Teaching Housemistress/master
Residential, Permanent, Sixth Form

Applicant Pack

Closing Date: 9am, Friday 9 January 2026

Head: Mrs Anne Wakefield

St Mary’s is an exceptional boarding and day school for girls aged 11 to 18.
It is a place where students feel appreciated, celebrated, and understood by
friends and staff alike. We inspire girls to achieve academically, discover and
nurture their unique talents, and create lifelong friendships.

St Mary’s   shares  its  site  with St Margaret’s Prep, also home to the Bluebirds
Nursery, enabling us to welcome children from 2 to 11 years. St Margaret’s
is  a  vibrant  co-educational  day  school  offering  inspirational  learning  to
approximately 180 pupils.

As well as innovative teaching, learning and a wide co-curricular programme,
both  schools  offer  outstanding  pastoral  care  and,  joined  by  the  St  Mary’s
School Sports Club, offer a warm inclusive community.

Our site provides an exceptional working environment surrounded by landscaped
and natural outdoor spaces in the heart of the Wiltshire countryside.  Our staff
are talented and motivated and show deep dedication to fulfilling the potential
of each of our students, both in and out of the classroom.

St Mary’s is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of pupils. Due to
the  nature  of  the  work  involved,  successful  applicants  are  required  to  undertake  an
Enhanced DBS check and a number of initial online safeguarding courses.

We look forward to receiving applications from experienced candidates who will lead and
manage a busy sixth form boarding house at the heart of our vibrant school.

What We Offer

Our schools are set in their own attractive 24 acre grounds and boast a homely atmosphere and friendly, supportive colleagues.

With a new structure introduced from September 2024, the Head, Anne Wakefield, leads both schools with support from Head of Prep, Alex Hopkins, and the
Senior Leaders across both sites, making this is an exciting time to join our team.

The benefits of working at St Mary’s Calne & St Margaret’s Prep include:

•  A pension scheme with generous employer contributions

•  Employee Life Cover (death in service benefit)

•  Generous discount on membership of the on-site St Mary’s Calne Sports Club, offering a variety of fitness classes including yoga, pilates, zumba &

spinning, plus use of the gym and swimming pool, all included in the membership

•  Complimentary meals in the Dining Hall during term time (when on duty)

•  An Employee Assistance Programme offering free services and access to experts aiding professional and personal life, such as legal and finance advice in

addition to health, well-being and medical support

•  Access to the School Library services and the on-site School Shop

•  School Fee remission for daughters educated at St Mary’s Calne  (day or boarding for ages 11-18), and for sons or daughters educated at St Margaret’s

Prep (day school and nursery for ages 2 to 11)

•  Attractive working environment

•  A passionate and friendly working community

Boarding at St Mary’s Calne

The Lower School House (Years 7 and 8) has approximately 50 girls whilst the senior Houses (Years 9 – 13) have approximately 60 girls per year in horizontal
boarding houses. From Year 10 upwards all boarders have single study bedrooms.

Each House is managed by a HsM who is responsible to the Head via the Deputy Head Pastoral. The HsM is responsible for a team of resident and non-
resident House Staff and Tutors, Domestic Staff, the House Prefects and all members of the House. The post holder will manage efficiently the staffing,
organisation and resources of the House, and provide for the safety, good discipline and pastoral wellbeing of all the girls in the House.

All members of staff at St Mary’s are expected to participate fully in the life of a boarding school, taking on pastoral responsibilities, running extra-curricular
activities and doing weekend or evening duties. Teaching House Staff will teach a reduced timetable.

HsMs are expected to be flexible, energetic, possess a good sense of humour, have the ability to be calm, firm and cheerful in dealing with adolescents and will
be confident in their ability not only to be an adaptable and supportive member of a team but also to work independently.

Teaching HsMs - Routine Duties and Commitments

St Mary’s School holds all teaching staff to the highest standards in accordance with DfE guidance on teacher standards:

‘Teachers  make  the  education  of  their  pupils  their  first  concern,  and  are  accountable  for  achieving  the  highest  possible  standards  in  work  and
conduct.  Teachers  act  with  honesty  and  integrity;  have  strong  subject  knowledge,  keep  their  knowledge  and  skills  as  teachers  up  to  date  and  are
self-critical; forge positive professional relationships; and work with parents in the best interests of their pupils.’

