Job Title: Resident Sports Fellow

BACKGROUND TO POST

Oundle School is one of the country’s leading co-educational boarding and day schools, with 860 boarding and 250 day pupils. A further 250 day pupils attend Laxton Junior School.

In 2016, 60% of all Upper Sixth results were graded at A*/A or equivalent; at GCSE, 89% of all grades were graded A*/A. 30 of the 2016 leavers secured places at Oxford or Cambridge. Developments over recent years have sought among other things to support the love of learning in all pupils by developing the non-examined curriculum.

All staff are expected to demonstrate consistently high standards of professional and personal conduct, maintaining high standards of ethics and behaviours both in and outside Oundle School, having proper and professional regard for the ethos, policies and practices of the School. All staff are required to act within the statutory frameworks.

This role involves working as a Sports Fellow, and spans all areas of the Sport and Games. The role interfaces with teaching, coaching and non-teaching staff, pupils and parents.

Sports at Oundle:

Every Oundle pupil is given the best possible opportunity to achieve and maintain the highest levels of attainment in both sport and academia. Oundle strives to be the very best in all aspects of its sports provision, providing opportunities for all. Sport is highly valued and flourishes at the School. The School prides itself in having established reputation for sporting excellence and continues to be a beacon of sporting development and endeavor.

The aims of Oundle School Sport relate directly to the aims of Oundle School. Through sport the School aims to:  Promote and achieve sporting excellence.  Produce and maintain a purposeful and caring sporting environment, where students are able to maximise their sporting potential.  Offer a wide range of sporting activities and opportunities.  Develop pupils’ interest, enjoyment and participation in sport.  Promote health and fitness and lifelong learning through sport.  Enable pupils to work independently and as part of a team, in a competitive environment.

January 2017

Sport at Oundle School is exciting and enjoyable for all pupils and staff, it celebrates and builds upon the schools traditions and achievements. The sporting community is one where pupils, staff, and parents feel valued and involved in a sporting partnership maximising student potential.

The Sporting Curriculum at Oundle focuses around the schools strengths in Rugby, Hockey, Football and Cricket in Boys’ Sport and Hockey, Netball and Tennis in Girls’ Sport. Sporting opportunities for all are a fundamental part of the Schools sporting philosophy. Over twenty sports are offered throughout the academic year, within the sporting curriculum. Every pupil participates in sport a minimum of three afternoons per week. In addition to this pupils can take part in extra coaching and training sessions on the remaining weekdays.

The School is very fortunate to have outstanding sporting facilities at the School including two sports halls, a 50 yard six lane indoor swimming pool, a new Cricket Pavilion which was completed in 2015, a brand new tartan athletics track, 10 rugby pitches, three Astroturf hockey pitches, 20 netball courts, 9 cricket squares, 20 outdoor cricket nets, 12 hard surface tennis courts, 32 Astroturf tennis courts, 8 football pitches, 5 squash courts, 2 boat houses for rowing on the river Nene, a sailing fleet and a fitness suite. An extension to the Sports Centre was opened in 2007 has provided four new Fives courts; the School continues developing its sporting facilities over the next few years.

All extra-curricular activities are managed by Mr Danny Grewcock (Director of Sport). He is assisted by Richard Finch (Assistant Director of Sport and Head of PE). Each sport has a Head of Sport and various peripatetic coaches or staff from the Common Room.

Job Purpose:

A Sports Fellow will be responsible for teaching and coaching of a sport under the direction and guidance of the Director of Sport. They must ensure that all teaching, coaching, administrative and pastoral tasks are completed efficiently and to a high standard, enabling the continued success, enjoyment and enthusiasm for Oundle School and Laxton Junior School Sport.

Responsible to: Director of Sport

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Coaching, Teaching & Learning  To manage pupil learning through effective teaching and coaching in accordance with the Sports Department’s policies.  To ensure continuity, progression and cohesiveness in all teaching and coaching.  To use a variety of methods and approaches (including differentiation) to match curricular objectives and the range of pupil needs, and ensure equal opportunity for all pupils.  To work effectively as a member of the Sports Department to improve the quality of teaching, coaching and learning.  To set high expectations for all pupils, to deepen their knowledge and understanding and to maximise their achievement.

