SPORTS PERFORMANCE DIRECTOR

Sherborne School (SS) is a boys’ independent school situated in the shadow of Sherborne Abbey. Founded by Royal Charter in 1550, the school has roots going back to the origins of the See of Sherborne in 705. There are eight boarding houses accommodating about 600 boys (aged 13-18).

Sherborne Prep School is a leading independent Prep School set within 16 acres in the town of Sherborne, Dorset and known for believing in children being children, encouraging inquisitiveness and curiosity and living the school values.

Both Schools belong to the Sherborne School Group.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Sherborne School Recruitment and Selection Policy Statement Sherborne School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Applicants for this post must be willing to undergo child protection screening, including reference checks with previous employers and a criminal record check with the DBS.

Job Title: SPORTS PERFORMANCE DIRECTOR

Location: Based at Sherborne School, although will be required to work at Sherborne Prep School on occasion

Line Manager: Deputy Head Co-Curricular, Sherborne School

Hours of Work: The Sports Performance Director will be required to work 40 hours per week, all year round. Due to the nature of co-curricular provision, the post-holder will be required to work flexibly, as reasonably directed by the Deputy Head Co-Curricular.

Holiday: 25 days per year + Bank Holidays. Attendance may be required on Bank Holidays that fall during term time, for which time off in lieu will be given. Holiday cannot usually be taken during term time and can only be taken following authorisation from the Deputy Head Co-Curricular. The holiday year runs from 1 July to 30 June.

Probationary Period: In accordance with School policy, this appointment will be subject to a six-month probationary period.

Medical Fitness: The offer of appointment will be conditional upon the provision of a self-declaration of physical and mental fitness to discharge the responsibilities of the role.

DBS Disclosure (Police check) / References: As Sherborne School is registered to ask ‘exempted questions’ under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, successful applicants will be subject to a criminal record check from the Disclosure and Barring Service before the appointment is confirmed. This will include details of cautions, reprimands or final warnings; further details are available upon request. This post is also subject to receipt of two satisfactory written references, one of which must be your current/last employer. Post-holder’s

Responsibility: You share with all staff the responsibility to promote and safeguard the welfare of children and young people for whom you are responsible, or with whom you come into contact. In doing so, you are expected at all times to adhere to and ensure compliance with the School’s Safeguarding (Child Protection) Policy. If you become aware of any actual or potential risks to the safety or welfare of children in the School, you must report any concerns to the School’s Designated Safeguarding Lead (Child Protection Officer).

Sports Performance Director

Reporting to the Deputy Head (Co-Curricular), the Sports Performance Director is being introduced to oversee participation and lead performance across Sherborne School and, on occasion, at Sherborne Prep School. This will require an inspirational leader who can bring about cultural change and innovation across the School’s sporting programme. They will need excellent strategic leadership of both programmes and the teams involved. They will work closely with the Director of Sport and their team to ensure first class opportunities across a wide range of Sports for all pupils and ensure all pupils are involved, representing the School and their House whilst looking after their mental and physical health and wellbeing. They will refine and develop a first-class performance strand ensuring pupils gain the very best provision to support their aspirations to perform beyond the school at a national and international level in a growing range of disciplines. The successful candidate will be instrumental in building and developing this vision over the first twelve months of their tenure.

The role

On a day-to-day basis the Sports Performance Director will work closely with their teams to ensure the very best programme is available to all. They will establish what outstanding sports provision looks like and create an environment where colleagues wish to get behind this vision. To ensure this is viable the successful candidate will need to understand the strengths of the team and supporting effective collaboration. They will need to set high expectations whilst also understanding the need to identify development needs fostering continued improvement and hence success of the department. The successful candidate will need to be passionate about sport, have vision and inventive ideas to ensure every pupil reaches their full potential.

Line management (and Appraisal of):

  • The Sports Administrator 
  • The Directors of coaching, including those responsible for: 
  • o Cricket 
  • o Football
  • o Hockey 
  • o Rugby 
  • o Tennis 
  • and any other positions associated with performance sport as and when appointed. 