In addition, a teaching Housemistress/master staff can expect:

to teach 10 lessons per week
to check email, pigeon-holes and daily information boards before the start of school and continue to check email at several points during the day
to set and mark work in accordance with Departmental guidance
to invigilate, set and mark internal exam papers
to prepare girls for public examinations as appropriate
to write reports and grade sheets in accordance with the guidance issued by the Deputy Head Academic
to take a share in cover and other duties where possible
to be in school on the first and last day of term, even if this falls on their allocated time off
to be in school for the part weeks at the beginnings and ends of terms as CPD frequently takes place at this time
to be a member of a Company and attend Company events

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•  cover for absent colleagues as required.

Expectations of Academic Staff

We are looking for an enthusiastic, energetic and well-qualified teachers who will inspire their  pupils and who
can engage sympathetically with young people.  They will: make an active contribution to the department;
stretch pupils of all abilities to achieve their potential; encourage pupils to learn by making the subject
taught  both  interesting  and  accessible;  be  innovative  and  dynamic  in  order  to  ensure  the  effective
delivery  of  the  curriculum.    Our  pupils’  success  in  acquiring  new  abilities,  skills  and  understanding
depends crucially upon the quality of teaching which we are able to offer.

All members of staff are expected to commit to the boarding ethos of the school which includes
supporting the extra-curricular life. As a teaching HsM, you will encourage this is your colleagues
and inspire your house tutors. This commitment provides a key interface between the specific
academic work of the classroom and the broader life of the boarding community.

In particular at St Mary’s, we pride ourselves on our focus on the needs of individual girls. This
is underpinned by the tutorial system in which all members of the academic staff play a full
part, looking after a number of Tutees in different year groups; these tend to be drawn from
the particular House in which each member of staff tutors.

Win Your Own Race

St Mary’s Calne is proud of its culture of academia that comes from the high aspirations,
industry  and  flair  shown  by  pupils  throughout  the  School.  Teachers,  Houses  and  Support
Staff all help pupils to do their very best academically and achieve excellent outcomes, both
in relative and absolute terms.

Pupils are empowered to be the best version of themselves and to ‘win their own race.’ We
celebrate a breadth of fantastic achievements in a variety of subject disciplines and across the
whole attainment range.

The Win Your Own Race strategy aims to challenge all pupils in all areas of their academics to strive
for their very best. It builds on our vision of pupils being connected across subjects, digitally, with their
teachers and with the wider community. This allows pupils and teachers to break free from silos and
collaborate to achieve excellent learning outcomes.

Win Your Own Race’s key message is that at St Mary’s Calne, we celebrate success in a variety of subjects and
all its forms.

JOB DESCRIPTION
Teaching Housemistress/master

Terms of the Role

Department:

Pastoral - Boarding

Reports to:

Deputy Head Pastoral

Location:

St Mary’s Calne

Contract Type:

Permanent

Remuneration:

Teachers’ pay scale dependent on experience £28,985 - £48,254 per annum
plus RA16 allowance £7,488 per annum

Accommodation:

Suitable accommodation is provided free of charge for better performance of duties
(subject to P11D reporting as appropriate)

Working Hours:

Teaching HsMs will teach 10 lessons per week (0.5 timetable) in addition to boarding
responsibilities

Boarding duties are determined by House rota

The work of boarding staff is not of a nature which lends itself to the rigid definition of hours, however, certain
principles do apply:

The HsM acts as one third of the full time residential House team on a rota system that covers the Boarding
House, 7 days per week, 24 hours per day during term time, with the assistance of additional daytime
pastoral staff.

All residential house staff can expect to have dedicated time off each week (with the exception of the first
and last weeks of the Autumn term), usually comprising of 2 consecutive nights and one full day in the
middle of the week (there is also a degree of flexibility built into the rotas to enable staff to have short
breaks during the evening and at weekends by agreement with the other staff on duty and overseen by
the Housemistress/master provided that any duties (e.g. supper duty) and weekend activities are properly
staffed.

In the Spring/Summer Terms, at the start of term, those with Tuesday as a day off will work, and those with
Thursday will have the day off, while at the end of term those with Tuesday as a day off will have the day off
and those with Thursday will work.

House Staff must expect to be in school for at least 48 hours before and after the beginning and end of
terms; all should be back on duty at least half an hour before the earliest time girls may return on the
evening of return from Exeats and Half Terms.

While on duty, they must at all times be immediately accessible, whether in the House or elsewhere in the
school.

