Thank you for your interest in Risedale School's Headteacher opportunity
Dear Candidate,
Thank you for taking the time to find out more about the role of Headteacher at Risedale School. At Risedale, we recognise the significance of the role of the Headteacher in shaping the future of our school. We understand the impact that the Headteacher has on the quality of teaching, the achievements of the students and the role of the school in our community.
This is an exciting time in the development of the school and the Governing Body views this appointment as decisive in maintaining the momentum and further shaping its future. We continue to be a successful local authority maintained secondary school with strong support from our partners at North Yorkshire Council.
As Chair of Governors, I am immensely proud of the achievements of the school in recent years. Our school has developed a great reputation of inclusivity and acceptance locally where every child, and member of staff, are celebrated for their individuality and talents. We are proud to be able to call ourselves a “Family of Learners”.
We are very proud that every child in our school receives their own personal laptop device at no expense to families which they take home and bring to school every day to aid their learning. Our school exceeds every government target for IT infrastructure. We have a fully stocked physical library to support literacy including our own full-time librarian. We have a strong SEND team with a specialist SEND teacher, two assistant SENCOs, our lead SENCO and eight teaching assistants. Our resources are some of the best available.
We believe strongly in partnerships and our current Headteacher has established an extremely close and strong working partnership with our local primary schools and this sharing of ideas, collaborations and collegiate support is essential going into the future.
We believe we have been at the forefront of putting our children and our staff first. Since the Covid era, a lot has been said about an individual’s mental well-being with the political establishment only now talking about mental health support in secondary schools. We are three years ahead of that having employed our very own full-time and fully qualified and accredited counsellor since 2021.
We seek someone who has strong values, appropriate experience, and who is passionate about the education of young people. The school has a very distinctive character and ethos.
For an informal, confidential conversation about the role please call Helen Poole on 01609 532254 or email helen.poole@northyorks.gov.uk. Helen has been engaged to support us with recruitment to this key role.
We would encourage you to come and visit in advance of your application and see for yourself the enthusiasm that our students have for their education. Such a visit is not part of the selection process, and whether or not applicants have visited will not influence the final outcome.
To arrange a school visit by appointment please see the advert for more details of who to contact, we would also encourage applicants to have a look at the school website, Facebook page and our insightful newsletters to get a feel for our school.
I hope you find the information provided useful and informative and that it will encourage you to apply. On behalf of the governing body, thank you again for your interest in Risedale School.
Yours sincerely,
Mr John Glahome
Chair of Governors
Risedale school is welcoming and cares for all pupils, believing that every pupil has the right to a safe learning environment which adapts to meet their individual needs. Our school aims to encourage an understanding and acceptance of other cultures, races and beliefs.
Our School provides a high standard of teaching for ALL pupils. Children are taught a well-balanced and fun curriculum from experienced, committed and adaptable teaching staff. Staff ensure the children are well prepared for not only their next step in education but their future working lives in what is a diverse and continually changing world.
Risedale school is situated in Hipswell village, which is located in the heart of Catterick Garrison, close to the pretty market town of Richmond. It is set within a beautiful part of North Yorkshire, close to both Swaledale and Wensleydale. The A1(M) provides easy access to Teesside, York, Newcastle and the Leeds conurbation. Many of our staff travel into the area from as far as Newcastle and Billingham daily but most are from the local area.
Catterick Garrison is a developing town with government plans for it to house the largest military garrison in Europe by 2030. There are numerous facilities available locally but also expanding opportunities for work and leisure.
Special Features and benefits of the school:
- The school has one of the largest proportions of service children of any secondary school in the UK. This military connection is an essential part of our distinctive character.
- The school has an above average number of applications from pupils with Special Educational Needs and a good reputation for meeting these needs. We address those families that have voiced concerns.
- We have a strong SEND team with a specialist SEND teacher, two assistant SENCOs, our lead SENCO and eight teaching assistants.
