PART I: ABOUT THE DUNCAN LOUIS STEWART FELLOWSHIP

Founded in 1870, the Natural History Society (NHS) is among the very oldest of Winchester College’s societies. The arrival of Duncan Stewart, in 2003, saw the NHS acquire a new lease of life, after somewhat lean times, and become the best-supported society in the School. A full programme of termly trips was instigated, the library was restocked and equipment updated. Duncan’s enthusiasm and determination set a template for others to follow.

Duncan Stewart (G, 2003-08) was just eighteen when he was tragically killed in a road traffic accident. He had been working as a marine biologist during his gap year in Argyll. Growing up in Scotland, Duncan had a passion for the outdoors and particularly enjoyed scuba diving, tennis, snorkelling, bird-watching, and climbing. He was able to pursue his love of fishing at Winchester with many summer days and evenings spent on the River Itchen. Duncan kept meticulous journals and notebooks of his observations in nature and worked on organising the Winchester College Natural History collections, helping to organise, index, collate and make extensive drawings of the specimens. Duncan invited Sir David Attenborough to speak to the NHS. As a result of this, Sir David subsequently became the society's Honorary President and remains an Honorary Patron to this day. Duncan wrote in his invitation letter to Sir David:

‘The Winchester College NHS aims to educate the boys about the extraordinary biodiversity of Hampshire, southern England and the world.’

David and Kim Stewart have worked extensively with the school to build a legacy for Duncan's passion for the natural world. In 2009, the College established the annual Duncan Louis Stewart Natural History Lecture. In 2015, the Stewart family and other generous donors endowed Winchester with a fund to support the Duncan Louis Stewart Natural History Fellowship in his memory. The aim of the fellowship is to make the natural world relevant to all pupils, in all areas of study. It encourages Wykehamists to observe, study, comprehend and care about the natural world around them, to attract and encourage polymathic thinking and discussion about our shared natural world. The Duncan Louis Stewart Natural History Fellow will work alongside all departments.

Key aim of the Duncan Louis Steward Fellowship in Natural History:

To engender the largest possible number of pupils a deeper knowledge, love and respect for, ecology, the environment and the natural world around them.

PART II: ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE DUNCAN STEWART LOUIS FELLOW

The key role and responsibility of the fellow will be to inspire and facilitate the pupils, and the school, as we grow and increase our contribution to, and general awareness of the natural world around us. Winchester College aims to contribute to caring for and protecting our natural world and planet well beyond our own boundaries.

Responsible to: The Head of Science, Matt Rogers.

They will achieve the above key aim through:

a) Planning and organising a range of activities on a weekly basis including:

• NHS weekly activities and trips alongside the Master in Charge of the NHS and a Thursday drop-in session for project work and animal husbandry (e.g. tank maintenance; reptile, amphibian and insect feeding)
• Community Service conservation focused weekly activities in conjunction with the Director of Community Service.
• Leading a weekly natural history activity for pupils focused on project work in the immediate surroundings of the College. This will involve publicising and keeping accurate records of findings. Activities may include but not be limited to:
• • Rigorous survey work of flora and fauna (e.g. water vole, otters and aquatic invertebrates).
  • Camera trap and remote observation-based monitoring, with links to the school’s website and other wildlife websites.
• Outreach activities with local schools in support of the Head of Educational Partnerships (potentially including a week of work experience for GCSE pupils, as well as ad-hoc ecology fieldwork sessions).
• Working with the Head of Scientific Collections to identify, catalogue and display natural history collections.
• Planning and coordinating the annual Duncan Louis Stewart NHS lecture from a high-profile naturalist in collaboration with the Winchester College Society.
• Working with the Admissions team on Our Futures Together programme for prospective students to experience Ecology related activities.

b) Building and maintaining links via the activities listed above with local wildlife organisations and the wider community.

c) Attending a number of field trips, both residential and non-residential, either as a natural history expert who can significantly boost pupil engagement, or as the principal organiser of inspiring nature focused trips. These will include:

i. Nature-based trips such as:

• Planning and organising an annual residential trip for the NHS (7 days).
• Fortnightly local trips off-site for the NHS (e.g. Marwell Zoo, New Forest)

ii. Attending fieldwork associated with the teaching of Geography, such as:

• Non-residential days during term-time.
• 3 days residential during term-time.
• 7 days residential outside of term-time.

iii. Attending fieldwork associated with the teaching of Biology, such as:

• Non-residential days during term-time.

iv. Engaging with teaching staff in order to:

• Work with all academic departments and those who teach Div on any natural history related projects (e.g. EPQs) and classes.
• Work with Earth Prize teams to support the success of their projects.
• Visiting tutor groups and getting pupils to engage in ecological activities during a 35 minute lesson.
• Identify opportunities to engender in all pupils a deeper knowledge of, and respect for ecology, the environment and the natural world.
• Promote and advertise natural history by contributing to the program of short talks in boarding houses in the evening and chapel in the morning.
• The successful candidate will work in Winchester throughout the week in term-time. There will be a need to support activities at weekends during term-time and field trips will infringe on weekends and school holidays.

