Hampton Pre-Prep & Prep School

Teaching girls aged 3-7 and boys aged 3-11, we offer an excellent all-round education, with superb pastoral care and exceptional teaching. At Hampton Pre-Prep & Prep School every child is recognised as a unique individual and allowed to flourish in a nurturing, lively and happy environment.

Hampton Pre-Prep & Prep School is a selective, independent day school for approximately 230 pupils across two sites. The Pre-Prep is accommodated in its own attractive Edwardian buildings on Wensleydale Road, and the style of the property helps to create a secure and homely feeling for the children in this early, yet, formative stage of their schooling. The Prep, on Gloucester Road, was completely rebuilt in February 2016.

Our core function is to provide an excellent all-round education. We want our pupils to make excellent progress that results in superb achievements whilst they are with us. We want them to transfer happily and successfully to their next school.

We value effort as much as achievement; we work hard to promote and sustain the conditions where both can be celebrated. We rely on each other.

We welcome pupils of all cultures and backgrounds. We nurture a community where safety, respect and trust are paramount. We share in both our triumphs and defeats and know how important it is to embrace both as learning opportunities. This enables our pupils to make sense of the world and know how to have a positive impact upon it.

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We are seeking a dedicated, experienced and passionate teacher to lead on English across both the Pre-Prep & Prep (Early Years, KS1 & KS2). Hampton Pre-Prep & Prep welcomes applications from colleagues working in both the state maintained and independent sectors for this exciting, full-time permanent position.

Hampton Pre-Prep & Prep is one of the two Schools that constitute The Hampton School Trust, Hampton being the other. Terms and Conditions for all Trust employees, Pre-Prep & Prep staff included, are excellent. Expectations, both internal and external, are high and colleagues here are required to work hard and to go the extra mile. There is a very happy, harmonious atmosphere in the staff room.

The Head of English will report directly to the Deputy Head Academic and will work in close collaboration with all colleagues within the Pre-Prep and Prep, given the critically important nature of this core curriculum area, specifically leading with inspiration and verve those who teach English.

The successful candidate will, naturally, be committed to supporting the personal development of all pupils through excellence in pastoral care, including being a Form Tutor if required. A willingness to contribute to the boys’ afternoon sports programme is also desirable.

Applicants should be confident working with pupils from 3 to 11 years of age and should ideally be able to demonstrate how they have supported teachers of English working within this age range. Experience of having already led an English Department would be an advantage, including at a senior school level.

The Head of English currently does not teach in the Pre-Prep but works closely with the Head of Pre-Prep in terms of English curriculum planning and oversight. In this respect, a sound understanding of early phonics in order to support and promote young children’s development in the Early Years and KS1 would be desirable. The successful candidate will teach English to boys across Years 3 –6, based in the Prep building.

The exact nature of the responsibilities we are looking for will be dependent upon the successful candidate’s expertise and will be discussed at interview and agreed at the point of offering the post.

The overall responsibilities particular to this post are subject to general duties and responsibilities contained in the Contract of Employment and letter of appointment. The salary will be commensurate with the role and the experience and qualifications of the successful candidate.

Hampton Pre-Prep & Prep School is an academically selective, independent day school for approximately 230 pupils across two sites. As an independent school we are not obliged to teach the National Curriculum, so we don’t. We have the privileged freedom to enhance our curriculum offer as we see fit. As a school reflective of its practice, we work hard to ensure we are always making the most of this gift.

We have just concluded a far-reaching Curriculum Review. We hope the new Head of English will help us implement one of the key recommendations arising from it. We want to instil in all our pupils an unequivocal understanding of not just why they learn what they learn, but how best to do it. As Head of English, having the experience, energy and charisma to lead colleagues along our metacognitive journey will be important to us, going forward.

Development of the English Schemes of Work, and how they make up the English Curriculum will be the sole responsibility of the successful applicant. It is likely that curriculum content will emerge from a range of sources, including the traditional KS1 and KS2 canon but also, importantly, sources from across the anglophone world. Making sure our pupils are exposed to a stimulating, relevant and diverse selection of subject specific content in every curriculum area, English included, is important to us.

Each term we publish an edition of ROAR! our school magazine. This publication showcases events, achievements and news and views from across the school community. There is scope for the new Head of English to work alongside colleagues currently editing and publishing ROAR! during the course of the academic year 2024 – 2025, with a view to taking up full responsibility for pulling this important publication together from September 2025 onwards.

