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:
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:
ii. Attending fieldwork associated with the teaching of Geography, such as:
iii. Attending fieldwork associated with the teaching of Biology, such as:
iv. Engaging with teaching staff in order to:
PART III: PERSON SPECIFICATION
Essential
The successful candidate will be/have:
Key Qualities
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
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 [email protected]
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 over 700 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 850 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, and in late 2022 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.