PART III: PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential

The successful candidate will be/have:

• A passion for natural history evidenced through either higher academic study, research and publications, the media or through professional pursuits.
• Extensive knowledge and experience of wildlife and practical study of natural history.
• The ability to enthuse and stimulate interest in young people and convey this knowledge effectively.
• Be on hand to fulfil the job requirements, both locally and further afield.
• Be a proactive person able to work alone and generate ideas and put them into practice effectively.
• Be a good communicator able to converse with a wide range of people.
• It is also expected that the Duncan Louis Stewart Fellow in Natural History will have a relevant honours degree or equivalent and have current contacts with wildlife organisations.

Key Qualities

The successful candidate will be/have:

• A commitment to the pastoral values of the school.
• Enjoyment of young people’s company.
• Emotional intelligence and the ability to empathise with both staff and pupils.
• A welcoming and friendly demeanour for all visitors to the College.
• The ability to build strong and effective relationships with pupils, parents, other Housemaster/mistress and other school-wide colleagues.
• Calm, patient and the ability to make decisions under pressure.
• The ability to delegate and use initiative.
• High levels of energy, enthusiasm and reliability.
• Excellent behaviour management skills.
• Organisational and administrative skills.
• The resilience and stamina needed to deal with the demands of boarding school life.
• Commitment to promoting and embedding an inclusive culture, with equality of opportunity for all.

PART IV: BENEFITS, TERMS AND CONDITIONS, AND APPLICATION

Start Date

The College is looking to make an appointment to start before January 2025. Exact start date is negotiable.

Salary

The salary will be in circa £30,000 per annum. Salary levels are reviewed annually on 1 September and this salary will next be reviewed in September 2025.

Hours of Work

This is a full-time role during term time, 32 weeks of the year, with an element of work during the holiday period not exceeding 4 weeks per academic programme. Normal working hours will be 37.5 hours per week spread over mostly Monday to Friday with occasional Saturdays (e.g. Wykeham Day and fieldtrips). This will usually include one later evening (staying until approximately 10pm) each week. The School is open for approximately 26 Saturdays during the year.

Length of Contract

This position is in the first instance for a two-year term due to the aims of the role on its inception to offer different perspectives and skills on a two-year cycle.

Probation, Notice Periods

The first four months of employment will be a probationary period. During this time, conduct and performance will be reviewed. The College may extend the probationary period if it is deemed to be required. During the probationary period the notice required to terminate employment will be one week (by either the employee or employer). The notice will increase upon the successful completion of the probationary period.

Induction and Continuous Training and Development

The school is fully committed to the induction, training and development of all our staff, with staff supported to grow and reach their full potential.

We deliver a range of training, run by both our own staff and external providers, varying from highly practical First Aid courses to seminars and learning lunches on many aspects of teaching and learning.

There is an annual cycle of appraisal offering the opportunity to reflect on professional practice and development opportunities.

Pension and Life Cover

On employment, employees will be auto-enrolled into the College’s pension scheme according to legislative thresholds. Those who are not eligible for auto-enrolment may still elect to join the College’s pension scheme. Initially, when joining the College’s pension scheme, employees will become a member of the College’s Group Personal Pension Plan (GPP). For this Plan, known as Tier 1, currently the employee contributes 4% and the employer 3%.

After nine months’ membership of the Tier 1 plan employees may opt to join Tier 2, which is also a Group Personal Pension Plan but contribution rates are 5% from the employee and 9% from the College. Employees in Tier 1 automatically qualify for a Life Cover of 2 times salary. On entry to Tier 2 Life Cover changes to 4 times salary.

Annual Leave

The College leave year runs from 1 September to 31 August. All leave must be taken by prior arrangement and must be taken outside of the school’s term times.

Wider Benefits

• Free staff lunches during term time.
• Access to Staff Counsellor.
• Use of sports facilities, including gym membership, tennis courts and in 2025, a new 25m swimming pool. Exercise classes, including spinning and circuits are also available.
• Tour of the College, with discounted rates available for booking venues within the school’s grounds for hospitality events.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Free access to an ongoing cycle of cultural, musical, theatrical and sporting talks and events.
• Employee Referral Scheme, with a reward of up to £250 for staff (subject to scheme conditions).
• Free Library membership with access to a range of online journals and magazines.

Disclosure Check

As Winchester College is an educational establishment, a condition of employment will be that the successful candidate must consent to the school obtaining an Enhanced Level Disclosure check through the Disclosure and Barring Service. This will reveal all spent and unspent convictions, warnings, cautions and bind-overs. A policy on the recruitment of ex-offenders is available on the school’s website.