Our Pupils
Pupils are overall well behaved, polite, and friendly. Staff are focusing on improving pupil’s confidence levels. There is some extremely challenging behaviour evidenced by a small core of pupils (many with severe special educational needs).
The majority of children engage well in their learning and show determination and perseverance. They want to learn and want to achieve well – taking pride in what they do.
If there are any issues, pupils know to speak to an adult and resolutions are quickly found. Pupils know the school values and uphold these each day.
Ofsted Recognised – “Pupils are happy and feel safe in school. They know that staff want them to achieve well and will provide support if they need help” – Ofsted 2019
Child wellbeing:
The emotional well-being of the children at the school has always been a high priority and children are encouraged to talk in class and to their peers about their mental well-being. Mental health has continued to be of key importance as we come out of the Covid pandemic and activities, such as mindfulness, have been shared with the children. Online safety is also a key factor and regular information is shared with children and parents on how to stay safe on the internet.
Our staff are our greatest resource and are incredibly committed, talented, loyal, positive and hardworking. They always have the best interests of the pupils at heart and are determined to find something at which every child can shine. All our staff get to know the children in our school very well and use this information to personalise opportunities for learning and socialisation. Everyone in the school works together to achieve the best outcomes for our pupils.
Ofsted Recognised – “Staff have introduced a wide range of support measures to help pupils manage their emotions and build confidence” – Ofsted 2019
SLT Structure:
- Head teacher
- Deputy Head Teacher
- Senior teachers
The senior teachers as well as being Heads of Faculties also have responsibility for specific all school areas e.g. attendance & behaviour, staff development, curriculum development, outreach, safeguarding and special needs (SENCO).
Staff:
There is a good mix of staff in the school, a school business manager, a core of senior teachers with long service and a healthy turnover of other staff after reasonable periods of employment. We have a small number of Early Career Teachers supported by Red Kite and senior staff.
The school employs its own catering and premises staff but buys in a commercial cleaning firm.
For a more detailed overview of our staff structure please click here and view pages 7 to 12.
The Governing Body’s Role and Support
The governing body are committed to the whole school community. Governors meet twice each term to monitor progress and provide strategic leadership. Certain governors have designated areas of responsibility. There are regular governor visits to the school with governors working with staff to ensure that they have a clear understanding of developments in their subject areas. A Governor School Development committee meets monthly during term times to carry out in-depth reviews of key issues with staff and pupils.
Meet and read more about our Governing Body here.
MISSION STATEMENT:
The Risedale family is committed to a positive future for all through a personalised learning journey.
AIMS:
- Celebrate success, learn from mistakes
- Build resilience, accept challenge and strive for excellence
- Shape curriculum to discover, explore and build aspiration
Although behaviour issues arising from Covid measures has caused the school to take recourse to use of short suspensions and rare permanent exclusions governors and staff are striving to return to a pre Covid situation, where the school rarely used either method to encourage good behaviour.
Our school has developed an envious reputation of inclusivity and acceptance locally where every child, and member of staff, are celebrated for their individuality and talents. So much so that our current Headteacher was able to become the first UK State Secondary School Headteacher to publicly announce his status as a married member of the LGBTQ+ community in 2022. This was met with overwhelming pupil, staff and community support and hitting the national press. We are proud to be able to call ourselves a “Family of Learners”.
Work-life balance is considered when implementing new policies for staff. Leadership have worked hard to ensure that all staff are involved in decisions being made. Teachers are encouraged to adapt to their class and to the induvial needs of pupils, using their expertise in learning to support their decisions.
Ofsted November 2019 – (Good)
Short and mid-term priorities identified for improvement:
- Ensure a rise in the progress made by pupils in all year groups and particularly at GCSE.
- High quality and consistent approach to whole-school assessment which is adapted to individual subject needs.
- Increase rates of attendance and decreased rates of persistent absence across all year groups
- Reduce the challenge a very few, but very vocal, parents have of school routines, strengthen partnerships further
- Increase pupil numbers to ensure future financial stability
- Develop succession plans for governance.
