The Matron is resident in the Boarding House and, in conjunction with the Housemaster, is responsible for the pastoral care and wellbeing of approximately 65 pupils aged 13-18.
Together, the Housemaster and Matron are responsible for creating a warm, supportive home community, establishing a strong rapport of trust with pupils and colleagues, and working in partnership with others to promote the health and wellbeing of our pupils.
They encourage the pupils to contribute positively to the House and the wider school, encouraging them in their extra-curricular activities, with a strong emphasis on mutual support and respect.
The Matron is also responsible for the management of the House and its domestic staff. This part of the role is supported by the Catering Management Team and the Domestic Services Supervisor who supply professional support in catering and management of staff.
A Relief Matron allows for time off during the week.
The following list of duties is quite full and comprehensive in order to provide applicants with a clear idea of the range of duties required. It will be appreciated that some of the items are an occasional requirement while others form a more regular part of the Matron's daily routine.
The Matron will need a current driving licence and be able to use their car for school business. The school's insurance covers this use.
Pupil Welfare
Pupils eat all their meals in the House unless participating in external outings or sports fixtures. This is considered a key part of the day giving an invaluable opportunity for informal time with the pupils. The Matron should:
The Matron will be responsible for and supervise the general management of the House as discussed/agreed with the Housemaster and supported by the Catering Management Team and Domestic Services Supervisor within the financial budget set for the House. This includes:
The Matron will be responsible for supervising House staff with support from the Domestic Services Supervisor. This includes:
The Matron will work with the Catering Management Team, who have overall responsibility, to ensure the catering provision within the houses meets accepted levels. This includes:
The school has its own central laundry. The Matron will be responsible for:
The Matron will assist the Housemaster in meeting Health and Safety standards in the House for both pupils and staff.
This includes:
The Matron will be expected to:
The appointment will commence in September 2025.
The annual salary will be circa £33,846 (gross) per annum depending on the experience of the successful applicant. Salary levels are reviewed on 1 September annually.
The 'normal' working hours each day are: 8.00am to 2.00pm, then 6.00pm to 7.00pm and 9.00pm to 10.30pm. One and a half hours are floating hours to be worked if required in the afternoon, particularly to deal with routine medical matters. If these floating hours are not worked then they can accrue to cover busier days.
Between 2.00pm and 6.00pm the Matron is “on-call” in the event of any emergency and, though not required to be in the house, should be contactable via their school mobile.
It is considered important that the Matron has a break between 7.00pm and 9.00pm each day and they should feel free to use it as leisure time when they are not required in the House.
The Matron is on call overnight, except when the Relief Matron is on duty.
The Matron is entitled to a continuous period of 30 hours off each week in term time. If all parties involved are in agreement it is hoped that there may, on occasions, be flexibility regarding the specific days taken. The Matron may be required to work increased hours for up to three weekdays at both the beginning and at the end of each of the three major school holidays.
The Matron is required to be resident for the proper performance of their duties, including pastoral duties. An unfurnished flat is provided free of rent and is exempt from any charges for Council tax, gas and electricity. The flat may also be occupied during College holidays. There is a tax liability on the benefits in kind of provisions and the utility services.
The Matron can, if they wish, consume all meals cooked from the House kitchen when on duty during term time only.
The first four calendar months of employment will be a probationary period. During this period 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 period will increase to one month upon the successful completion of the probationary period.
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.
There is an annual cycle of appraisal offering the opportunity to reflect on professional practice and development opportunities.
The school also offers a wide range of apprenticeships supporting staff development and progression.
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, the employee contributes 5% and the employer 3%.
After 9 month’s membership of the Tier 1 plan, employees may opt to join Tier 2, which is also a GPP, where the employee contributes 5% and the employer 9%.
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.
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 (DBS). 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 primary responsibilities of this role. The jobholder is responsible for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young persons for whom they are responsible, or with whom they come into contact with, and will need to adhere to and ensure compliance with the school’s Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy at all times. A Teacher of Classics 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 Teacher of Classics 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.
The appointment will be dependent upon 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.
If you have any questions about this vacancy or the recruitment process, please email recruitment@wincoll.ac.uk.
Only applications completed on the school website will be accepted.
Closing date for applications: 11.59pm Sunday 6th April 2025.
Please note that applications will be dealt with as they arrive. Winchester College reserves the right to appoint prior to the closing date.
Further information about the school can be found at www.winchestercollege.org.
Winchester College collects and processes relevant personal data as part of its everyday operations and is obliged to process it in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation and Data 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.
If you have any queries or comments about this policy or how personal data is processed by the school, please contact the Bursar and his team by emailing: dataprotection@wincoll.ac.uk or by writing to: Data Protection, The Bursary, Winchester College, College Street, Winchester, SO23 9NA.
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 735 pupils. Over time, the School plans to admit each year a minimum of 30 day pupils into the Sixth Form (of whom roughly half will be girls) and up to 50 girl boarders. The School will be some 900 pupils, roughly the same as Rugby and Harrow, but smaller than Sevenoaks, Oundle, Wellington and Eton. The number of pupils boarding at the College will remain the same.
The new vision for Winchester includes the following significant changes:
Increasing Access
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, the redevelopment of the sports facilities is a state-of-the-art complex that opened in the latter half of 2024 allowing 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.
Both staff and pupils at Winchester College are committed to being the most sustainable school possible. You can learn more about our goal of creating a more sustainable school here.
Full details about the school may be found at www.winchestercollege.org.