Bathford Church School Headteacher Recruitment Pack 1 | P a g e Contents Letter from the Chair of Governors 3 Letter from the Trust’s Chair of the Board of Directors 4 What our Children and Staff say about our school 5 About Bathford Church School 6 Useful Links 9 Important Information / The Application Process / Shortlisting / Interviews 10 Applicant Privacy Notice 11 About the Bath & Wells Multi Academy Trust 14 2 | P a g e Letter from the Chair of Governors Dear Applicant, Thank you for your interest in the post of Headteacher at Bathford Church School. I hope this information pack provides you with a helpful insight into our wonderful village primary school. We have an active and committed governing body, who are looking to finding the right candidate to continue the school’s progress; we look forward to supporting and working closely with the new Head. The culture at Bathford Church School is one of inclusiveness, where staff, children and parents are engaged and committed. Our most recent SIAMS inspection identified Bathford as “a school where children understand that they can all be different, but all have dignity and value. This can be seen in lessons where children with additional needs are an integral part of the class”. The school has a very warm and friendly atmosphere, underpinned by an everyday commitment to our values; Grow, Care, Serve, Share. These values pervade all aspects of school life and help to “create deep and mutually beneficial relationships between children, staff, and parents… Leaders are passionate in their belief that everyone in the school should flourish, and as a result, adults and pupils thrive at the school”. We have strong links with the Parish Church and local community. As a governing body, we are looking for a new Headteacher who can bring innovation, energy and vision to continue to improve the school whilst maintaining our ‘outstanding’ status. We are keen to find a capable leader to help us deal with the challenges that the changing educational environment will present. The staff would like someone who will be a “kind, calm and caring leader for children and staff”, provide “strong leadership” and be “innovative about how we can continue to make our school the best”. Most of all we all want someone who cares for the children as a first priority. You are most welcome to visit the school as part of your consideration and in advance of submitting an application. Please note that all visits will be informal, will not be part of the selection process and will have no bearing at all in our engagement process. Please contact our school office on 01225 858776 if you would like to arrange a visit. On behalf of the Governing Body, thank you again for your interest in this position. We look forward to receiving your application. Yours faithfully, Beth Duffett Chair of Governors 3 | P a g e Message from the Trust Chair of the Board of Directors Dear Applicant, Thank you for your interest in the post at Bath & Wells Multi Academy Trust (the Trust). The Trust was established in 2012 with four schools, all of which needed sponsored academy conversion following inadequate Ofsted judgements. As of November 2019, the Trust increased to 31 schools, with in excess of 7,800 pupils. The Trust is at a key point in its development, with a clear vision and strategic plan for the future and is continuing to expand in size with 2 more schools set to join in the Spring of 2020. Good and Outstanding schools are keen to join us and work within the supportive but aspirational Christian environment that we are developing. This offers enormous opportunities and significant change to oversee. Our leaders share our vision of the Trust as an outstanding provider of education, but education that is not only excellent academically, but also offers every child the opportunity to develop as an individual in mind, body and spirit. The Trust works in partnership with the Diocesan Education Department. As part of the support team you will bring your expertise and experience to this role, supporting our schools to meeting our objectives and the needs of the children. The candidate appointed will play a pivotal part in the development of the Trust both as an outstanding educational provider and delivering its Christian mission to ensure that we provide the opportunity for every child and member of staff to experience ‘Life in all its Fullness’. We look forward to receiving your application. Yours sincerely, Nigel Daniel Nigel Daniel Chair of the Board of Directors Bath & Wells Multi Academy Trust 4 | P a g e What makes Bathford School so special according to our pupils? What makes Bathford School so special according to our staff? Bathford has a fabulous sense of community. Kindness, generosity and inclusion are at its heart. There is always a warm welcome and a helping hand. The new Headteacher needs to embrace the warm and welcoming character of the school, which makes it such a special place to work. Our school is genuinely a wonderful place to work and learn. We are a great team – creative, collaborative, supportive, positive, hardworking. Everyone is valued for their role and contribution. We listen to each other and build on strengths and innovative ideas. We strive to ensure the best for every child. The staff care for the wellbeing of all the children. Communication with teachers is key when discussing changes/new ideas – staff feel involved, valued, opinions are heard, and workload is considered. Staff and child wellbeing are a priority. Children come first – we value children as individuals with their own unique needs. 5 | P a g e About Bathford Church School and its environs The setting Bathford School is set in the heart of Bathford village and is an integral part of the village community. Bathford is a semi-rural parish with a population of nearly 2000. The village sits on the slopes of Bathford Hill, nestling between the By Brook and Avon rivers, on the edge of the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is just off the A4 and with good transport links to the M4 motorway and mainline train services to London, the South West and South Wales. It is three miles east of the historic and beautiful Georgian city of Bath. Bathford, listed in the Domesday Book, has prospered on a mix of farming and quarrying through the years. There has been a mill on the river By Brook since at least Domesday which today produces high quality security paper. The parish includes Shockerwick to the north, with its grade I mansion of Shockerwick House – now a BUPA care home - and Warleigh with its manor house and hamlet to the south. There is easy access to Bathford Hill and Browne’s Folly – sometimes called the ‘Pepper Pot’ - and its Nature Reserve with a rich variety of wildlife habitats in the grasslands and woodlands that cover the remains of the old Bath stone quarries. Bathford is a very active village with a community co- operative shop and cafe, local pub and restaurant, well used Parish Hall, hairdresser, playing fields and many clubs and societies. It is actively twinned with a village in the Loire Valley near Tours in France. 6 | P a g e About the school Bathford School was founded in 1839 and completed the move to its current location in 1970. The school buildings were extended and updated from 2009 to 2010 when a spacious hall was added, used for assemblies, gym activities, productions and school meals. The school also has a large playground, an extensive grass area, pond, conservation area and an adjacent sports field. We have exciting plans for our outdoor space in the coming year. The school has a single form entry and currently there are 190 pupils on roll. The teaching staff comprises 9 full-time and part-time teachers, 1 part-time SENDCO, 10 teaching assistants, 2 wrap-around care supervisors and two office staff. We became an academy and joined the Bath and Wells Multi Academy Trust in April 2018. The school within the local community Community involvement is strong, including support for village events, for example the children distribute harvest goods to the elderly in the village, visit the local home for the elderly to read with them and regularly read and play with the local pre-school. We have a shared clerk between the governing body and Parish Council and a representative from the Parish Council regularly attends governors’ meetings. As a church school, Bathford has close links with the parish church of St Swithun’s. Assemblies at the school are known as Koinonia which means fellowship. One of these each week is taken by a team from the church. The school celebrates particular church festivals in St Swithun’s church: Harvest Festival, Christingle, Christmas and Easter when the pupils re-enact the story of the Passion. Year 6 attend a Leavers’ Service at St Swithun’s and a transition day at Wells Cathedral. Enrichment Opportunities In addition to the daily school curriculum a wide range of activities are available to the pupils both during the school day and after school. Music tuition is available during the school day and teacher led, after school activities vary from term to term and have included 3d art, go cart building, singing, film club, board games, book club, athletics, drama, unihoc and netball. We have external providers for after school football, martial arts and fencing clubs. The school arranges an annual multi-activity residential trip for year 6 and frequent school trips to places such as the School Parliament, the Science Museum in Bristol and the Roman Baths in Bath.