Housemaster or Housemistress

**Job title**

Housemaster/ Housemistress

**Responsible to**
Senior Deputy Head & Designated Safeguarding Lead

**Functional links**
Head of Boarding, other boarding and day house staff, all pastoral and academic staff in the senior school

**Contract**
Permanent, full time

**Salary**
Salary is according to the Taunton School Teacher’s Pay Spine (TS1-TS9), which is currently up to a maximum of £45,140 (full-time), dependent on skills and experience. Taunton School offer the TPS and a Defined
Contribution Pension Scheme through Royal London.

This role also attracts an allowance of up to £9,600.00 per annum, plus on-site accommodation.

**Purpose of the Role**
The girls’ boarding Housemaster / Housemistresses is a vital middle leadership position in Taunton School. The successful applicant will be a standard-bearer for the school’s culture and values as they run and manage their house.

The role entails overseeing a strategic development plan (comprising physical and human resources) for the house, line managing the performance of a team of tutors and above all, ensuring the academic and personal development of pupils within the house.

**Duties and Responsibilities**
- Responsible for developing a culture within the house, which instils a love of learning and a thirst for knowledge;
- Work alongside and in a collegial manner with Heads of Department and SMT to ensure pupils in the house maximise their academic potential;
- Ensure that every child has appropriate access to guidance on academic matters;
- Monitor and develop the quality and effectiveness of tutoring in the House;
- Organise and run a system to ensure that each child’s work is monitored and that problems of an academic nature can be dealt with effectively;
- Keep appropriate records of pupils’ progress and achievements;
- Write House reports that include analytical detail on academic and personal development;
- Be conversant with the use of Value Added data to improve the academic performance of pupils.

**Pastoral**
- Know every child in the house and ensure that pupil wellbeing is at the heart of all discussions and decisions within the house;
- Ensure the school’s wellbeing programmes are embedded, discussed and acted out within the culture of the house;
- Be responsible for developing systems, which enable every pupil to feel safe and able to talk to someone about any problems they have;
- Ensure that all pastoral systems support the academic development of every child;
- Be responsible for ensuring the house works in partnership with parents in all areas of school life;
- Ensure that students understand good behaviour by developing systems of reward and sanction which align with the school behaviour policy;
- Implement the national minimum standards for Boarding Schools on welfare and pastoral provision; keep up-to-date on the law as it relates to child protection issues in particular bullying, abuse and discrimination; ensure that students in their charge are aware of their rights to contact the Social Services at any time;
- Ensure that students' medical needs are catered for in a timely and appropriate manner and encourage pupils to adopt a healthy lifestyle;
- Ensure that pupils look after their appearance and belongings appropriately;
- Ensure that students respect the feelings and belongings of other people and take care of the resources in the House and School;
- Work in a collegial manner with the head of boarding and the other housemasters and housemistresses to organise a full, varied programme of extra-curricular activities so that pupils are adequately occupied in their free time.

**Co-Curricular**
- Be responsible for aligning the house culture with the wider school culture so pupils are fully engaged in a wide range of opportunities in sport, music, drama and outdoor education;
- Ensure tutors hold the same values and support this culture in their day-to-day work with pupils and parents.

**Community**
- Be responsible for creating a house culture where there is a strong sense of identity, service to the broad community and loyalty both and at school and beyond;
- Ensure tutors hold the same values and support this culture in their day-to-day work with pupils and parents.

**Global Outlook**
- Be responsible for creating a house culture, which is inclusive and welcoming to all students from all backgrounds and to ensure that differences are celebrated;
- Ensure tutors hold the same values and support this culture in their day-to-day work with pupils and parents.

**Expectations as a Manager**

Taunton School has high expectations of its managers. In general, a manager at Taunton School should:

- Provide support, challenge and direction;
- Be receptive to new ideas / challenges;
- Work in a collegial manner with colleagues and ensure consistency of approach around best practice;
- Focus on objectives and outcomes;
- Display honesty and integrity in all dealings;
- Encourage and recognise achievement;
- Suppo