The Role of the Housemistress/master (HsM)

The HsM is accountable to the Head through the Deputy Head Pastoral and ensures all pupils receive
high quality, effective and personalised pastoral care in a supportive and nurturing environment. First and
foremost, HsMs are responsible for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young persons
for whom they are responsible, or with whom they come into contact.  They must adhere to and ensure
compliance with the School’s Safeguarding Policies and Staff Code of Conduct at all times.  If, in the course
of carrying out the duties of the post, they become aware of any actual or potential risks to the safety
or welfare of the children in the School, they must report any concerns immediately to a member of the
Safeguarding Team, normally the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) or the Head.

HsMs will lead their own team of residential staff and evening tutors, providing professional leadership,
direction and management for the year group whilst working within the larger team of HsMs. The HsM
supports, holds accountable and develops their team of tutors focusing on high standards of social,
personal and academic progress of the pupils in their House.

The role requires liaison with academic and pastoral staff as well as with all other departments in the
school, including the admissions, medical, domestic and bursarial departments.  HsMs work closely with a
team of other House Staff to ensure that all Houses are run on the same principles, and they work with the
Deputy Head Pastoral and the Head to develop all aspects of the boarding programme.

The HsM a leader within the school community and is therefore expected to take a role in setting standards
of behaviour for all pupils in the school, not just those in their House.  They are also expected to help
promote the school by taking an active role at all prospective parents’ events.  Teaching HsMs teach a
reduced timetable of 0.5 FTE.

Strategic Development of the Year Group
In liaison with the Deputy Head Pastoral, the HsM is responsible for developing and implementing pastoral
plans, targets and practices within the context of whole school aims and policies.
They are expected to:
•  develop, implement and monitor pastoral practices which reflect the School’s commitment to high

standards, high expectations, high achievement and to effective tutoring.

•  create a climate which enables staff to develop and maintain positive attitudes towards tutoring and

their tutor group, and confidence in their role as a tutor.

•  establish a shared understanding of the importance and role of the work of the tutor team in

contributing to pupils’ personal, social, spiritual, moral and cultural development, and in preparing
them for adult life.

•  monitor and evaluate all aspects of the work of the House Team and use this to inform priorities and

targets for improvement.

•  establish, with the involvement of relevant staff, annual development plans which contribute to whole

school aims, policies and practices.

Leading and Managing Staff
The  HsM  is  responsible  for  ensuring  all  members  of  the  House  team  receive  the  support,  challenge,
information  and  professional  development  necessary  to  continually  support  and  improve  pupil  progress.
They are expected to:
•  establish clear expectations and positive working relationships among the House team through mutual

support and teamwork.

•  develop effective working relationships with the Senior Leadership Team, House Team, subject staff and

other staff at the school.

•  plan, implement and review structures of staff supervision; to ensure the safety and security (always

including emotional) of all pupils when they are in the school’s charge (including mealtimes, weekends,
and on expeditions and outings); to ensure that adequate arrangements for cover are made.

•  work with the Head of Personal Development (PSHE) to develop and monitor the pastoral curriculum.
set agendas for tutor meetings and ensure minutes are circulated to the tutor team and senior staff.
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•  ensure a consistent team approach to improve pupil progress.

•  help the tutor team establish constructive working relationships with pupils.
•  delegate tasks and devolve responsibilities as appropriate, evaluating practice and developing a

shared sense of accountability.
liaise regularly with SENCO and EAL departments regarding pupils in year group.

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Key Responsibilities

Care, welfare and development of pupils:
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to  establish  excellent  relationships  with  the  girls  based  on  trust  and  respect  and  to  know  them  as
individuals
to  implement  and  maintain  the  National  Minimum  Standards  for  Boarding  Schools  for  welfare  and
pastoral care in the House
to review annually and develop House Policies, development plans and relevant paperwork
to be conversant with the School’s policies and procedures and ensure that all members of the boarding
staff team (including senior pupils where appropriate) are familiar with these policies and are aware of the
appropriate response needed in these areas
to  support  the  School’s  Behaviour  Policy  and  implement  rewards  and  sanctions  within  the  House  in
relation to the School’s Code of Conduct
to work actively to promote an inclusive House and ensure that all girls are integrated into the life of the
House and wider school
to develop in the pupils a sense of collective responsibility and sensitivity to the difficulties and needs of
others, and to encourage such support and help for each other as is appropriate
to monitor the academic progress of all pupils within the year – including those of high ability and those
with SEN or linguistic needs and liaise with the Deputy Head Academic and Deputy Head Pastoral
to  identify  pupils  who  are  underachieving  within  the  year  and,  in  conjunction  with  the  Deputy  Head
Academic, create and implement effective plans to support those pupils
to ensure that appropriate standards of behaviour are established and maintained throughout the year
group
to monitor pupil welfare, uniform, discipline, punctuality and attendance
to monitor school reports for the whole year group and ensure deadlines are met and actions planned
to highlight pupils’ achievements for recognition and reward.

