About the role
The Housekeeper 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, including supporting them in their extra-curricular activities.
The Housekeeper Matron is also responsible for the management of the House and its domestic staff, the ordering of supplies, and the keeping of accounts.
The Relief Matron is accountable to the Housemaster but works under the direction of the Housekeeper/Matron. This role covers for the Housekeeper/Matron to allow them to have time off and is required to sleep overnight in the Boarding House. The Relief Matron is not required to remain in the house for the duration of their shift, although is required to be ‘on call’ through a mobile phone in case of an emergency.
The College is looking for a Relief Matron to cover one boarding house.
The College has a fully staffed Health and Wellbeing Centre and doctors conduct a surgery there on a daily basis. Therefore, the Relief Matron will not be required to have any formal medical or nursing qualifications. However, all Relief Matrons are required to undertake a one day first aid course. Relief Matrons are encouraged to attend House events and to become involved in the life of the pupils in the House. This could include attending sports matches, plays, art competitions and music recitals.
Main Responsibilities
The Relief Matron’s duties will be similar to those of the Matron, albeit providing a more limited service. The Relief Matron provides cover during the Matron’s 30 hours off each week during term time. There are 31 occasions each academic year when the duty is required, for each house. The list below outlines the Relief Matron’s main duties:
Pupil Welfare
General
Health and Safety
The Relief Matron will assist the Housemaster in meeting Health and Safety standards in the House for both pupils and staff.
This includes:
Person Specification and Key Qualities
Experience and skills
The successful candidate will have/be:
Key Qualities
The successful candidate will be/have:
Start date
This role will commence as soon as possible.
Salary
The salary for this term-time position will be £5,591.76 (gross) per annum.
Salary is paid monthly, in arrears, to a nominated back account in 12 equal payments. Salary levels are reviewed on 1 September annually and this appointment will be next reviewed in September 2025.
Food
The Relief Matron is entitled to receive food from the House Kitchen for the duration of their duty.
Hours of Work
The Relief Matron will provide cover for one boarding house during the Housekeeper/Matron’s 30 hours off each week during term time. There are 31 occasions per house each academic year when the duty is required.
The Relief Matron is not required to remain in the house for the duration of their shift, although is required to be ‘on call’ through a mobile phone in case of an emergency. The typical duty might comprise:
Day 1
Attend lunch/issue medicine: 1.0 hour
Attend tea: 1.0 hour
Attend tea surgery: 1.0 hour
Attend evening surgery: 1.0 hour
Day 2
Morning surgery and complete iSAMS: 1.0 hour
Sleeping Hours (22:30 to 07:00) 8.5 hours
The Relief Matron will repeat this process once or twice a week.
These hours are a guideline. It is expected that an average of six hours will be worked across the duty period, with allowance for another four hours that may be required for appointments, emergencies or sporting events. There needs to be a degree of flexibility which may vary from house to house.
Holidays
This is a term-time position which benefits from the school holidays.
The College leave year runs from 1 September to 31 August. This position will be entitled to the statutory holiday requirements. Any Public Bank Holiday occurring during term time is deemed to be a normal working day. All leave must be taken by prior arrangement and must be taken outside of the school’s term times.
Probation and 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). Once employment is confirmed, the notice period will increase to one month.
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.
There is an annual 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.
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, the employee contributes 4% 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.
Wider Benefits
Enhanced 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 (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. The postholder 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 postholder 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 Leads.
References and Other Pre-employment Checks
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.
HOW TO APPLY
Only applications completed on the school website will be accepted. Please attach a full CV with your online application form and send a covering letter to recruitment@wincoll.ac.uk.
Please note that applications will be dealt with as they arrive. Winchester College reserves the right to appoint before the deadline passes.
Those wishing for an informal conversation about this role are invited to contact the HR Department via recruitment@wincoll.ac.uk.
If you have any questions about this vacancy or the recruitment process, please email recruitment@wincoll.ac.uk
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 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.
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. In September 2022, the College welcomed day pupils —now numbering 40, including 34 girls— into the Sixth Form and will continue to do so, over time expanding the entry each year to include girl boarders in due course.
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 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.
Diversity and Inclusion
Winchester College is a truly international community that celebrates everyone’s individuality, talents and potential and offers regular training and career development opportunities. We embrace diversity and inclusion in the workplace and are committed to promoting a fair and supportive environment for all our employees. We work hard to create a culture where different perspectives are valued 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.
Sustainability
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.