Our pupil demographic is hugely diverse. We nurture a community where safety, respect and trust are paramount. We rely on each other. We celebrate our frequent triumphs and commiserate together over our occasional defeats (life is full of both, after all) but above all, we know how important it is to embrace these as opportunities to learn more about specific subjects and also about ourselves. This helps our pupils to make sense of the world and consider how best to have a positive impact upon it. Our new Head of English will actively support this endeavour through their own professional initiative.

We want our pupils to transfer happily and successfully to their next school at 11+. We value effort as much as achievement; we work hard to promote and sustain the conditions where both can flourish. We want our pupils to have a tremendously enjoyable day at school, every day, certain of the progress they know they have made however large or small by the end of it. This Head of English role will be great fun!

Although by no means an exhaustive list, the successful candidate will have the following experience, skills and personal attributes:

• Strong organisational and personal time management and planning skills so that drafting Schemes of Work appropriate to the requirements of the School’s timetable, consideration of the deployment of English teaching colleagues, oversight and scrutiny of their production of our medium term plans all results in the work of the English Department at our School remaining entirely fit for purpose
• Experience of holding individuals to account for pupil learning outcomes; relying upon appropriate professional empathy to feedback to colleagues following English lesson observations and scrutiny of pupils’ English work to highlight successes and suggest areas for improvement, if required
• A skilled assessor of English as it is taught across the academic year but also when assisting with the admission of pupils chiefly at 7+
• An understanding of the effect that established and emerging educational technologies are having on teaching and learning, and knowledge -supported by experience and evidence -of the impact of this on pupils’ outcomes in English
• Leading on the organisation of exciting and stimulating subject specific enrichment activity, for example World Book Day, our Reading Café programme, assisting with plays and productions, trips off site and presentations to parents
• Excellent data management, including experience of analysing data and producing reports for Governors, SLT and parents to improve teaching and learning
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate effectively (both orally and in writing), inculcate trust and demonstrate a sense of authority which inspires the confidence and respect of pupils, parents and colleagues
• Personal and professional resilience -in great abundance! -and a willingness to work hard with enthusiasm and commitment, avoiding the ‘9 to 5’ approach, with a generosity of spirit, which accepts that there may well be at times be an amount of out-of-normal-hours work to be done
• To be a cheerful and well-presented person, with both a natural sense of humour and an optimistic outlook on life, capable of inspiring these dispositions in colleagues, pupils and parents
• A strong commitment to their own professional development and to the professional development of all those who teach English at our School
• All candidates must committed to supporting the personal development of all pupils through excellence in pastoral care, including being a Form Tutor if required.
• A willingness to undertake any reasonable request or adjustments to the role, as may be required (including over time) and at the direction of the Headmaster.
  

Equal Opportunities

It is the policy of Hampton School to provide equal employment opportunities for all qualified individuals and to prohibit discrimination in employment on any basis protected by applicable law, including but not limited to race, colour, religious creed, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, ancestry, national origin, age, medical condition or disability. Hampton School promotes equal employment opportunities in all aspects of employment through positive employment policies and practices.

If any special requirements are required to attend an interview, please inform the School.

Offers of employment will be made on merit and suitability of qualifications and experience, in pursuit of our policy of equal opportunities.

Safeguarding

The post holder's responsibility for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young persons for whom s/he is responsible, or with whom s/he comes into contact will be to adhere to and ensure compliance with the School's Safeguarding Policy and Procedures at all times. If in the course of carrying out the duties of the post the post holder becomes aware of any actual or potential risks to the safety or welfare of children in the School s/he must report any concerns to the School's Safeguarding Designated Persons or to The Headmaster.

The School reserves the right to offer the post at any stage in the appointment process. Further details of the School are available on the website.

Please note all appointments are subject to the Hampton School Trust Recruitment, Selection and Disclosure Policy and Procedure.

The School is legally required to carry out a number of pre-appointment checks which are detailed in the School's Recruitment, Selection and Disclosure Policy and Procedure. The information you are being asked to provide in this form is required so that the School can comply with those legal obligations should your application be successful. Please note that in order to be considered for a position at the School, you must complete this application form. A curriculum vitae will not be accepted in place of a completed application form.

Hampton School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff, contractors and volunteers to share this commitment.