 To use positive management of behaviour in an environment of mutual respect which allows pupils to feel safe and secure and promotes their self-esteem.  To develop and maintain effective methods of communication with the Director of Sport, Assistant Director of Sports, other staff, pupils and parents.  To teach/coach/lead and manage School sports teams as directed by the Heads of individual Sports.  To teach/coach/lead sports voluntaries and other extra curricular sporting activities.  To be involved in the organisation and running of annual Inter-House sporting competitions.

Administration  To provide administrative support and assistance to the Director of Sport, and individual Heads of Sport, using School standard software and layouts, ensuring that work is completed, deadlines are met, and high standards of accuracy are maintained at all times.  To assist the Director of Sport in maintaining a smooth running and efficient office by dealing with routine administrative functions.  To produce a weekly Games Schedule/Programme for visiting staff and parents.

Monitoring, Assessment and Recording  To be immediately responsible for the processes of identification, assessment and recording for the pupils in their charge.  To select, referee and supervise teams to represent the School at sport, in accordance with Sports Departmental policy.  To assess pupils’ work systematically and use the results to inform future planning, teaching and curricular development.  Keep an accurate register of pupils for each lesson. Unexplained absences or patterns of absence should be reported immediately in accordance with the School policy.

Subject Knowledge & Understanding  To have a thorough, up-to-date knowledge and understanding of sports teaching, coaching and playing.  To attend whole school and departmental INSET training.

Professional Standards  To be a role model to pupils through personal presentation and professional conduct.  To host opposing school pupils, staff and parents for fixtures. Including meeting and greeting, supervising pupils, officiating and hosting opposing teams, staff and pupils for post match food and drink.  To arrive at the particular sports facilities required for coaching on or before the start of the coaching session, and to begin and end coaching sessions on time.  To cover for absent colleagues as is reasonable, fair and equitable.  To respond to pupil injury and illness in line with school policy.  To co-operate with the employer in all matters concerning Health and Safety and specifically to take reasonable care of their own Health & Safety, and that of any other persons who may be affected by their acts or omissions at work.  To be involved in sports fixtures including refereeing and travelling to away fixtures.

 To supervise extra curricular activities, including staffing the Junior and Senior Clubs on a rota basis on Saturdays and Wednesdays.  To undertake any reasonable tasks as directed by the Director of Sport.

School Support, Curricular/ Extracurricular Duties:  The post holder will be expected to contribute to the extracurricular life of the School as appropriate  Attend Boarding House lunches on Monday and Friday and undertake some pastoral duties, including occasional duty Nights as required by Housemasters and Housemistresses.  To be involved in extracurricular excursions, including some Field Weekends.  To liaise effectively with parent/carers and with other agencies with responsibility for pupils’ education and welfare.

All sports staff are expected to:  Support and contribute to the friendly and supportive ethos of the School, in relation to all School staff, users and visitors.  Maintain the highest professional standards.  Participate in appraisal and staff development.  Carry out any other duty commensurate with the post as may be reasonably required by the line manager.  To be familiar with the School and Sports Department handbooks and support all the School’s policies.  To establish effective working relationships with professional colleagues and associate staff.  To strive for personal and professional development through active involvement in the School’s appraisal system and performance management procedures.

This job description will be reviewed annually and may be subject to amendment or modification at any time after consultation with the post holder.

This is not a comprehensive or exhaustive statement of procedures and tasks but sets out the main expectations of the School in relation to the post holder’s professional responsibilities and duties.

PERSON SPECIFICATION The selection of candidates for short-listing will be based on this specification and candidates should bear this in mind when preparing their application and completing the application form.

ESSENTIAL ATTRIBUTES DESIRABLE ATTRIBUTES

QUALIFICATIONS  Educated to degree level First Aid Qualification.  Hold coaching qualifications, or gain prior to Full Clean Driving Licence. appointment Refereeing/Umpiring experience/qualifications.

SPECIALIST SKILLS & EXPERIENCE  Experience of teaching/coaching children.  Experience of working with children and Playing Experience to a high level adults. Administration experience.  Experience of coaching elite sport and IT skills. specialist in at last one of the following: - Team management experience. Rugby, Hockey, Cricket, Netball or Strength and Conditioning.  Good literacy and numeric skills.  Good written and verbal communication skills. PERSONAL QUALITIES  Good communicator.  Ability to work on own initiative.  Work within a team environment.  Ability to work flexible hours.

