Westminster School - Deputy Head (Co-curriculum and Planning)

Location: South West London
School: Westminster School
Type: Full-time
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Summary

We are currently seeking to fill the position of Deputy Head (Co-curriculum and Planning).

Detail

Required for: January 2027 or September 2027
Location: Deans Yard - Westminster School
Contract: full-time, permanent
Salary: Westminster School has its own salary scale, and new members of staff are placed at a point relevant to their qualifications and experience. Details of salary will be discussed at interview with those candidates who are shortlisted.

There is also an associated responsibility allowance in relation to this role. Accommodation may be available, depending on duties undertaken

The deadline for applications is 09:00 on Monday 2nd November. Longlist interviews will take place in-person w/c 9th November.

The Deputy Head (Co-Curriculum and Planning) is a member of the Senior Management Committee (SMC) and is accountable to the Head Master for fulfilling the specific responsibilities of the role.

The Deputy Head (Co-Curriculum and Planning)’s main responsibilities are:

to lead and manage the School’s extensive co-curricular programme, including its staffing and budget;
to ensure the School’s smooth day-to-day running and to oversee longer-term planning of major school events and pupil-facing activities;
to be the School’s Educational Visits Co-ordinator (EVC), supported by the Trips Manager.

In common with other members of the SMC, the Deputy Head (Co-Curriculum and Planning) is required to take a whole-school perspective and to contribute to the strategic vision and planning of the School’s development. The Deputy Head (Co-Curriculum and Planning) will also undertake some teaching.

Specific responsibilities

Leadership of co-curricular activities

To support those who organise the co-curricular programme and to represent their views and interests to the SMC and Head Master
To line manage the Directors of Sport (Station), Music and Drama, the Head of Water, the Head of Lower School Activities, the Heads of Upper and Lower School Expeditions, the Masters-in-Charge of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme
To line manage the Trips Manager, the Nenthead Housekeeper, the School’s Events and Planning administrator and the Sports Centre General Manager
To oversee the management of pupil-led societies and the scheduling of meetings, in conjunction with the Director of Upper School
To take overall responsibility for co-curricular budgets with the assistance of the Bursar & Chief Operating Officer and the Director of Finance
To support the Directors of Sport (Station), Music and Drama by liaison with People Partners on matters relating to the employment of Sports Coaches, Visiting Music Teachers and Administrative and Support staff who assist in co-curricular activities
To collaborate with the Assistant Master Extra Curricular at Westminster Under School over shared usage between the Schools of the Sports Centre, Pavillion and Vincent Square
To create the termly co-curricular diary
To collect and analyse data relating to pupils’ engagement in Co-curricular activities

Leadership of whole-school events

To oversee arrangements for major whole-school events e.g. School Photographs, Co-Curricular and Academic Prize-Giving Ceremonies, Athletic Sports, Latin Prayers, the Induction of the King’s Scholars, and The Pancake Greaze
To assist with the organisation of the School Carol Service, Commemorations and annual Election Dinner
To approve and oversee matters relating to visiting speakers
To oversee the ticketing of plays, concerts etc. via the e-ticketing system

Year planning

To produce and maintain the Online Almanack up to two years in advance
To liaise with the Chaplain around Abbey, School Communion and Abbey Eucharist
To meet with the Directors of Music, Station (sport) and Drama to plan events
To work with the School’s Commercial Director to advise on and enable commercial activities

Term dates

To make recommendations to the SMC around term dates, two years in advance
To produce and publish the arrangements for the beginnings and ends of terms and intervening Exeats (half-terms, etc.)
To oversee the organisation of associated school assemblies and school meetings

Termly planning

To act as the SMC liaison with the School’s caterers on pupil related matters
To produce the rota for and to oversee Latin Prayers up School
To plan and oversee Abbey seating arrangements, liaising with the Abbey as needed
To liaise with the Deputy Head (Academic) over the timings of internal and external examinations and enter these into the Online Almanack
To liaise with all staff as necessary to resolve any potential conflicts in the Almanack

Weekly planning

To chair the weekly co-ordination meeting with key members of the Administration and Support staff
To visit the dining rooms regularly to ensure that things are running smoothly
To create a comprehensive staff duty rota
To supervise Abbey services, bringing the congregation to order prior to the formal procession
To supervise Latin Prayers, including the co-ordination of Thought for the Day and the presentations of awards and prizes
To oversee the management of requests for room use through the electronic booking system
To assess requests for trips and authorise as appropriate

Calendar and scheduling

To be responsible for the day-to-day maintenance of the Online Almanack
To oversee and regularly update key policy documents
To produce a termly co-curricular summary including relevant data for Governors and for the Head Master’s end-of-term communication to parents and guardians