Safeguarding is one of the prime responsibilities of this role. The jobholder’s responsibility for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young persons for whom they are responsible, or with whom they come into contact with, will be to adhere to and ensure compliance with the school’s Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy at all times. The Duncan Louis Stewart Fellow should be conversant with the responsibilities and procedures detailed in this policy and with the Department for Education’s Keeping Children Safe in Education. If, in the course of carrying out the duties of the post, the Duncan Louis Stewart Fellow becomes aware of any actual or potential risks to the safety or welfare of children in the school, they must report any concerns to the school’s Designated Safeguarding Lead or in their absence the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead.

References and Other Pre-employment Checks

The appointment will be dependent on the receipt of a successful medical check and satisfactory references. The College will usually seek references from shortlisted candidates before interview and may approach previous employers for information to verify particular experience or qualifications. At least one referee must be the current or most recent employer. Where applicants are not currently working with children but have done so in the past, one referee must be the person by whom they were most recently employed when working with children.

HOW TO APPLY

If you have any questions about this vacancy or the recruitment process, please email recruitment@wincoll.ac.uk  

Closing date for applications: Monday 16th September 2024.

The school reserves the right to appoint prior to the closing date.

Data Protection

Winchester College collects and processes relevant personal data as part of its everyday operations and is obliged to process it in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018. The school is the Data Controller of this data under the Act and is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office; its registration number is Z5751669

Any queries about this policy or how personal data is processed by the school should be referred to the Data Protection Liaison Officer.

PART V: ABOUT WINCHESTER COLLEGE

In February 2021, Winchester announced a bold new vision and a significant programme of change. ‘Winchester College in the 21st Century’ describes the School’s ambitions for its future and heralds the start of an exciting new phase in Winchester’s development.

Winchester was a pioneering institution when it was founded in 1382 and this new vision will ensure the School continues to be a leader and influencer of great education on the modern global stage. The commitment to provide an intellectual education of exceptional quality and breadth remains unaltered, as do the values which have underpinned Winchester since its foundation. ‘Winchester College in the 21st Century’ will build on these strengths and bring multiple benefits to current and future generations of Wykehamists.

Winchester currently has 700 pupils. In September 2022, the College welcomed 40 day pupils, including 17 girls, into the Sixth Form and will continue to do so, over time expanding the entry each year to up to 50 girl boarders. The number of pupils boarding at the College will remain the same. 

The new vision for Winchester includes the following significant changes: 

Increasing Access 

• The admission of girls and day pupils into the Sixth Form. It is anticipated that the first girl boarders will join in 2025.
• A significant growth in the College’s bursary provision, with the initial objective of a 25% increase, to 150 pupils by 2024.

Academically, Winchester is among the very best schools in the country and is sought after for its combination of superb teaching, pastoral care, sports and activities.

At all levels Winchester encourages pupils to look beyond the curriculum. Div is our unique programme of general cultural studies and offers an excellent preparation for university study. In these lessons, pupils engage with a wide range of subjects, from English Literature to Ancient History to the History of Science.

Pupils in the Sixth Form study linear A-level courses and will ordinarily study three A-level subjects and an Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) alongside Div. Linear A-levels are complemented by the flexibility of the EPQ where pupils are able to more deeply explore their cross-curricular research interests. The EPQ encourages pupils to develop first-class research skills, to synthesise information from a variety of differing sources, and to become accustomed to the demands of independent study.

Music has been central to life at Winchester ever since its foundation, and the school is unique in having maintained its Choral Foundation to the present day. The Music Department is now one of the leading departments in the country, and offers outstanding opportunities to all.

Sport is a major part of Winchester life. There are many fixtures against other schools, and in 2024 the redevelopment of the sports facilities will see a state-of-the-art complex open that will allow all pupils to enjoy and participate in a variety of sports, whilst simultaneously enabling the most talented and driven pupils to train and compete at the highest level.

Much energy is also invested in the Combined Cadet Force, the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, Community Service, and in links with local primary and secondary maintained schools. This commitment provides pupils with many opportunities to work for the benefit of others, inside and outside the classroom, developing the knowledge and skills, and the rights and responsibilities, which will enable them to grow into valuable and productive members of society.

Pupils eat all meals in their boarding houses, talking with their Housemaster/mistress, and interacting with friends, visitors and teachers. We believe that conversational ability, developed both inside and outside the community, equips pupils to talk to anyone, about anything, in practically any situation.

This unparalleled combination attracts pupils from across the world, making Winchester a truly international and diverse community which celebrates every pupil’s individuality, passions and potential.

Winchester College is committed to maintaining the founder’s original intention of offering an outstanding education to any pupil who would benefit from it, regardless of their financial circumstances, and many of the pupils in the College are being helped financially through the school with substantial bursaries.

Winchester College embraces diversity and inclusion in the workplace and is committed to promoting a fair and supportive environment for all our employees. We work hard to create an inclusive culture where different perspectives are recognised, and our staff feel valued for their individuality and share a sense of belonging. Our aim is to reflect the diverse nature of society and of our pupil body. We are seeking to attract a diversity of talent at all levels, so that our pupils understand and benefit from the breadth and depth of such a diverse community. This means recruiting from the widest possible pool of talent.