SAFEGUARDING

Oundle School is committed to safeguarding, promoting the welfare of children and young people and considering at all times what is in the best interests of the child. The School expects all staff working for, or on behalf of, the School to share in this commitment. All staff appointed to the School are required to be checked through the Disclosure and Barring Service, and to provide evidence of identity, evidence of their entitlement to work in the United Kingdom, and evidence of qualifications deemed essential to the role, or declared on their application form.

EMPLOYMENT INFORMATION TERMS AND CONDITIONS

This post is subject to a six month probationary period. On completion, you will be expected to participate in the School’s appraisal system.

All members of staff are appointed to the School as a whole and may reasonably be asked to undertake similar or related duties in a department or team other than that to which they were originally appointed, or for any subsidiary company.

The School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and expects all staff to share this commitment. All staff appointed to the School are required to be checked through the Disclosure and Barring Service, and to provide evidence of identity, evidence of their entitlement to work in the United Kingdom, and evidence of qualifications deemed essential to the role, or declared on their application form. As the role will include work with early and/or later years provision at Laxton Junior School, you will be required to declare that you, or anyone you live with, is not disqualified from working in connection with early or later years provision for children under the age of eight.

Period of Employment: Fixed term contract from 1 September 2017 until 1 July 2018

Hours of Duty: You will be expected to work over 6 days per week (Monday to Saturday) with occasional evening and Sunday events. As a norm, the expectation would be around 40 hours per week.

Salary: A minimum of £12,000 (subject to review in September 2017), plus free accommodation which would be shared with other Sports Fellows. You should be aware that living in School accommodation free of charge will give raise to a tax liability.

Holidays: You will be able to take all School holidays as holiday, and your salary includes payment for holiday entitlement of 21 days and 7 bank holidays, pro rata. You will be required to work any public holiday when the School is in session (currently the first May Holiday).

RECRUITMENT INFORMATION Closing date for receipt of applications: 09.00hr 23 February 2017 Interview date: 03 March 2017 (full day) For an Application form, please visit our website at:- http://www.oundleschool.org.uk/employment-opportunities Applications should be returned by email to [email protected] Alternatively, these can be posted to: HR Department, The Bursary, Oundle School, Church Street, Oundle, Peterborough, PE8 4EE. For queries please contact us on 01832 277196

ABOUT OUNDLE SCHOOL

The School and its Buildings Oundle School is situated in the quintessentially English market town from which it takes its name. Its buildings, dating from the seventeenth to the twenty-first century, are dispersed throughout the town, so that the town itself is, to a large extent, the School’s Campus. This encourages a co-existence that benefits both members of the local community and the School.

The School’s history goes back to 1556 when Sir William Laxton, Master of the Worshipful Company of Grocers and Lord Mayor of London, endowed and re-founded the original Oundle Grammar School, of which he was a former pupil.

Co-educational since the 1980s, Oundle School today offers a considerable range of educational possibilities to meet contemporary needs: co-educational boarding or day education, with Laxton Junior School as a 5-11 day school, and Oundle School as a boarding and day school with entry at 11 and 13 or into the Sixth Form.

The Pupils and Their Care Currently there are 1110 pupils on roll of whom 655 are boys and 455 are girls. The total number of boarders is 860 and of day pupils 250. The House system is at the heart of life at Oundle. Oundle has thirteen senior boarding Houses – eight for boys and five for girls. There is also a smaller mixed Junior House that accommodates the 11-plus entrants for their first two years and a mixed day House for 11-18 year-olds. It is in the community of the House that most pupils find the confidence and sense of purpose that lead to fulfilment in the larger community of the School.

Relationships between pupils and staff at Oundle are relaxed and happy; the good humour and friendliness of the pupils is an aspect of the School which is frequently commented on by new members of the Common Room and visitors to the School. By and large our pupils are bright, well motivated, responsive and fun to teach.

The Common Room There are 125 full-time members of the teaching staff. The large and comfortable Common Room building offers excellent opportunities for relaxation and socialising, and the Common Room Committee organises a range of dinners, parties, trips and sporting events throughout the year for the members of Common Room and their families.

The Town of Oundle Oundle has a population of around 6000 and is an old market town amidst the rolling countryside of Northamptonshire. The town centre comprises many listed buildings and a range of specialist shops. In addition, the town has a primary school, a middle school, a senior comprehensive school, churches, restaurants, cafés and a supermarket. Oundle is twelve miles from the large town of Peterborough and forty miles from the historic university town of Cambridge.

