Human Resources Manager
Whickham School
Gateshead
- £32,020 - £34,723 per year
- Expired
- Salary:
- Grade H, all year round
- Job type:
- Full Time, Permanent
- Start date:
- ASAP
- Apply by:
- 10 July 2023
Job overview
Do you want to be part of something special, working with amazing people who care deeply about education and each other? Then this could be the opportunity you have been looking for.
Who we are
Whickham School is a highly successful, oversubscribed secondary school. It's a school at the heart of the local community that ensures every young person develops into a well-rounded citizen who is able to make the most of their unique talents and abilities. Our Academy vision focus upon developing the following qualities:
- Aspiration- Whickham students set aspirational goals that are ambitious and without limitation.
- Respect- Without compromise, Whickham students demonstrate respect for themselves, others and their environment.
- Resilience- Whickham students persevere with challenges, especially when faced with setbacks.
- Empathy- Whickham students strive to be kind, caring and understanding of each other’s feelings and needs.
Whickham School has 1,700 students enrolled and over 180 highly qualified staff who have high expectations to work hard to realise their potential. Results at all levels are excellent and consistently above national averages.
We are proud of our excellent reputation within the region and positive feedback we receive from students, parents, staff and external organisations such as Ofsted.
Behaviour at Whickham School is exceptional and is a basic expectation of all our students. Our school community is built upon mutual respect and this ensures good relationships. This is crucial in effective learning and the creation of happy students and staff. All students are expected to maintain high levels of attendance and meet homework requirements. This is fundamental to achieving a culture of success.
We offer a supportive and welcoming environment where all our team members can make a valuable contribution to our students’ learning journey. Our staffing strategy aims to attract, retain, and develop a high quality, inclusive and engaged workforce that reflects the diverse community we serve.
One of our strengths is our commitment to staff which includes:
- 25 days annual leave per annum + bank holidays, increasing to 30* days + 8 bank holidays (*based on 5 years' service)
- You'll be part of a friendly and supportive team
- A flexible and proactive ethos
- We will invest in your training and support you in gaining appropriate qualifications
- Generous pension scheme (Local Government Pension Scheme)
- Free, on-site parking with EV chargers available
- Access to a range of salary sacrifice schemes (e.g. childcare, bicycle, electric vehicles)
- CPD & development opportunities
- A supportive environment where work/life balance issues are considered carefully
- Access to school fitness facilities out of school hours
- Higher priority for admission of children of staff into the school
The role
We are looking for an experienced, enthusiastic and proactive HR manager who understands how to achieve our Academy vision through the provision of an excellent HR operational advice and support service, working in partnership with the leadership team on all employee relations matters, ensuring timely and effective resolution.
- You will be a confident communicator, with the ability to communicate with diverse audiences.
- You will have a calm, organised nature, with the ability to work professionally to strict deadlines, responding effectively and efficiently to challenges, bringing vision and drive to make things happen.
- You will work both strategically and operationally, taking a hands-on, solution-focussed approach across the core HR function to help shape and drive forward the Academy's approach to HR and the wider school improvement agenda.
- You will bring a strong delivery and problem-solving focus with the ability to persuade, negotiate, influence and secure the confidence of others through building collaborative working relationships with a wide range of senior stakeholders.
To apply, please upload your application form to the TES by 9am on Monday 10th July 2023.
Safeguarding Notice
Whickham School is committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share in this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to an Enhanced DBS check, references, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed for all applicants. Before applying, please review our Policy Statement on the Recruitment of Ex-Offenders.
Equal Opportunities
Whickham School is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates.
As a provider of employment and education, we value the diversity of our staff and students, and all our staff are equally valued and respected. We are committed to providing a fair, equitable and mutually supportive learning and working environment for our students and staff.
Attached documents
About Whickham School
- Whickham School
- Burnthouse Lane, Whickham, Newcastle upon Tyne
- Gateshead
- NE16 5AR
- United Kingdom
The School
Whickham School is a large and successful school in Gateshead with over 1700 students including approximately 350 in our high performing sixth form.
Ofsted
Following our recent Ofsted inspection in May, Whickham School continues to be a good school with enough evidence of improved performance to suggest that the school could be judged outstanding if Ofsted were to carry out a graded (section 5) inspection now. The school’s next inspection will be a graded inspection.
“Staff have very high expectations of pupils. Through the school’s values, pupils are encouraged to have empathy and respect for others. They are also encouraged to aspire and to be resilient.”
