Part-Time Teacher of Girls’ Physical Education Closing Date: 7th December 2020

Interview Date: By the 18th December 2020

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Contents

Cover Letter ....................................................................................................................................................... 3

Physical Education Faculty................................................................................................................................ 5

Hardenhuish Lane, Chippenham, Wilts. SN14 6HJ

Headteacher: Neil Spurdell BSc (Hons)

Tel: 01249 766020 Fax: 01249 766030

Email: admin@sheldonschool.co.uk Web: www.sheldonschool.co.uk

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Cover Letter November 2020

Dear Colleague,

PART-TIME TEACHER OF GIRLS’ PHYSICAL EDUCATION (MPS)

(Approximately 0.8 FTE)

FIXED TERM MATERNITY COVER

REQUIRED FOR FEBRUARY 2021

Thank you for your interest in this part-time, fixed term, position which arises due to the maternity leave of the current post holder. At present the timetable is spread over 4 days per week but we would also consider applicants from candidates looking for 3 days per week. We are seeking to appoint a suitably qualified and experienced PE Teacher for February 2021 until approximately February 2022 who is able and willing to be an enthusiastic member of a supportive, professional team. We are committed to excellence of achievement and try to ensure that pupils reach their full potential at whatever level they are working. Sheldon’s policy, therefore, is always to appoint the most suitable person for the post and applications are welcome from both experienced and newly qualified teachers. It is anticipated that the successful candidate will teach mainly girls’ groups across the age and ability ranges, including A Level, and will be required to deliver a broad, balanced curriculum, including all major games and gymnastics. A commitment to extra-curricular activities is also essential. Sheldon is a high-achieving school with a strong record of success. You would be joining a very hardworking and supportive faculty which has a strong collegiate atmosphere. We offer a full programme of induction and support to all colleagues who join us and there is a continual focus on staff development and wellbeing, both of which rated very highly in the most recent external survey. Staff morale, in what are challenging educational times, is high, born out of there being a real sense of community. We work hard, but the effort is worth it; the students certainly appreciate it and you will have plenty of fulfilment. I personally believe that Sheldon is a great school. I have worked in six schools in total and am continually impressed by the positivity of the staff and the atmosphere around the school that is overwhelmingly happy and shows our students to be enjoying their learning in a thriving environment. It’s simply a pleasure to come to work each day and I think you will find staff will say the same to you were you to ask them. Further details concerning the faculty and the school are enclosed from Holly Wainwright, Head of Physical Education, together with an application form. In addition, we have included other information to outline the all-round offer, but please also take the time to look at what happens in the school day-to-day by visiting our website. I hope that, having read the information, you will be keen to apply. The successful candidate will be required to safeguard and promote the welfare of all pupils in the school. The posts will be dependent on a successful enhanced DBS check.

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Please complete the application form and return it with a supporting letter, (no more than two sides of A4

please), by post or email to hr@sheldonschool.co.uk . Closing date for applications is Monday, 7th

December 2020 (12 noon).

We hope to interview by 18th December 2020, so if you have heard nothing by this date, please assume you

have been unsuccessful on this occasion. If this proves to be the case, thank you for your interest in

Sheldon School and best wishes for future career.