Please click here to view the school improvement plan.
Future challenges/barriers - Top 3 ‘big issues’ a new head will have to manage:
The proportion of pupils with a military background, results in an ever-present turnover of pupils which can adversely affect their academic progress. While there is more prior knowledge from the Army of planned moves (The Garrison Commander at Catterick Garrison is a governor of the school), there is still uncertainty over the available pupil numbers.
Future Considerations:
The school is mindful of government ambitions and so is continually exploring the options for academisation. The school premises are reaching the end of their original planned life and significant remedial works continue to be supported by the Local Authority. Many of the buildings which the school utilises are inefficient with respect to environmental issues and energy usage and expense.
Long term ambitions for the next 3-5 years:
- Maintain status as “good” from OFSTED
- Consistently Increase pupil numbers towards capacity of 750
- Make progress towards building a new school
Make-up, needs and expectations of wider community:
The main employer in the local area is the MOD, army at Catterick Garrison and Air Force at RAF Leeming. The moves in and out of the area create issues both for the transient service population and the remaining population who find friendship groups breaking up.
Current school strengths:
Risedale School is an average sized secondary school and currently has 560+ pupils aged 11-16 years. It enjoys an enviable reputation in its local community. It has already grown from 400 pupils in 2016 to its current strength and we expect it to grow to around 650 to 700 pupils in the next few years as Catterick Garrison expands. Links with the army are strong.
We believe we have been at the forefront of putting our children and our staff first. Since the Covid era, a lot has been said about an individual’s mental well-being with the political establishment only now talking about mental health support in secondary schools. We are three years ahead of that having employed our very own full-time and fully qualified and accredited counsellor since 2021.
Every child in our school receives their own personal laptop device at no expense to families which they take home and bring to school every day to aid their learning. Our school exceeds every government target for IT infrastructure. We have a fully stocked physical library to support literacy including our own full-time librarian. We have a strong SEND team with a specialist SEND teacher, two assistant SENCOs, our lead SENCO and eight teaching assistants. Our resources are some of the best available.
Budgetary position:
The revised budget outturn for 2023-24 is an in-year surplus of £92,000 on income of £4,999,000. Accumulated revenue balance at 31 March 2024 is anticipated to be £296,000. Income is currently forecast to reduce in 2024-25 and 2025-6 to around £4.7 Million giving rise to in-year deficits of £47,000 and £219,000 and an accumulated revenue balance of £31,000 at 31 March 2026.
Governors and senior leaders have recognised that some action needs to be taken to return to making regular in-year surpluses. Although this will require careful management of costs the ideal solution is to continue to increase pupil numbers, despite competition from several successful local secondary schools.
Ofsted Recognised – “Parents spoke positively about how their children are made to feel welcome when they start school” – Ofsted 2019
The school has mainly positives relationship with parents and encourages parents to come into school if they have any concerns. Recently there has been an increase in complaints by a small number of pupils but the school deal with these issues. A succession of Garrison Commanders have been active members of the governing body, bringing specialist knowledge and helping staff engage with military personnel to help at events such as sports days
We all work hard to maintain good partnership with parents and carers for the benefit of each child. Many parents/carers continue to be gaged and support our school which has it’s positive for the children.
Our 'Keep In Touch' Newsletters keep you up to date with all our good news stories from the Risedale Family. Please click here to read more.
Local Authority and School Improvement
Relationship with North Yorkshire Council is strong. School advisor has some years involvement with the school and is well liked by staff. School buys in to several traded services. There are some concerns with the Local Authority regarding delays in resolving issues of pupils with extreme Special Educational needs. The Leader of North Yorkshire Council is an active member of the governing body.
Staff are also made aware of training opportunities through the LA and our leaders and designated safeguarding lead attend LA organised meetings, training and networking sessions.
Collaborative Partnerships
Risedale has a relationship with Red Kite teaching alliance to support Early Career teachers. Our current Headteacher has established an extremely close and strong working partnership with our local primary schools.
