the support staff, great opportunities for development and a fantastic range of benefits.
There are regular opportunities for all staff to get together socially. Recently staff events include drawing sessions, juggling instruction, gin and wine tasting, orienteering, a casino night and curry and carols at Christmas. Every other year the staff – support staff alongside teaching staff - put on a major end of year show for pupils to raise funds for charity, and these have included a pantomime, Staff do Strictly and – most recently - Staff Have the X Factor.
Facilities throughout the school are excellent with a brand new Music School, the extensive Ipswich School Sports Centre at nearby Rushmere, a specially-built Prep School and a recently-opened day nursery – The Lodge.
There is free car parking on site for teachers and support staff (though this can be a little tight at times in the Senior School) and a range of other benefits.
Supporting the community is one of the school’s core values. The school has a significant community programme with pupils visiting local care homes giving music and drama performances, pupils growing vegetables and giving them to a local charity, local primary schools taking part in our annual Festival of Music and a large pupil-led termly fundraising programme.
Please have a look at our current vacancies listed here.
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