Loughborough Grammar School

Loughborough
Grammar School
Information for
candidates applying for
the post of Head
Introduction
The Governors of the Loughborough Endowed Schools Foundation are seeking to
appoint an experienced educational leader as Head of Loughborough Grammar
School from a date to be agreed between January and September 2016, to build on the
significant achievements of Paul Fisher over the past eighteen years and, supported
by a strong governing body, to lead the School forward into the next exciting phase
of development.
Loughborough Grammar School is part of the Loughborough Endowed Schools
Foundation, which comprises four independent schools in the university town
of Loughborough:
• Loughborough Grammar School, an 11-18 boys’ Senior School
• Loughborough High School, an 11-18 girls’ Senior School
• Fairfield, a 3-11 co-educational Preparatory School
• Our Lady’s Convent School (OLCS) , a 3-18 school, girls only from 11-18.
Situated around an extensive and attractive purpose-built campus, all four schools
are housed in buildings of historic and modern architectural interest and are
supported by the Foundation Secretary and Treasurer (FST), who is also Clerk to the
Governors, and his team.
Vision
The School is a thriving, inclusive and respectful multi-faith community built on
Christian principles of integrity and service. Loyal to its traditions, it values the
individual and aims to create an ethos that is liberating, allowing pupils to develop
self-discipline and fulfil their potential. The 2014 ISI report praised the culture of
mutual respect and a natural inclusivity, which welcomes pupils from a wide range of
backgrounds. The ‘Spirit of the School’ allows the exploration of ideas in a supportive
environment as the boys prepare to become successful, engaged and cultured adults.
Education for Boys
Loughborough Grammar School prides itself on its renowned expertise in and
long-standing commitment to the education of boys. Its distinctive specialist focus
on single-sex boys’ education enables it to occupy a niche market in the East
Midlands and nationally, enhanced by its active involvement in the International
Boys’ Schools Coalition.
The admission of pupils is academically selective through entrance examinations and
numbers remain strong, with over 1000 boys on roll. Since it became independent
in 1976 (having been a Direct Grant school) it has widened its catchment area
across the region, and has continued to provide financial assistance to outstanding
boys who would otherwise not be able to attend the School. At least 5 A*-B GCSE
grades are required to continue into the Sixth Form, or 5 A grades if entering from
another school. Boys are exceptionally successful in gaining places at Russell Group
universities and Oxbridge, and increasingly at prestigious overseas universities, to
read a wide range of subjects.
The School provides an extensive, competitive games programme, an important
emphasis on active learning and a wide variety of extra-curricular and co-curricular
opportunities. The buildings are designed to provide a flexible learning environment
and appropriate outdoor space; catering facilities are also well used, offering boys
nutritious daily menus.
Staff are fully committed to effective pastoral care, which operates across year groups.
The house system also encourages a strong sense of community and competitive
loyalties. Parents are offered support, for example through the Mothers and Sons
sessions for Year 7 parents, the Fathers and Sons sessions in Year 8, as well as the
Lads and Dads overnight camps in Year 9.
Collaboration with
Loughborough High School
This distinctive focus on boys’ education is complemented by the relationship
with the adjacent girls’ senior school, Loughborough High School and this will be
extended to include OLCS. Although the schools operate separately, a common
school day enables useful collaboration particularly at Sixth Form level, where some
minority A-level subjects (e.g. Politics, Greek, Psychology) are taught together.
Each year the Burton Services on Founder’s Day are attended by the pupils in all the
schools at several churches in the town, with a joint Sixth Form service in the Parish
Church. Joint clubs (e.g. Politics Society), drama productions, music ensembles, the
CCF and social opportunities also encourage friendships across the three schools and
school coach transport is shared by boys and girls.
Academic cooperation depends on individual staff initiatives in the context of whole
school policy, and offers great mutual benefits (e.g. theatre trips, cultural visits and
expeditions). The academic year usually begins with a joint staff meeting for staff
from all the schools, focusing for example on safeguarding training, and is followed
by a joint staff lunch.
The Music School, created in 2006, is a joint facility for all the Schools, providing
extra-curricular musical activities, as well as individual tuition for those who want it
and curricular music. The Director of the Music School is line-managed by the Heads
in rotation on a 3-year cycle; management currently rests with the Headmistress of
the High School.