Support that will be available to the new Headteacher:
- Our new head will receive full support from the governing body and the governors will discuss and agree with the new head what additional support they would value to successfully lead the school.
Full support from our LA Senior Education Adviser and the wider LA
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is England's largest county and one of the most rural. The area comprises the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors, three areas of outstanding natural beauty, the Pennines and a stunning coastline around Scarborough and Whitby. There are ruined castles and abbeys, serene gardens, unique breweries, thrilling rides and industrial heritage. The area hosted the phenomenal Tour de France in 2014 and has since created the Tour de Yorkshire, an annual event with global recognition. Our success in supporting these events led to Harrogate hosting the UCI Cycling World Championships in 2019.
North Yorkshire has plenty to offer the outdoor enthusiast. From the hard gritstone of Almscliff and Brimham rocks to the limestone of Malham, Gordale and Kilnsey climbing venues are in abundance. The Yorkshire Dales is the premier area for caving and for mountain biking; there are the bridleways of the Dales and North York Moors as well as the renowned trail centre at Dalby Forest. There are a small number of sailing clubs on reservoirs around the county and fantastic surf sport venues and sea kayaking on the east coast.
While the county is rightly known for its wide-open spaces, it also incorporates attractive market towns including Pickering and Helmsley, traditional seaside towns, the Spa town of Harrogate and the ancient city of York. There are a wide range of shopping, leisure and cultural facilities as well as excellent schools, universities, road and rail links, there really is everything to offer you and your family as a place to work, live and enjoy!
Travelling further afield we have convenient connectivity, with close proximity to metropolitan cities of Leeds and Newcastle, with little over two hours commute on the main train line to London. We border the Lake District, Lancashire, County Durham, and Yorkshire & Humber regions with all they have to offer.
Learn more about Risedale School's Headteacher opportunity
Risedale School, Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire
Post: Headteacher
Number on Roll: 566
Commencing: September 2024
Salary: L25 £85,146 to L31 £97,639 (Relocation Support from £5,000 – T&C Apply)
Contract Term: Permanent
We are 'The Risedale Family' and together we are 'A family of learners'
At Risedale we believe in good behaviours that support learning, respect and care for each other regardless of background, belief or personality and we will constantly develop these qualities with our young people so that they can develop into confident, productive, sensitive and responsible adults who are able to play an active part in society.
The achievements of the school have been phenomenal. Over the past few years, the school has grown from strength to strength with a pupil population now of nearly 600, half of which come from a military background. We now have a healthy surplus budget, greater curriculum choice, great experts in teaching and learning and an outstanding group of support staff. Securing “Good” at our last Ofsted visit in late 2019, we strongly believe the path we are on is an opportunity to see the huge potential that exists and the time to make our school outstanding in secondary education.
This is an exciting opportunity to lead a wonderful school situated in Hipswell village which is located in the heart of Catterick Garrison, close to the pretty market town of Richmond. It is set within a beautiful part of North Yorkshire, close to both Swaledale and Wensleydale. The A1(M) provides easy access to Teesside, York, Newcastle and the Leeds conurbation.
You will have the opportunity to develop and implement effective strategies, raise standards and continue to improve student attainment and progress. With a meticulous eye for detail, you must be able to support the diverse needs of pupils and the provision that each individual requires, whilst maintaining the ability to balance budgetary constraints and continue to improve on the budget for the longer-term financial viability for the school.
About You
The successful applicant must be able to demonstrate a proven record of success working with secondary age pupils, have recent and substantial school leadership experience, either as an existing Headteacher, Assistant Head or Deputy Head, and be committed to providing the pupils with a high-quality education and environment. You must exhibit confidence, empathy and a clear focus on continuing to build a healthy workplace culture to benefit the wellbeing of staff and pupils.
You will:
- Be a committed and collaborative leader, keen to engage actively in partnership, working extremely close and building strong working partnerships with our local primary schools and this sharing of ideas, collaborations and collegiate support is essential going into the future initiatives that deliver real benefits for pupils, staff and the wider community.