Yours faithfully,

Neil Spurdell Headteacher

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Physical Education Faculty The faculty has eleven specialist teachers, plus a School Sports Co-ordinator working two days per week. We believe strongly in a team approach: the second in faculty has responsibility for Boys’ Physical Education but we are not seen as two separate departments by staff within the school or by pupils. We aim to present a consistent team profile, promoting boys' and girls' achievements to the whole school and the opposite gender and by teaching some mixed activities. Staff also teach pupils of the opposite gender for a variety of activities. The faculty is experienced, including five senior staff teaching full time within the faculty and the team benefits from stable staffing. There is a very strong culture of commitment to both subject teaching and extra-curricular activities from all of the 11-strong team. We were one of 28 schools nationally designated as a Sports College second specialism. The Sports College status enabled us to develop a number of initiatives both at Sheldon and in our partner schools. We have maintained this collaborative approach to our work with partner schools and have taken the lead in developing the Chippenham Sports Partnership with the other two secondary schools in the town. The faculty has an excellent profile within the school, highly regarded by staff and pupils. The faculty has been very well supported by management teams both historically and at the present time and is well resourced in terms of facilities and equipment. The capitation budget allows development and improvement, and the separate transport budget also means that the issue of funding equipment against the cost of transport for fixtures, for example, is not an issue. As a faculty, our philosophy is based on the 'pyramid' principle, with a culture of achievement and success at all levels. At the top of the pyramid we want excellence and at the bottom we want well-motivated and enthusiastic students working at a level appropriate to their ability within a broad and balanced curriculum structure. We achieve excellence through high standards and expectations in all aspects of the subject including uniform, behaviour, attitude, motivation, tolerance and performance. Expectations are clearly explained in our parent/pupil booklet. The curriculum is delivered to single-gender groups at Key Stage 3, apart from the athletics course which is delivered to tutor groups. At Key Stage 4, students are taught in single and mixed-gender groups depending on the activity. Equal access is provided for the genders in terms of activities. The faculty has support in place for weaker students and extension work is delivered to the more able pupils. Generally, support is provided by teaching assistants or sixth form students as part of their Community Service in Year 12. All staff are involved in developing schemes of work and updating them as necessary. These are linked to assessments which are based on the levels of attainment in the National Curriculum for Physical Education. Pupils are grouped in a variety of ways based on providing the most effective learning environment for them. Groups can be of mixed ability or setted on ability, depending on the activity and the range of pupils in the group. Unsurprisingly, the pupils’ response to physical education is extremely positive. We provide extensive opportunities for pupil development through a wide ranging programme of extra-curricular provision at lunch times, after school and at weekends. The Sheldon club ethos is very strong, with many students involved in these activities. The clubs are open to any school students – many coming to improve and spend time with friends and staff at the same time. School teams are then selected from club members. There are vast opportunities for students to participate in fixtures against other schools and gain recognition through representative honours. Sheldon teams have an enviable record at local, county, regional and national level.

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Over the years, we have achieved many sporting accolades, including Sportsmark Gold. We are closely linked with local hockey clubs and the Chippenham Astroturf Project accommodated on the school grounds. The school also benefits from its strong links with Chippenham Cricket Club. We pride ourselves on our links with local rugby, soccer and netball clubs, with coaches coming in to run some of our extra-curricular sessions. A faculty highlight has been the Olympic Day Fun Run. We initially supported the event at the University of Bath by taking over one hundred students to the venue, then we decided to continue to run the event at school for Sheldon students. The Sheldon ODFR is the biggest school event in the world and we are the only school in the UK that hosts it each year, something we have done over the past 17 years. The 3 km fun run is part of Sheldon Sports Day involving over 1000 pupils and every year we have been fortunate to be joined by an Olympian. An annual ski visit takes place at February half term which is run by the faculty. We take between 60 and 90 students every year and the visit is generally oversubscribed. We also take approximately 40 Year 10 students to Plas Pencelli in the Brecon Beacons in January of each year for a week of outdoor pursuits; again this course is oversubscribed. We run a full programme of outdoor pursuits in curriculum time at Key stage 4 for students including climbing, canoeing and map and compass courses, for which we have our own equipment. The faculty has excellent accommodation in an extension to the existing sportshall - this comprises a faculty room with computer work stations, a fitness room and two theory teaching classrooms for Advanced Level, GCSE and BTec teaching. The faculty aims to produce high quality visual display in changing areas and public positions in the school, generating a real interest in physical education and school sport. All changing rooms have been refurbished and extended to a high standard. The sportshall floor was replaced with the floor from the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in summer 2018 and the changing rooms and toilets upgraded with a grant of £250,000. We are committed to Initial Teacher Training and were involved in a partnership with the University of Bath for over twenty years from the beginning of the PGCE course. When the course finished at Bath we then joined up with the University of Exeter. We work with four students each year during two phases and pride ourselves on the quality of teacher training we provide. We also offer a wide variety of INSET opportunities to staff, much of which has contributed to the promotion in recent past of several members of the PE faculty.

'Commitment' is the watchword of the faculty. We aim to provide the best possible opportunities for all Sheldon students both within and beyond the curriculum and we look forward to welcoming a new member to the team.

Holly Wainwright Head of Faculty of Physical Education November 2020

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