History and Facilities
The original charitable Foundation dates back to 1495; the School was founded by
Thomas Burton, a prosperous wool merchant, and relocated to its present site in
1851/2; it celebrated its Quincentenary in 1995 with a visit by Her Majesty the Queen.
Loughborough High School for girls was established in the 1850s.
The School has superb grounds and facilities; the ethos and appearance of the
campus are more like that of a university than a school. At its centre are two
quadrangles. The handsome Victorian quadrangle (1852) has been developed in
recent years to include a building for English and a Drama studio (1995) and a Modern
Languages building (2000). A 21st-century ‘Science and Maths Park’ has state-of-theart buildings for Chemistry (2009), Physics (2012) and Mathematics (2013), together
with extensively refurbished facilities for Biology (2011). Between them are houses
along Burton Walks which have been adapted for administrative offices. Art studios
and Design Technology provision have undergone significant recent developments.
The Hodson Assembly Hall was built in 1961, a chapel created in 1963 and a dining
room (Burton Hall) was opened in 1991.
On-site sports facilities include a sports hall, fitness room, 25m swimming pool,
cricket pitch, squash and tennis courts and all-weather pitches; facilities at Quorn,
3kms south of the School, provide 70 acres of impressive outdoor playing fields.
There are two boarding houses, Denton House (10 to 18) and School House (6th
Form), both of which cater mainly for international students many of them from Hong
Kong and China. The recent refurbishment and expansion of these facilities have
enabled boarding numbers to grow to 70.
The Music School provides a superb purpose-built facility with state-of-the-art
performance and recital halls, practice rooms, ensemble spaces and music ICT suites
which offer pupils first class resources to develop their many musical talents.
The structure of the School
With over 1000 pupils, Loughborough Grammar School is the largest school within
both the Loughborough Endowed Schools Foundation and in the area.
After first visiting Loughborough Grammar School for specialist Year 5 Master Classes
and Taster Days, the first cohort of about 20 boys join the School in Year 6 (a reflection
of the three-tier school system in Leicestershire). An additional 100 join in Year 7:
approximately 40 of these come from Fairfield Prep with the balance predominantly
coming from the maintained sector. The School grows further in Year 9, with another
15-20 joining the community. The vast majority of boys stay into the vibrant sixth
form, where they are typically joined by a dozen or so others, including international
boarders. Almost all sixth formers go on to higher education.
Management
The Senior Leadership Team comprises the Headmaster, the Academic and Pastoral
Deputy Heads and two Assistant Heads, the Head of Sixth Form, the Chaplain, the
Registrar in charge of admissions, and the Head of Systems. Weekly meetings allow
for discussion on new initiatives as well as ensuring the smooth running of this large
boys’ school.
Sta~ng
The Staff Common Room is a cohesive team of well-qualified and enthusiastic
colleagues committed to high standards of teaching and learning, who ensure
that all boys are actively encouraged to fulfil their academic potential. There are 88
full-time and 11 part-time teaching staff, with a good gender balance between male
and female teachers: staff are also supported by about 30 non-teaching staff. Staff
give generously of their time to support the pupils both academically and pastorally;
interactions between staff and pupils are respectful but cordial.
Over half of the current academic staff receive additional remuneration for specific
responsibilities and many also assist with the broad range of extra-curricular
activities on offer to the boys during or after the school day, over weekends or in
school holidays. The staff’s commitment to running clubs, sports teams and other
opportunities for curricular enrichment is evidence of their highly valued professional
involvement in the success of the School.
Governors
The Foundation has 22 Governors from a variety of backgrounds and professions,
several of whom are or were parents of pupils. Two years ago, smaller School
Committees of five Governors were established to allow Heads to be better supported
and to enable Governors to take a more active and focused interest in school specific
issues. The Governing body has seven other committees, which oversee, for example,
finance and estates. Effective and regular interaction between the Head and the
Chairman of the Loughborough Grammar School Committee is important to facilitate
consultation on new initiatives or management issues as the School moves forward.
The Coordinating Committee, led by the Chairman of the Board of Governors,
ensures that the Schools work together and that common issues are identified for
consideration by the Full Board.