Expeditions, trips and transport

To act as the School’s Educational Visits Co-ordinator
To maintain an overview of the safety and proper organisation of school trips, expeditions and exchanges, both overseas and within the UK, liaising with staff with special responsibilities in this area and reporting to the Head Master
To manage the Expeditions Website and act as intermediary for the Head Master’s approval for Expeditions
To administer the process of advertising, assessing and making Travel Awards
To be responsible for the School’s house in Nenthead, Cumbria, including arranging Fifth Form visits, line managing the local support staff, liaising with the Director of Estates regarding maintenance of and improvements to the house, and promoting the house’s use for other trips and Expeditions, liaising with the Commercial Director to ensure priority is given to school and pupil use alongside commercial imperatives
To take overall responsibility, in liaison with the Head of Facilities Management, for matters relating to the use of school minibuses and other (including hired) vehicles used for pupil transport
To arrange for Emergency Contact cover from SMC members during the school holidays and while Expeditions are taking place

Attendance at School committees and Governing Body meetings

The Senior Management Committee (SMC)
The Health and Safety Committee, as the School’s EVC
The Housemasters’ Committee
The Governing Body’s Education Committee (as required)
Monitors’ meeting

Other duties as a member of the Senior Management Committee

To be involved with the appointment of teaching staff, in particular the process of interviewing candidates with particular but not exclusive reference to co-curricular contributions (having undergone Safer Recruitment training)
To be an authoritative presence around the School throughout the day
To attend as wide a range of School functions as possible, to support pupils and staff in their activities and endeavours
To present at School Open events and to support the admissions process
To represent the School at external meetings as requested by the Head Master
To investigate staff or pupil disciplinary issues, or parental complaints
To liaise with the SMT of Westminster Under School as appropriate

If you would like to discuss details of this post informally in the first instance, please contact the current post-holder, Dr Viv Horsfield (vivienne.horsfield@westminster.org.uk)

Equal Opportunities

We are an equal opportunities employer. We therefore encourage candidates to apply irrespective of age, disability, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion and belief, gender identity, sex or sexual orientation.

Safeguarding and Child Protection

Westminster School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Working at Westminster

Westminster School is a busy, purposeful and vibrant place to be and an excellent workplace. The community is made up of around 750 pupils, 120 teaching staff and 108 support staff.

Our staff are friendly and welcoming, and all newcomers quickly become part of the rhythm of life here.

There is a real sense of community here as, being a boarding school many members of staff and pupils live on site and the School’s premises are very much treated as a home away from home. School life starts before breakfast and continues way beyond the working day; as a result, there is always a lively atmosphere in and around School and always someone to share a tea and biscuit with in the Common Room. Support staff as much as teaching staff are encouraged to embrace the School’s day-to-day activities, whether that be attending an evening concert or a morning service in the Abbey.

At Westminster we will always select the best candidate for every position. We do know, however, that we can only truly choose the best person on every occasion if a broad and diverse pool of candidates see the job advertised and are encouraged to apply.

As such, we continue to work on how our job roles are encountered, and particularly welcome applications from groups who have traditionally been underrepresented here.

Westminster School is for everyone, regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or any other protected characteristic. We hope you are encouraged to apply.

The School

Westminster School is an independent day and boarding school for boys aged 13-18 and girls aged 16-18, with a long history, a distinctive ethos, and a unique sense of place in the very heart of London. Pupils achieve exceptional examination results and entrance to some of the top universities in the world. It is a busy, passionate and purposeful place where independent and deep thinking is enjoyed, encouraged and respected by all, and where holistic excellence is nurtured and valued.

While the School is one of the foremost centres of academic excellence in the country, its commitment to academic life does not make it a hothouse for passing examinations. Pupils’ success at examinations and entry to leading universities is instead a result of their enjoyment of academic enquiry, debate and search for explanation, well beyond published syllabuses. Pupils are intellectually, socially, ethically and politically engaged and our aim is to ensure that their enthusiasm for learning is developed further, allowing them to take full advantage of the opportunities presented to them in the future. At Westminster, pupils have the freedom to lead on projects outside of the classroom and embrace a whole range of extra-curricular activities and interests. A host of pupil-led societies take place every week at the School, often with expert guest speakers, and pupils can choose to study an additional language, play an instrument or two, volunteer in local primary schools, row along the Thames, take part in plays and musicals, and much more.

The School’s ethos resides in the enduring values of the liberal tradition reflected in the 1560 Charter of Westminster’s Elizabethan foundation, where it is stated that: ‘the youth which is growing to manhood, as tender shoots in the wood of our state, shall be liberally instructed in good books to the greater honour of the state’. Whilst academic and cultural attainments are highly prized at Westminster, the School is fully committed also to each pupil’s spiritual, moral, emotional and physical development and wellbeing – with a particular emphasis on drawing out individual talent wherever it lies – and to prepare young people for fulfilled private and public lives.

From September 2028, the School will welcome both girls and boys at 13+ entry, offering a Westminster education to all. By 2026, Westminster Under School will have opened its brand new pre-prep for girls and boys at 4+ and girls will have joined boys in Years 3 and 7, at the 7+ and 11+ entry points. By 2030, all year groups at Westminster School and Westminster Under School, from ages four to 18, will be fully co-educational, reflecting the School’s dedication to inclusivity and excellence.