Full-time, residential, permanent position commencing April 2025, or as soon as possible thereafter.

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Description

A professional experienced in providing educational or residential care to children and young people, or a graduate seeking their first position within a school and/or boarding environment is sought to join our enthusiastic and friendly, residential-staff team. The post offers the following:

Free residential accommodation – term-time and holidays

Up to 17 weeks’ ‘school holiday’ each year

Free meals (3 per day) during term time

Equivalent of at least one full day off per week and up to two days dependent on weekend shift.

Working hours usually permit staff to be off-duty between 9.00 am and 4.00 pm each weekday

Our staff are committed and inspirational, transforming the futures of intelligent children who experience Specific Learning Difficulties, Developmental Language Disorder and associated conditions, by empowering them.

Our School vision is:

To lead in transforming the futures of intelligent children who experience Specific Learning Difficulties, Developmental Language Disorder and associated conditions, by empowering them.

Our School Values are: Kindness – Spirit - Responsibility

The School:

Nationally celebrated, More House School provides an exceptional, mainstream education for intelligent boys with Specific Learning Difficulties and weakness in their developmental language skills. Providing a transformative education repeatedly recognised as ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted over more than a decade, we offer a specialised learning environment for day and boarding boys from Year 4 to Year 13. Our pupils are taught to recognise their strengths and develop their self-belief so that they achieve independence and extraordinary results at GCSE, BTEC and ‘A’ Level, above the national averages. A majority progress to university.

About the department:

Our boarders thrive on the support provided by an enthusiastic and committed team of residential staff who support one another closely.

There are currently just under 80 boarders, the vast majority of whom board during the School week, with a small number remaining in school at non-exeat weekends. There is an ongoing commitment to development of the boarding facilities.

There can be no substitute for a loving, caring home, and our School does not seek to be such a substitute. However, the sense of community and the facilities available to boarders enables the School to foster boarders’ social confidence, personal responsibility and resilience as well as developing their skills and interests.

We believe that we can make life for our boarders secure, stimulating and happy by providing an environment where they are cared for and supported by a partnership between parents and the School. Boarding at More House provides fantastic opportunities for pupils whatever their need, be it geographical, social or academic. Our boys flourish here as boarders because of these opportunities.

Our full boarders stay at School during the week and most weekends during term time. They go home in the School holidays and Exeat weekends (half-way through each half of a term). Our Weekly boarders stay at School during the week but go home every weekend and during the School holidays. A small number of boarders may choose only to stay at School for certain nights a week; we do not offer flexi-boarding. They also go home at weekends and during the School holidays.

Our Boarding Aims

• To help every young person to grow, mature and become a member of a caring and happy community.
• To provide an environment where boys staying away from home are cared for physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
• To provide as many meaningful and enriching opportunities as possible so that every boy can develop his own personality and interests.

How do we do this?

• Every boarder has a dedicated houseparent working with no more than approximately 12 boarders.
• Every houseparent is part of a wider team who is supported by the Deputy Head (Head of Residential), Deputy Head of Boarding and the Senior Housemistress, thereby keeping the staff / boarder ratio even smaller.
• Every boarding day includes a wide range of additional activities using facilities both on and off the School site.
• Every boarder is supported each day with a supervised homework (prep) hour.
• Every boarder is given a voice and an opportunity to meet regularly with their houseparent in planning how they will build on their strengths and choose to be looked after in boarding time.
• Every boarder is supported to improve and develop their independence skills, both within the boarding routine and for their future lives.

About this post:

The School is open for around 35 weeks a year. The post-holder has responsibility to the Deputy Head (Head of Residential) and Headmaster for the care and welfare of a dormitory or corridor within a larger house, and as part of a team of houseparents, supporting students’ emotional and physical well-being and development. They will be required to participate in the School’s extra-curricular activities programme. This is a non-teaching, residential role, although it may be possible to take on a small amount of teaching, dependent on subject and timetable. This post is available in our senior boarding house (years 10-Sixth Form).

