Head of Schools and Families
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APPOINTMENT OF HEAD OF SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES
The Chapter of St Paul’s Cathedral wishes to appoint a Head of Schools and Families
THE VISION OF THE CATHEDRAL CHURCH OF ST PAUL IN
LONDON
St Paul’s Cathedral seeks to enable people in all their diversity to encounter the
transforming presence of God in Jesus Christ.
As a community of worshippers, staff and volunteers we work with care and
imagination to be a centre for welcome, worship and learning which inspires
successive generations to engage with the richness of the Christian faith and its
heritage.
We aim to do this with confidence, compassion and creativity, promoting dignity and
justice for everyone.
We work with the Bishop and Diocese of London and the wider church, as a
spiritual focus for London, the nation and the world.
The Chapter of St Paul’s Cathedral
Responsible to
The Chancellor
Role
Learning takes place at St Paul’s Cathedral through helping
people of all ages and backgrounds to understand the
Christian faith, the contribution of the Cathedral to the life of
London and beyond from its foundation to the present day,
and to experience the spirituality of a sacred place. We seek
to capture the imagination of contemporary people to
understand more fully the resonance of the Christian faith
and the life and heritage of the Cathedral.
The educational work of St Paul’s Cathedral has four strands:
 Schools & Families
 St Paul’s Forum
 St Paul’s Institute
 Collections Department
All four departments report to the Chancellor, a member of
the Cathedral’s Chapter.
Within this structure the post holder will manage the Schools
& Families Department, leading a team of 3 staff and up to 20
volunteers responsible for delivering a world-class education
service at St Paul's Cathedral.
The Schools and Families service is part of the inclusive
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mission and outreach of the Cathedral, enabling visitors of all
ages, students and their families, the wider church and other
faith and community groups to develop their understanding
of the Christian faith and the role of the Cathedral within the
Church and society.
Duties
Under the direction of the Chancellor, to manage and
develop the Schools and Families service of St Paul's
Cathedral:
 Initiating a process of review and development of the
Department and implementing agreed recommendations
 Overseeing the provision of on-site learning programmes
and materials, including developing future schools and
families content and learning programmes
 Marketing and resourcing programmes
 Ensuring focus on the Cathedral’s specialist ability to
provide understanding of the Christian faith and the
delivery of quality R.E./Religious Studies/Philosophy &
Ethics as required by the National Framework for R.E.
and Local Agreed Syllabi
 Teaching the cathedral’s story as related to National
Curriculum History across all key stages
 Offering
challenging
cross
curricular
learning
opportunities at St Paul’s
 Liaising with schools/colleges, London based university
teacher training programmes, heritage partners (museums
and galleries), UK Cathedral education colleagues and
church agencies, including the London Diocesan Board
for Schools
 Promoting the schools and families service in all of the
above
 Developing a programme of themed, guided visits,
discussion forums and workshops that are closely related
to the National Curriculum and National Framework for
R.E., History and other subjects
 Devising and directing special education and spirituality
projects/events in partnership with other organisations
 Training staff and volunteer Schools & Families
Department visit leaders
 Managing, motivating, mentoring and appraising the
Schools Assistants, the Schools Dept. Administrator and
the Schools Dept. Volunteers
 Working imaginatively and constructively with St Paul’s
Forum, St Paul’s Institute and the Collections teams
 Working with St Paul’s Cathedral Foundation in compiling
funding bids to apply for funding from external sources
 Managing expenditure of grant funds and keeping accurate
expenditure records in liaison with the Finance Dept
 Devising and delivering INSET for teachers, student
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teachers and parish leaders/clergy
Representing St Paul’s at the “Cathedrals+” annual,
national conference and attending regional Education
Officers meetings
Leading themed, guided visits and workshops when
required and mentoring staff and volunteers as they do so
Writing web based and other materials for use by
schools, families and community groups visiting St Paul’s.
Preparing presentations for diverse audiences, both adults
and young people
Liaising with actors’ agencies and other providers to
provide high quality actor/characters for living history and
R.E. visits
Representing the Cathedral on the Diocese of London
Education Forum, Synods and other Diocesan
committees as required
Ensuring compliance with Health & Safety requirements,
including making Risk Assessments
Ensuring compliance with the Cathedral’s Safeguarding
Policy
Monitoring compliance with the Equality Act
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Essential Characteristics
We are looking to appoint a self-motivated, experienced, enthusiastic education
professional, educated to degree level, with qualified teacher status who has:
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Relevant mainstream educational and management expertise, preferably in
formal education and with a sound working knowledge of the Christian faith,
the Church of England and the National Framework for Religious Education
Competent working knowledge of the current requirements of the National
Curriculum 2014 for all key stages and the ability to create challenging visit
programmes at the cathedral based on this
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with experience of public
speaking
Proven ability to prioritise, think and plan strategically
Excellent staff management experience
Evidence of working collaboratively across departments
Strong organisational skills, with the ability to plan complex work schedules
Demonstrable knowledge and experience of financial processes including
budgeting
Excellent IT skills, especially database, PowerPoint, Word and Publisher.
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A commitment to the values and beliefs of the Christian Church and
experience of interpreting these to children and young people
A willingness actively to support the Christian vision which shapes the work
and life of the Cathedral
Experience of motivating and managing a team who often work under
considerable pressure
Desirable Characteristics
We are ideally seeking a person who also has:
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Knowledge of what makes for high quality family learning, particularly with
regard to enhancing children’s and families’ spirituality and awareness of the
Christian faith.
Experience and gifts in drama, characterised storytelling and Godly Play
Experience of interpretation of a heritage site/sacred space to students of all
age
Experience of writing for publication, especially textbooks/worksheets/display
Experience in creating and directing large scale families/community group
events and activities
GENERAL
As a Head of Department the appointed person will be expected:
 To support the work of the Chapter in the furtherance of its vision and
strategy for St Paul’s Cathedral
 To attend and participate in training courses as directed
 To adhere to the HR policies of the Cathedral
 To take part in the annual appraisal system
 To undertake any other reasonable tasks relevant to the post
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Key Terms and Conditions of Employment
Hours of work
:
Full time, i.e. 5 days per week
Salary
:
Circa £45,000
DBS Check
:
Appointment to the post is conditional upon the
receipt of an Enhanced Disclosure from the
Disclosure and Barring Service
Performance Review
:
The appointment will be subject to a probationary
period of 3 months, and is then subject to
confirmation.
Holiday
:
33 days (inclusive of all bank holidays)
Pension
:
The successful applicant will be automatically enrolled
into the Cathedral’s workplace pension scheme
immediately upon joining. The minimum contribution
is 1% and the employer contributes 5%.
RECRUITMENT PROCESS
Completed application form, accompanied by covering letter and full CV, should be
submitted:
By post to Miss Linda Nash, Human Resources Manager, The Chapter House, St
Paul’s Churchyard, London EC4M 8AD;
Or by e-mail to: Lnash@stpaulscathedral.org.uk.
Closing date for applications: 23 April 2014. Interviews will be held on 8 May.
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