Administration and Finance
To support the educational management of Loughborough Grammar School, the
Foundation Secretary and Treasurer has responsibility for the resources of all four
schools and, following consultations, produces central policies to ensure compliance
with legal requirements and risk obligations. He chairs weekly meetings with the
managers of Estates, Human Resources, Finance/Payroll, Catering, Compliance,
Commercial Enterprises and the Development Office. In his role as Clerk to the
Governors and Secretary to the Charity, the FST also works closely with the Chairman
and Governors to ensure appropriate control of the Charity’s finances and oversight
of the capital development programme.
A copy of the School’s management accounts can be made available to
short-listed candidates.
The Curriculum
& Academic Results
A wide range of subjects is offered at all levels, including three separate sciences
and three modern languages (French, German, Spanish). Alongside English and
mathematics, humanities include history, geography, religious studies; classics
offers Latin, Greek and classical civilization. Design & technology and computing,
economics, politics and business studies are complemented by art & design, music
and drama/theatre studies. Twenty-four A level subjects and the Extended Project
Qualification are offered in the sixth form and, with a large pupil cohort, most option
choices and combinations can normally be accommodated.
Classes are supplemented with trips to museums, battlefields, theatres and art
galleries both at home and abroad. These might include, for example, theatre visits to
Nottingham, a politics trip to the USA or a classics expedition to Naples.
Careers advice is valued and boys are assisted in their subject choices to ensure
that they have the appropriate qualifications for their intended careers. Special
Educational Needs are identified early where necessary and comprehensive
support provided.
In 2014, boys achieved a 100% A level pass-rate: 93.5% of A level grades were A*-C,
including a total of 125 A*s. At GCSE, around 95% were at the A*-C grade benchmark
with 98.11% achieving the 5 A*-C benchmark. Pupils compete in various academic
Olympiads and national competitions.
Pastoral
Care of and commitment to the boys is seen as a real strength of the School; the
ethos of inclusiveness underpins all. The boys are placed in forms across year groups
overseen by Form Tutors and Heads of Year, a structure that is complemented by the
house system for keen sporting and cultural competitions; the four houses are Abney,
Davys, Pulteney and Yates, named after distinguished historic alumni. There is close
contact with parents through regular communication and parents’ evenings. There
is a Chaplain who is a member of the Senior Management Team, providing support
to pupils and taking services in Chapel as well as undertaking classroom teaching. A
Counsellor will join the staff in September 2015.
Extra-curricular Opportunities
The boys are offered an extensive programme of sports fixtures and many go on to win
regional, national and international representative honours, in for example, athletics,
cricket, hockey, football, rugby and yachting. Tours are also organised, e.g. to Ulster
(rugby), South Africa (hockey) or Austria (skiing): a rugby tour of South Africa is
planned for summer 2015.
CCF camps take place at home and abroad and Duke of Edinburgh Award participants
trek in Snowdonia, the Pennines or Brecon Beacons. The former has c.270 cadets and
the latter c.250 boys enrolled, 23 of who were awarded Gold in 2014. CCF cadets take
part in the Loughborough annual Town Parade on Remembrance Sunday when the
Corps of Drums leads the March Past.
Bridge and chess clubs flourish from which some boys go on to achieve national
rankings. Senior boys volunteer for community service, visiting the elderly or helping
in local primary schools. As well as running a successful Summer School, the School
offers classes for around 350 local primary pupils including Maths Master Classes or
Taster Mornings in science and languages.
The Music School encourages high standards of musicianship and the boys achieve
great success in singing and instrumental performance: over 60 pupils have achieved
grade 8 or higher. Many of the orchestras, choirs and ensembles bring together boys
and girls from all the schools to perform in major concerts for the Loughborough
community. Alongside the main Symphony and Concert Orchestras, there are Jazz,
Wind and Swing Bands; choristers enjoy singing at evensong locally and in various
cathedrals; individual instruments have their own ensembles. Regular lunchtime
concerts are offered and house music competitions are well supported. Musicians
participate in the National Festival of Youth Music and have opportunities to tour in
the UK and abroad.
The Role of Head
Key accountabilities
The Head of Loughborough Grammar School is appointed by the Governing Body.
S/he is responsible for helping to formulate, implement and achieve the aims,
strategies and policies approved by the Governors.
