AN INTRODUCTION TO MIDHURST GRAMMAR SCHOOL
This is an exciting time for starting a career at Midhurst Grammar School. We are a rapidly improving school embarking on a period of significant change. In 2007 we achieved a record 63% 5A*-C at GCSE and following a very good OFSTED inspection in September 2007 the school was removed from Special Measures without any notice for improvement and recording a number of ‘goods’ in the final report.
Key comments in the report include
We have made significant progress in curriculum developments ensuring that we are able to cater for a wide range of skills and abilities in the school. We offer a wide range of AS/A levels in the 6th form as well as OCR ICT and in KS4 and 5 the Certificate of Personal Effectiveness and Wider Key Skills are being followed at Levels 1, 2 and 3. The new BTEC courses are also proving popular. We are involved in partnership collaboration with other schools in the locality to develop the new diplomas and are planning to introduce the Creative and Media Diploma in 2010. The significant improvements across the school mean that we are confident to press on with additional and more ambitious plans for change, which will see Midhurst Grammar School become an Academy in January 2009. We have started work with our colleagues in the two intermediate schools (with whom we will merge), United Learning Trust (ULT), the sponsors of the academy and our partners at Winchester College to develop an 11-18 school in new buildings and with an innovative curriculum.
The partnership with ULT and Winchester provides an exciting opportunity to develop academic links to further enhance the curriculum, as well as extend our already positive CPD opportunities working with colleagues not only in Winchester but in other ULT Academies across the country. The CPD programme at Midhurst ensures that all members of staff are encouraged to be reflective. It has a coaching model at its heart and all members of staff are involved in an extensive induction programme that ensures support from day one and development as a continuous expectation. We are all learners; sharing good practice and learning both with and from each other is important to the continued development of our school.
It should be made clear that Midhurst is not a Grammar School but a true comprehensive – the original school name is kept to honour the 17th Century origins of the school. We serve a large rural catchment area of over four hundred square miles in an area of outstanding natural beauty. The great majority of our students are bussed in to a school that is an important focal point of the community, with a Youth Wing and many adult education services. Designation as a Science College from September 2004 has given us additional resources to develop teaching and learning across the curriculum and in the wider community.
Midhurst is an attractive market town within which the school occupies an exceptionally spacious and attractive site, with two main complexes. Specialist accommodation and facilities are generally very good, with generous departmental office and storage space. A £1.4m sports centre is a great addition to our facilities. ICT across the school is developing rapidly and £140,000 was spent last summer to improve facilities for teaching and learning and administration. All members of the teaching staff have a laptop. Plans are progressing well for further major improvements to the school buildings. Additionally, we have exceptional conference and social opportunities afforded by Capron House, our listed building. This also provides an excellent additional source of income for the school.
We are fortunate to have an enthusiastic, able and committed staff and there is excellent administrative and caretaking support, including a team of three Study Supervisors that ensures teaching staff cover few lessons.
Housing in the immediate area of the school is fairly expensive, although not at the level of those places that have more direct commuter access to London. Whilst some of our staff travel to work from places such as Brighton (1 hour) and Bognor Regis (35 minutes), most readily find accessible housing within 30 minutes of the school in attractive places such as Chichester (25 minutes) and Petworth (15 minutes).
The Cowdray Estate, which has a substantial local housing stock, is sympathetic to the need to sustain the recruitment of key workers and will actively support housing applications made through the school. There is also a rapidly expanding West Sussex key worker house purchase scheme run in collaboration with a housing association. Please contact the school for further details. We welcome applications from committed individuals who want to make a difference and who will have a positive impact on the students in our school.
MAKING YOUR APPLICATION
We very much hope that you will want to apply for this post. Please read all the paperwork carefully before making your application – you will see from the Person Specification that an accurately completed application is one of our criteria for short-listing candidates. Please do not hesitate to contact the school if you require any further help or guidance – we are happy to provide as much information as you need. We also welcome visits from interested candidates. To enable you to be fully informed about both the school and the post, this Applicants’ Pack includes the following:
Your application should consist of a completed application form and a supporting letter of no more than 2 sides of A4, in which you should outline how you meet the requirements of the Job Description and Person Specification. You may also make your application electronically – please visit our website: www.midhurst-grammar.w-sussex.sch.uk
I look forward to receiving your application in due course.
Helen Beauchamp
Acting Headteacher
June 2008