- Be outward looking, seeking opportunities to learn from and work with others with excellent interpersonal skills who can motivate and manage all stakeholders, effectively shaping and delivering the strategic plan.
- Demonstrate excellent leadership and management to staff with the ability to challenge robustly and constructively, yet considering how we can adapt our practices innovatively to promote and enhance the wellbeing of our staff team. Be someone who recognises the importance of maintaining the school’s existing values, while instilling their own leadership and identity.
- Demonstrate robust financial management, ensuring we can invest successfully in our school, and maximise our resources to improve the outcomes and life chances of pupils.
- Be an outstanding teaching practitioner able to set and achieve ambitious goals and continually seek to raise standards and promote our vision, values and aims in a way that is relevant and inspiring to all.
- Have well-developed IT skills and an understanding of the evolving role of technology in education
- Demonstrate a deep understanding of the significance and importance of consistent data monitoring.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the social, emotional, physical and educational needs of young people, and ensure that the school provides a rounded provision to nurture them.
- Be someone who is capable of and confident in making difficult decisions and ask challenging questions in order to seek the best possible outcome for our school as a whole.
- Have a continuing drive to reflect, learn and strive for positive development, for yourself, your staff team, the pupils and our school as a whole.
We can offer you:
- A happy, caring and supportive school, with well-behaved pupils who respect each other and have a thirst for learning.
- An excellent opportunity to provide strategic leadership and direction whilst building upon the high standards already in place.
- A Governing Body that is committed to providing support on all matters, including more sensitive or difficult issues - this includes the wellbeing of all staff members – and who are passionate about our school and committed to ensuring our pupils reach their potential.
- Support from the governors, our dedicated staff team and the Local Authority, North Yorkshire Council.
If you feel ready to be our next Headteacher and you can bring your experience, enthusiasm, commitment and energy to deliver our vision of excellence for our passionate pupils and motivated staff, we would love to hear from you.
For an informal, confidential conversation about the role please call Helen Poole on 01609 532 254 or email helen.poole@northyorks.gov.uk. Helen has been engaged to support us with recruitment to this key role.
Key dates:
- School Visits by appointment only: To arrange a school visit please contact the schools’ business manager, Stef Blood between 09:00 - 15:00 on 01748 833501 Ext: 202 or blood.s@risedale.org
- Application closing date: Midnight, Sunday 3rd March
- Shortlisting: Wednesday 6th (evening) March
- Interviews: Wednesday 13th and Thursday 14th March
When applying please take into account the following:
Supporting Documents
Job Description
Person Specification
Application guidance, including policy statement on the recruitment of ex-offenders
The supporting information section of your application should clearly evidence your ability to meet the requirements we have outlined in the person specification. This will be used to shortlist applicants for this role and therefore it is imperative that you provide evidence as requested.
Supporting Information
The supporting information section of your application should clearly evidence your ability to meet the requirements we have outlined in the person specification (see campaign site). This will be used to shortlist applicants for this role and therefore it is imperative that you provide evidence as requested.
References
When completing your application, please provide two employment referees.
Safeguarding
We are committed to meeting the needs of our diverse community and aim to have a workforce reflecting this diversity. We are also committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. We have a robust child protection policy and all staff will receive training relevant to their role at induction and throughout employment at the school. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
Please note this post is in regulated activity and exempt from the rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and subject to satisfactory references and an enhanced DBS criminal records and barred list check for work with children. An online search may be undertaken as part of the recruitment process on information available in the public domain. Candidates should disclose anything that may be relevant in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education.
North Yorkshire Council (NYC) advertise vacancies and process applications on behalf of schools and external organisations (third parties) in North Yorkshire. NYC are not responsible for the recruitment/employment practices of third parties and accept no liability in relation to the vacancy and any subsequent recruitment/employment processes. Further information on how we process your data can be found here.