Nurse

Why work at MGS?

The School

Manchester Grammar School has a long and distinguished history, and is an exciting, stimulating and rewarding community in which to work.  It was founded in 1515, by Hugh Oldham, Bishop of Exeter, to prepare able boys from the Manchester area, regardless of their background, to go to Oxford or Cambridge. The School has gained an international reputation for academic excellence, and enjoys a strong record of success with top universities, both in the UK and overseas.  We take our motto, Sapere Aude (‘Dare to be Wise’), as meaning that we must challenge our pupils and expect to be challenged by them, and this is one of the things which makes teaching at MGS so rewarding.  

Bursaries and social mobility

MGS’s Foundation Bursary Appeal has been the most successful appeal of its kind held by any school and is a cornerstone of our ethos. Its aim is to ensure that a place at MGS is available to any boy who passes our entrance assessments, regardless of his family’s financial background. More than 200 boys currently receive full or partial means-tested bursaries. (The average bursary is 90% of the school fee.) Our long-term ambition is to be needs-blind, so that every boy who passes our entrance assessments can take up a place, regardless of his parents’ ability to pay.

Our pupils

The School comprises over 1500 boys in Years 3 to 13. All boys are assessed for entry on the basis of their considerable potential by observing their individual talents in imaginative lessons. A formal entrance exam only plays a part in entry to Year 7. Our admissions policy aims to be needs-blind to enable the School to be a diverse community of talented individuals from all backgrounds.  Boys come from across the North-West and from every type of background, and the boys who join the School each year come in equal numbers from maintained and independent primary schools.

Our teachers

Staff at MGS come from every walk of life. Every year we welcome to our staff NQTs as well as experienced teachers. We expect all applicants to have a good degree. 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. Often teachers who have taught for a number of years join us to gain extra experience before moving on to become a head of department elsewhere. We are deeply committed to the professional development of our staff. Many colleagues have gone on to deputy headships and headships elsewhere; likewise, many staff choose to stay with us.  People who teach here will have a love of their subject and will have the ability to inspire and challenge able pupils. 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.

Our co-curriculum

The co-curriculum is central to the ethos of MGS. Life outside the classroom is extraordinarily vibrant, both in terms of its diversity and quantity, and is a source of great enjoyment and challenge for our pupils and staff alike. It includes sport, music, drama, adventure, service and intellectual activities.  The School values the passion and commitment of its teachers in sharing their interests and enthusiasms with pupils outside of the classroom and seeks to enable staff to play to their passions whenever possible. Staff are given great autonomy over the activities they organise, and our pupils are given equal freedom to develop passions of their own.  

Some numbers may best illustrate what we offer. We have over 150 clubs and societies, 95 representative sports teams and 40 different sports. We have 24 musical groups with 280 participants, and typically more than a dozen drama productions each year.  Every year 250 pupils go on four week-long camps and we have overseas treks; we offer a wide range of outdoor pursuits and are one of the largest centres for D of E in the North-West. Alongside this there is a vast range of educational trips and visits, both in the UK and abroad. On average, each pupil spends twelve days a year on trips.

Our facilities

Recent developments have included a new sports hall and our award-winning Junior School buildings, major upgrades to our multi-gym, swimming pool and sports pitches, and new, exceptionally equipped theatre and drama studios.

Manchester and the North-West

Manchester is a vibrant and exciting place, as you would fully expect of Britain’s second city. One of the fastest growing cities in Europe, it has a cosmopolitan outlook, a flourishing, varied cultural life and excellent restaurants and nightlife. It is a wonderful, stimulating place to live, with outstanding sport and leisure facilities, catering for every possible interest.

Theatre is vibrant and diverse, with venues including the innovative Royal Exchange, Home, The Lowry (in Salford Quays), Palace Theatre and Opera House. The Bridgewater Hall is an international centre of musical excellence and home to three major orchestras, whilst the Manchester Evening News Arena, the Apollo and many smaller venues contribute to the diverse range of music on offer in the city.

Befitting a city with such rich history and traditions, Manchester has excellent galleries and museums, and is, of course, a major centre for soccer, cricket, cycling and many other sports. Media City in Salford (adjacent to Manchester) is one of the country’s most important centres for television and radio production, and is growing all the time.

Whilst offering all that you would expect from a major city, Manchester has the advantage of being very accessible and enjoys excellent transport links. London is only two hours away by train and Manchester’s international airport is only five miles from the School. Areas of outstanding natural beauty are close by. The Peak District National Park, the Pennine Way and the Cheshire Plain are within an hour’s drive, whilst the Lake District and Snowdonia are within two hours.

There is a wide choice of places to live, with ample rented accommodation. Property prices compare very favourably with those elsewhere in the country. Many staff live in the South Manchester suburbs, but others live surrounded by the Pennine moors or the Derbyshire hills. There is an excellent choice of schools, both private and maintained, at all levels.  For more information about the city, visit www.visitmanchester.com.