“The support available for pupils with SEND is exceptional.”
“Pupils behave exceptionally well at Whickham school. They feel safe and well looked after in the school.”
School Organisation
Demand for student places is strong and the school is regularly oversubscribed. Students are organised into year groups whilst eight faculties deliver the school curriculum. The Sixth Form, which has its own dedicated facility, is an increasingly popular choice of students from all over the local area.
In January 2020 many faculties moved into a brand new, state of the art, STEAMS themed building. The stunning four storey building houses Science, Technology (plus Business and IT), Engineering, Art, Maths and Sport.
The Leadership Team meet weekly and share responsibility for policy generation, decision making, planning and the general wellbeing of the school. The relevant governing body committee is involved in strategic planning and policies from the onset. Faculty and Year groups meet every two weeks to discuss strategic issues.
Vision and Values
“Whickham, a school to be proud of at the heart of the community. Where learning is cherished in a safe, caring and supportive environment. A school where everyone is valued and inspired to be the best they can be.”
CPDL & Well Being
Staff development and wellbeing is something that is very important at Whickham - we recognise that the physical and mental health of our staff are crucial aspects of sustaining a motivated, dedicated and high performing workforce. Please see the attachment which mentions some of the steps we actively take to support our staff.
We are committed to ensuring we provide outstanding CPDL and an environment that enables exceptional staff well-being. We will support you in your personal and professional development, enabling you to contribute fully to the creative and dedicated teams of dynamic and ambitious staff you will be joining.
In addition to our School Improvement hour every other week, we have a series of working groups dedicated to Teaching and Learning as well as other opportunities to become involved in driving forward best practice. All of our teachers benefit from dedicated collaborative planning time, and we run a very successful NQT programme which offers comprehensive support and guidance from dedicated mentors.
We are accredited with the Bronze level of the Better Health at Work award and we are committed to supporting staff not only through the dedicated campaigns that we have run, but also in proactively encouraging healthy practice in a range of meaningful ways.
Curriculum
At Whickham School, we aim to provide a broad and engaging curriculum that enables students to fulfil their talents and interests, whilst gaining the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in your further studies, training and employment. High quality information and guidance is provided to help students navigate their pathways through the courses on offer.
A strong foundation is provided at Key Stage 3 where students follow a broad and balanced curriculum comprising the following subjects: Mathematics, English, Science, Modern Languages, Geography, History, RE, Technology, ICT, Art and Design, Music, Religious Studies and Citizenship.
Pupils are allocated to mixed ability tutor groups and are taught in those groups for most lessons. Pupils are taught in smaller groups for Technology and Physical Education. Pupils are taught in setted classes for Mathematics and, from Year 9, English.
At KS4, students follow a two-year programme to provide more time to study key GCSE and Btec subjects in more creative and supportive ways, accelerating progress and achievement.
The curriculum at Key Stage 4 is more varied with students choosing programmes of study from a wide range of curriculum areas. Our new curriculum enables the vast majority of students to follow an academic pathway that enables them to achieve a set of qualifications that would contribute towards the EBAC. In addition, we have an extensive range of creative and vocational courses delivered on and off-site that enable all our students to follow courses that ensure high levels of engagement and success. We continue to collaborate with external partners to ensure that learning in areas such as engineering takes place in real – work contexts.
The school has strong AEN department that provides additional support to encourage academic progress at all key stages.
The breadth of choice continues into the Sixth Form, with large numbers of students selecting from over 35 different A Level and BTEC National courses.
Whickham School is alive with activities that offer students the opportunity to broaden their interests and experience.
Physical education and Sport are highly prominent with a wide range of interests catered for. Music and Drama are also strengths in the school. The school puts on a number of productions each year including an annual musical which plays to packed houses for a week. The school band and drama groups perform at various prestige events. Educational visits and exchanges are organised for students of all ages. Sports Leadership is particularly strong.
The Governing Body
The governing body is enthusiastic and active and they bring a wide range of experiences and skills derived from their diverse employment in commerce, industry and education.
The relationship between the senior management team and the governing body has evolved into one which enables open and frank discussion to take place on school issues. The introduction of more linked governors to specific school subject areas has improved governor involvement and awareness of issues and priorities. Strengths and weaknesses are discussed freely.
The relationship between the governing body and staff is one of mutual trust and openness. The governing body endeavours to provide support as well as challenge and to become actively involved in all school matters. We consider the governing body to be part of the school management team and to support the school in its quest to maximise all student achievements in a happy interesting and safe environment.
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