Development of Sport:

  • Maintain a Sports development plan which is consistent with agreed aims and is consistent with the School’s development objectives; 
  • monitor the effectiveness of Sports provision, reinforcing and disseminating good practice, providing support in areas identified as requiring development and liaising with the Directors of Sports coaching; 
  • oversee the production of a risk register and identify areas of priority to support development; 
  • lead regular reviews, monitoring, evaluating and ensuring quality control with a focus on key performance indicators; 
  • management and oversight of those responsible for organisation and delivery of the sports performance programmes; 
  • convene and chair a Sports Committee; 
  • in conjunction with the Director of Sport producing and maintaining a Health and Safety policy and risk assessments in line with safety legislation and School policy; 
  • be aware of national initiatives in sport and ensure the School is responding accordingly; 
  • promote and deliver CPD to staff who are involved in different sports programmes; 
  • lead, develop and co-ordinate the performance strand of Sherborne Group Sport; 
  • responsibility for relevant sports budgets, including the early identification and management of potential overspends or other issues; 
  • have an overarching view in the development planning of new buildings and infrastructure across the School Sports facilities; 
  • liaison with the Head of PE, Sports Centre Manager, and Head Groundsman; 
  • work closely with physiotherapists, nutritionist and Strength and Conditioning coaches; 
  • outreach and visibility - liaison with marketing, admissions, outreach, and the staff, including the Foundation and OS; 
  • liaise with parents and be a highly visible presence at sporting events; 
  • have the capacity and imagination to inspire, guide and challenge pupils; taking a lead in promoting the School’s Values, Expectations and Standards, encouraging good behaviours, teamwork and fair play. 

Support of the Participation programme

  • Support the Director of Sport in ensuring a breadth of experience that enables all pupils to enjoy sport and understand the benefits of healthy living; 
  • in conjunction with the Director of Sport, ensure both the Performance and Participation Development Plans are fully integrated and support each other; 
  • in conjunction with the Director of Sport, monitor the effectiveness of provision across the School; 
  • work alongside the Director of Sport to ensure there is a rich programme of extracurricular activities available, including house matches, clubs, activities, preseason and tours; 
  • encourage and monitor development of coaching staff through attendance on appropriate courses, INSET, and visits from outside experts (e.g. coaches, referees); 

Leadership and management of the Sports Performance programme

  • To direct and support the high-performance groups within the School; 
  • to focus on the performance of the top teams and the progression to 1st team sport; 
  • to develop long-lasting links with professional academies, elite establishments and national bodies; 
  • to be proactive in identifying performance partnerships to support the delivery of a high performance programme; 
  • to develop individualised programmes across different disciplines that cater for each individual and hence create bespoke programmes across sports; 
  • to advance the School’s understanding of nutrition, strength and conditioning, and physiotherapy; 
  • to work closely with the Events department in the development of Sherborne Group Sports camps; 
  • to work closely with the teams and Admissions in the promotion of the Sherborne Group Sports programme
  • o Overseeing Scholarship
  • o Organising Prep School tournaments 
  •   o Organising Prep School visits 

Communication and administration: 

  • Ensuring, in conjunction with the Marketing team, the effective management and promulgation of Sporting achievements and details of forthcoming events, including on the School website and through other electronic and printed media; 
  • maintaining close liaison with the Deputy Head Co-Curricular to ensure that policies and decisions are coherent and consistently applied; 
  • meeting weekly with the Deputy Head Co-Curricular to review and to plan ahead; 
  • attend all meetings, seminars etc whether internal or external that are deemed relevant to ensuring the School and the Sports team are up to date with current thinking and practices; 
  • be a member of the Health and Safety Committee; 
  • having careful and thorough record-keeping. 

This list is not exhaustive the successful candidate would be expected to fulfil any reasonable request made by the Deputy Head (Co-Curricular)

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Non-Smoking Policy It is the policy of Sherborne School Group (encompassing Sherborne School, Sherborne Preparatory School, Sherborne International, Sherborne School Leisure and Sherborne School Trading) that all our workplaces are smoke free, and all employees have a right to work in a smoke free environment. Smoking is prohibited in all areas of the school both internal and external; this includes company vehicles. This policy applies to all employees, contractors and visitors.

Pension The post-holder will be able to join the Sherborne School Support Staff Pension Scheme on the first day of the month after completion of two months service. Where eligible the post-holder will be auto-enrolled into the Pension Scheme as per current legislation; further details may be obtained from the Head of HR (Bursary).

Sports Centre Membership: Reduced membership of the Sherborne School Sports Centre (including swimming pool, gym and classes) is available for all employees, subject to the facilities being open.

To apply, please send CV to daryl.mason@hartmannmason.com