Vacancies

 

3 rd October 2008

 

Dear prospective applicant

Thank you for your interest in applying for the temporary (two terms) post of teacher of …………… at Sir Frank Markham Community School. We are a vibrant, multi-ethnic mixed comprehensive with a passionate commitment to inclusion and the five broad aims of “Every Child Matters”. Widely praised for our work with pupils who have special educational needs, we have also developed innovative approaches to our curriculum at Key Stage 3, Key Stage 4 and post-16.

Prior to my appointment at Sir Frank Markham School I had been Headteacher of a school in challenging circumstances in Hertfordshire for nearly five years until August 2004, at which point I took a year off to travel the world while recovering from injuries sustained in a car crash. During my time as a Head in Hertfordshire we became the first school in the country to become a specialist school in sport and the performing arts of dance, drama and music, and our results in public examinations improved significantly.

After returning from my travels in November 2005 I joined Sir Frank Markham Community School in November as a co-opted member of the Leadership Team. Notwithstanding its significant strengths, the school’s performance in public examinations had become a major cause for concern, and I was instrumental in initiating a special conference of the Leadership Team and Governors on a Saturday in January 2006, which was also attended by members of our Student Council.

The main outcomes from our conference were a clear identification of our “key issues”, the mapping out of a coherent set of strategies which emphasised getting the basics right and building from solid foundations (whilst recognising existing strengths), and the outline of a new vision for the school which we are continuing to shape. In effect, we seized the initiative and placed ourselves in “Special Measures” in the hope that by the time we had our next Ofsted inspection we would have done enough work and made enough progress to avoid being officially placed in this category.

I was appointed to become Sir Frank Markham’s new Headteacher in March 2006, and took over from the long-serving Headteacher in September of that year. In my relatively short time at Sir Frank Markham I have been won over by the spirit of the school. It has a real beating heart, and there is a tremendous will on the part of students as well as staff and governors to play a full part in the school’s improvement.

As well as a core of strong, experienced staff we have a number of extremely talented young teachers who are helping to transform learning experiences for our pupils. The potential for significant and sustained improvement is huge, and I am relishing the challenges and opportunities afforded by our current circumstances.

Both a local authority audit report in October 2006 and an Ofsted inspection report the following month recognized the rapid strides that had been made following our special conference in January of that year and described senior leadership as excellent. One of our real strengths is our self-evaluation. We know where we are, we know where we are going, and we are implementing, in Ofsted’s words, “rapid, but well thought out, changes ….to ensure that the quality of education is improved …. Many of these [changes] are already making a positive difference”.

In June 2007 HMI inspected us to check on our progress since our November 2006 Ofsted inspection. They judged that “…the school is making good progress in addressing the issues for improvement and in raising the pupils’ achievements”. In another local authority audit report in October 2007 it was noted that: “The school continues to improve rapidly and has made good progress since the Ofsted inspection in November 2006. There is a clear focus on raising standards, which is shared with all staff, and subscribed to by them. There is a momentum for change and the school is working much more effectively than it was a year ago. Senior staff lead by example and clearly articulate their expectations of staff. Staff are positive about the progress the school is making”.

In January 2008 we had our Ofsted re-inspection following being given a “Notice to Improve” in November 2006 (the first line of the November 2006 report, however, had stated that we were clearly “a rapidly improving school”). The outcome of our January 2008 inspection was that we were taken out of the “Notice to Improve” category. This means we have gone from a situation in January 2006 where we placed ourselves in Special Measures to one just two years later where Ofsted have judged us to be satisfactory with good and outstanding features and good capacity for further improvement.

In June 2008 we received the prestigious Artsmark Silver award, and in July this year we won the Countec EBP award for being the most enterprising school in Milton Keynes. Finally, and most importantly, we achieved a step change in results at Key Stage 4 this summer. The percentage of students achieving 5 or more higher grade passes leapt 30% from last summer to 51% (the school’s highest ever percentage before 2008 had been 22), and the percentage of our students obtaining 5 or more higher grade passes including English and Mathematics also more than doubled, from 9% in 2007 to 21% this summer. We confidently expect that at least 75% of our students will obtain 5 or more higher grade passes in 2009, and that we will also achieve the DCSF “floor target” of at least 30% of students achieving 5 or more higher grade passes including English and Mathematics (this target presents particular challenges as we have a high percentage [nearly 30%] of students for whom English is an additional language, a significant number of whom only came to England when already secondary school age).

I believe that high expectations and high quality relationships are two of the most important factors which contribute to the success of a school and, with my Governors, am looking to appoint staff with vision and imagination who share this philosophy and are committed to comprehensive education.

As a member of the …………………. department you will play a crucial role in helping to lead the transformation of teaching and learning in this subject area. I am seeking to appoint teachers who are passionate about their subject and their work and who are committed to making a difference. You will be also be committed to helping students to develop as independent, problem solving learners, and will understand the critical importance that high quality differentiation and assessment practice has to play in this. You will also have a breadth of vision for teaching and learning that goes beyond the boundaries off the classroom.

I am looking for staff who have a strong commitment to continuing professional development and who are always striving to improve on their previous best in the same way that we would expect our pupils to be. You must be prepared to “go the extra mile” on behalf of our students, and to contribute to our extra-curricular programme with energy and enthusiasm.

You will benefit from an excellent induction programme and very high quality, ongoing professional development, and will also benefit from our collaborative partnerships with our training school neighbour, St. Paul’s.

This is a really exciting time to be joining the school. We have an ambitious vision for our future, and, more importantly, a relentless determination to realise it. Our commitment to professional development is exemplary, and we will offer every support to help you fulfill your career aspirations.

All new staff are provided with a laptop computer, and benefit from reduced rates for membership of the Woughton Leisure Centre, which is part of our campus. Staff have free use of the Centre’s sports hall and swimming pool every Friday afternoon. Staff relocating to join us may be entitled to a relocation allowance of up to £1000, and support will be provided if desired with an application for “Key Worker” housing.

In September 2009 the School will become an Academy and students and staff will transfer to brand new buildings with “state of the art” equipment and resources. The academy sponsor, Edge, shares our vision for learning that is competency based, active, engaging and, where possible and appropriate, related to “real” world situations beyond school. Edge also shares our vision for a high quality, personalised curriculum where academic and vocational courses have parity of esteem and students are able to move along or across these pathways from 13/14 onwards.

Our pupils deserve special teachers, and I do hope that you decide to apply to work at our school.

An application form and further particulars are enclosed. The closing date for applications is Wednesday 15 th October 2008.

As well as submitting your CV, in your supporting letter of application, which should not exceed 2 sides of A4, please outline:

Your cv and letter of application

As well as submitting your CV, in your supporting letter of application, which should not exceed 2 sides of A4, please outline:

Yours sincerely

Mike O’Mahony

Headteacher