Outline Job Description
• developing, communicating and implementing a vision for the School in
education, resources and capital development, which is informed by the changing
educational landscape, the needs of families and the wider community
• valuing the culture and traditions of the School as it adapts to new challenges
• supporting the Christian ethos of the School, valuing spiritual reflection and
respecting different faith traditions
• ensuring that each boy receives the best possible all-round educational experience
in a safe and secure environment
• providing strong and collaborative leadership across the School and for the Senior
Leadership Team
• collaborating with the heads of the other schools and with the Foundation
Secretary and Treasurer; a matter of paramount importance
• recruiting high quality people, ensuring that teachers and support staff deliver an
excellent service and are professionally fulfilled
• working closely with the Governors especially in developing and steering the
strategic plan, and in providing them with information required
• ensuring that the School’s finances are carefully managed and that the School’s
resources are deployed in a cost-effective manner
• working with the Loughborough Endowed Schools Development Office in
supporting development initiatives for fundraising for the School
• marketing the School to prospective parents, enhancing its reputation in the
community and with alumni and parents
• being personally visible and involved in the many aspects of life at the School and
developing an external profile
Personal Attributes
It is expected that the next Head of Loughborough Grammar School will demonstrate
the following characteristics and abilities:
• a keen interest in people and natural engagement with pupils, colleagues and parents
• an awareness of the benefits of an all-boys’ school as well as a willingness to work
in partnership with the girls’ school
• values which are in sympathy with the School’s Christian ethos, together with a
strong moral compass and an openness to people from various faith traditions
• a clarity of vision and the ability to communicate the vision to others
• an empathy with the wide range of extra-curricular activities including sport and
cultural activities
• a good understanding of high quality teaching and learning and experience of
performance management in an educational context
• strong academic credentials and evidence of continuing professional development
• a proven track record in educational leadership, collaborative management and
team building
• an interest in, and knowledge of, finance and the business requirements of an
independent school
• ability to plan long-term strategy, to effect change where required, whilst
appreciating and valuing existing cultures and systems
• keenness to consult and listen to others’ perspectives, while having the confidence
to make difficult decisions and stand by them as needed
• ability to make decisions based on analysis, interpretation and understanding of
relevant information
• ability to communicate effectively to a wide range of audiences, including public
speaking and networking
• an understanding of effective marketing in an educational context
• an active and enthusiastic commitment across the school community, balanced by
a calming presence as required and a sense of humour.
Terms and Conditions
A competitive salary will be offered to the new Head, commensurate with his/her
experience. A large Victorian five/six bedroom house is provided on the campus.
The new Head is eligible to be a member of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme and benefit
from BUPA and Key Person Insurance. Fee remission of 50% is available for any school
age children who are admitted to the Foundation Schools.
Application Process
The application form can be downloaded from www.rsacademics.co.uk
The deadline for receipt of applications is 10am on Tuesday 12th May 2015.
Candidates should complete their application form electronically and email it to
RSAcademics with a short covering letter, which explains your reasons for applying.
There is no need to submit a CV. Please email your completed application form and
letter (both as PDF files please) to our Recruitment Administration Manager, Alice
Hall, [email protected] 01858 467449.
Interested candidates are invited to contact RSAcademics for a confidential discussion
with one of the consultants handling this appointment:
Priscilla Chadwick
[email protected] 01858 467449
Rachel Hodgson
[email protected] 01234 354035
The process is as follows:
• All applications will be acknowledged by email. If you have not received
acknowledgement that your application has been received within two working
days of sending it, please contact our Head Office by telephone.
• Selected candidates will have preliminary interviews with Priscilla Chadwick on
18th, 19th or 21st May, in central London.
• Long list interviews with the Governors’ selection panel will take place at
Loughborough Grammar School on Monday 8th June and Tuesday 9th June. There
will be an opportunity to tour the School. Candidates will only be required for part
of one day.
• The final interviews will also take place at the School on Monday 15th June and
Tuesday 16th June. Candidates will be required for both days during which there
will be an opportunity to meet the Headmaster and other senior staff and some
pupils. There will also be an individual meeting arranged with the Chairman and
an opportunity to meet Governors socially. The final interview will be with the
selection panel and will include a presentation. Spouses and partners would be
very welcome to join the tour and meet some of the Governors.
• Accommodation will be arranged as required.
• You will be reminded to bring with you documentation required for a Safeguarding
Check and original qualification certificates.
Loughborough Grammar School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the
welfare of children and young people. The post is subject to an enhanced DBS check,
satisfactory references and a medical check.