TESTIMONIALS

The following testimonials are from the current Sports Coaches who have been at the School since September 2007.

Testimonial 1 I studied Sports Science and Maths at Loughborough. Leaving University I was looking to go into coaching and so when I saw this job I thought it would be ideal to gain experience in coaching different sports at a very good school. The fact that the job was only for one year also appealed to me as I was not entirely sure where I wanted to be working- at a school or for a club- and so I did not feel tied down to a long term contract. The free accommodation and meals really appealed to me as it meant that my salary stretched further and that I did not have to worry about finding accommodation.

I had never come across the school before, but when I came up for my interview and saw the grounds I knew that it would be a good job, the sporting facilities are excellent. I was very nervous when I came for my interview because I didn’t go to a public school and was worried about the impression that I would give, but everyone was welcoming and I didn’t feel left out in any way.

When I was offered the job it put my mind at ease because it took a lot of the pressure off during exams because I knew that I was already lined up with something. I came up on an open day which allowed me to meet a few of the people that I would be working with and get a chance to get the ‘feel’ of the school. I also met the housemistress and a few of the girls in the house that I would be attached to. I knew that I would enjoy the job because the pupils were so welcoming and they are very able and willing.

I was expecting a lot different from the job than what I got. I thought I would be doing coaching in the afternoons, and not much else. But it is a lot more ‘hands on’ than that. I am involved in a few PE lessons helping out with the GCSE practical sessions they have. Two mornings a week I am involved with the Laxton Junior School which is associated with Oundle. Also on a morning I have sports administration to do, which includes writing reports about the weekends’ sport and making sure that equipment is ready for the various different sports. I am also a lot more involved in the boarding house than I originally thought. One night a week I do duty which involves being in the house supervising them while they do prep and making sure they get to bed on time. It is a good opportunity to meet the pupils outside of the classroom in their own surroundings.

In the first term I was coaching hockey 5 afternoons a week, both senior and junior. I had not done much hockey other than at school so I was very nervous, but the support that I got was excellent and helped me to get started and throughout the season. I was put with a lower team as I was new to the school and to the sport. The coaches above me were very good with giving me advice. Umpiring my first hockey game was quite intimidating but I was helped with that and teachers from other schools are helpful and understanding.

Next term I am coaching netball which I am really looking forward to because it is my main sport. I am looking forward to having my own team and coaching them throughout the session and helping them to develop.

It is a very rewarding job, especially coaching the junior side of the school because they are just starting out so their learning curve is very steep and you can see the improvement from week to week. The standard of sport at the school is very high and the pupils are kept very physically active. The social aspect is also nice because you can meet members of staff that you don’t get to see every day and get a chance to meet new people of very different backgrounds.

Testimonial 2 I spent three years studying Politics and Law at Swansea University. While at University I decided that I wanted to go into teaching and wrote off to several Independent Schools to see if they had any opportunities. The role at Oundle seemed like it would offer a good opportunity to obtain experience at a School as prestigious as Oundle. I think this is a good first step to take after University. If you believe you are interested in teaching it will give you experience and look good on your CV.

The main part of the role is Sports Coaching and this will take up a large part of your time, especially during afternoons. Rugby is the main Boy’s Sport in the first term. I took the U16 D team who were not wonderfully successful but were very enjoyable. This term I will be helping with the 1st eleven Football team where we have just completed pre-season. It is a good opportunity to work with talented sportsmen who have a desire to achieve high standards.

On top of the Sporting side there is also the pastoral duty. I am a tutor in a Girls Boarding House. The role includes being on duty once a week from 7pm till 11pm, making sure the Girls are working during Prep and go to bed on time. I was pretty apprehensive about being a male member of staff in a Girls House. However, it has proved to an enjoyable experience.

I have also been lucky enough to gain quite a lot of Classroom teaching experience during my first term here. I want to go into Politics teaching and have been able to do three or four lessons of Politics each week. Some of which have been timetabled class lessons and some with groups of four or five who are struggling and need some extra help. During the last month of last term I taught Religious Studies as the teacher was ill. It was a challenge as the last time I studied RS was for GCSE, however, it was a good experience.

Socially it has been very enjoyable. The staff is fairly young and very friendly. The Common Room is a popular place to meet for a drink after work. I have also played in the staff Football and Hockey teams which are good fun.

I have enjoyed my time at Oundle and I would thoroughly recommend it.