Specific Duties include:

• fostering the community ethos of the boarding environment at More House School;
• supporting the Deputy Head (Head of Residential) in ensuring the safety and welfare of pupils at all times;
• supporting and evidencing boarders’ educational, social and personal development in accordance with the aims and policies of the School;
• leading recreational activities and working closely with colleagues to provide a breadth of opportunities to engage students;
• being aware of the National Minimum Standards for Residential Special Schools 2022 and the Ofsted Social Care Common Inspection Framework, and their relevance to the boarding provision at the School (training will be provided);
• working closely with other staff and with pupils’ parents to develop individualised support for boarders;
• providing written reports on boarders’ progress;
• being on-call during the day one day per week to accompany boys to medical appointments;
• administering non-prescription medicine or medication previously dispensed by the School nurse, after appropriate training;
• participating in performance-management meetings.
• maintaining appropriate records;
• liaising with parents, colleagues and other professionals as appropriate;
• performing such supervisory duties as may be necessary to uphold the good order of the School;
• adhering to the School’s Health & Safety policies and ethos;
• attending and supporting formal School occasions;
• helping to ensure the tidiness, monitoring and safe-storage of all equipment used;
• understanding and adhering to the School’s Safeguarding and Child Protection policies, including the Code of Conduct, and our wider ethos.
• Complete relevant training as directed by the Deputy Head (Head of Residential), all Houseparents must complete the NVQ Level 3 in Residential Childcare and will be supported with this by the school.

The above list of duties is not exhaustive, and the post-holder may be required to perform such other duties as directed by the Headmaster or Deputy Head (Head of Residential).

Person Specification:

Essential

• Further Education qualifications - (e.g., A’ Levels or other Level 3 or higher qualifications)
• Full clean driving licence
• Previous experience of working in a pastoral role in a Boarding School or similar environment

Desirable

• Good honours degree
• D1 minibus driving licence
• First Aid Qualification
• Residential childcare qualification (such as the NVQ Level 3 in Residential Childcare)
• Knowledge/ understanding of the National Minimum Standards for Residential Special Schools 2022
• An ability to lead a range of sporting activities

Hours:

4.00 pm to 9.00 am Monday to Friday, plus weekend cover as appropriate.

(Note: academic terms are typically shorter than those in the state-maintained sector, and School holidays are therefore significantly longer).

Attendance at School events outside these hours from time to time, as well as Founder’s Day and INSET days towards the beginning or end of School holidays.

Remuneration and support:

• Annual salary, paid in monthly instalments: extremely competitive, in accordance with qualifications, experience and recognised skills, and reviewed annually;
• Pension - there is a contributory pension scheme in operation specifically for non-teaching personnel. As governed by pension legislation you are automatically opted into the scheme and once enrolled, need to complete an ‘Opt Out’ form not to be included. Contributions are paid by the School at the Governors discretion and directed by Government legislation. Contributions towards your own personal pension plan may be made, but again this will be at the discretion of the Governors with the forementioned restrictions. Details about the scheme can be found at http://www.nestpensions.org.uk;
• Free accommodation, Council Tax and utilities (electricity, gas, water and waste);
• Employee Assistance Programme;
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Free on-site parking within the School’s beautiful grounds;
• Excellent lunchtime meals at no cost in the School’s refectory;
• Free use of the School’s fitness gym facilities;
• Comprehensive induction programme offered including fully-funded and nationally-recognised L3 SEND Award, and ongoing professional development, including further specialist qualifications, supported through INSET days and training opportunities;
• Free training, including to achieve a Level 3 NVQ in residential child care.

To Apply:

Please visit our website and complete the online application form More House School – Teacher and Therapeutic Staff Application Form.

Interested candidates are welcome to make an appointment to visit the school for an informal visit in order to learn more about the role and setting.

More House School - Teaching and Therapeutic Staff Application Form

Closing date for applications: Monday 10th February 2025

Interviews expected to be held on: w/c Monday 24th February 2025

The School reserves the right to interview appropriate candidates in advance of the above-named dates, and to appoint. Interested candidates are therefore strongly urged to submit their application as soon as possible.

This post is subject to an Enhanced DBS clearance and the receipt of satisfactory references before a formal job offer is confirmed.

More House School is firmly committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.