Duties and Tasks:
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to ensure that a full and varied programme of activities is available within the Boarding House and to
encourage pupils to be involved in a range of activities, particularly at weekends
to  attend  regular  meetings,  such  as  the  House  Staff  meetings  and  Staff  Briefings.  To  attend  other
occasional morning or afternoon functions, and lunchtime meetings as appropriate; to attend weekday
morning Chapel and the Sunday Chapel Service
to  keep  suitable  records  of  pupils’  progress,  welfare,  health,  emotional  problems,  achievements,  and
misconduct; to provide such reports and references as may reasonably be required
to liaise closely and regularly with parents and guardians (and the HsMs of a pupil’s sister/s, if appropriate)
to collate all information about the girls’ Weekend, Exeat, Half Term, Beginning/End of Term travel plans,
liaising with parents as necessary; to pass this information to the School Logistics Manager and Catering
Manager in the format required at the appropriate time
to liaise with the school Health Centre as appropriate to ensure that pupils’ medical requirements are
properly catered for; to encourage pupils to adopt a healthy lifestyle
to be responsible for the expenditure of House Funds and weekend Activity Budget and to ensure that
proper accounts are kept for use by the Finance team
to provide, as appropriate, advice and support on planning and decisions for subject options and higher
education choices (in conjunction with the Careers department)
to liaise with House Staff, Housekeeping and Domestic Staff as regards all matters of a domestic nature
in the House
to  be  responsible  for  reporting  to  the  Director  or  Manager  of  Estates  all  routine  and  emergency
maintenance  work  required  within  the  House;  to  complete  House  Risk  Assessments  and  pass  this
information on to the Director or Manager of Estates.

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Person Sepcification

Skills, Qualifications and Experience:
•  a strong academic background and a good honours degree
•  experience in a similar residential role or pastoral equivalent
•  qualified Teacher Status (desirable)
•  an empathetic, enthusiastic and well-presented person, capable of inspiring confidence in pupils, parents

and staff

•  ability to: work flexibly to fulfil the requirements of the post; prioritise; work calmly under pressure and

respond positively to changing demands

•  excellent interpersonal and communication skills with very good written and spoken English
•  excellent organisational and time management skills; competency in the use of ICT for administration

and teaching purposes

•  an understanding of the expectations, ethos and aims of a full boarding school
•  committed to the safeguarding and wellbeing of children and young people.

Desirable requirements:
•  BSA qualification
•  first aid qualification
•  clean driving licence and ability to drive a minibus

No outline of responsibilities can encompass all that may be asked of any member of staff; at the heart of
working in our educational environment is an ability and willingness to fulfil any task to a standard that fully
benefits the school and ultimately its students. It is inevitable that, over time, a job description may evolve
to meet the changing demands of the business.

All members of staff are expected to have proper regard for the school’s safeguarding policy and
procedures, including up-to-date training.  Extracts from the school’s policy are appended as the final page
of this document.

Further Details

While no job description can capture every responsibility associated with a role, all staff members may be
required to perform additional reasonable and relevant duties as assigned by the Head.

St Mary’s is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of pupils. Due to the nature of the work
involved, the successful applicant will be required to undertake an enhanced DBS check.  All members of
staff are expected to have proper regard for the school’s safeguarding policy and procedures, including
up-to-date training.  Extracts from the school’s policy are appended as the final page of this document.

We are committed to being an equal opportunities employer. All applicants will be considered fairly and in
accordance with applicable laws, irrespective of gender, marital status, race, religion, colour, age, disability,
or sexual orientation.

Research indicates that candidates,  particularly those from under-represented backgrounds, may hesitate
to apply if they do not meet every listed criteria. If you believe your skills and experience align with this
role, we encourage you to apply, even if you do not satisfy each requirement.

Further information about the schools may be viewed on the website:
www.stmaryscalne.org   www.stmargaretsprep.org.uk   www.smcsports.co.uk

How to Apply

To ensure fairness, and compliance with safer recruitment for schools, applications will only be accepted on
a school application form.

Applicants should send a fully completed application form, together with a covering letter explaining why
they think they would be a good match for the role, to the HR team:
recruitment@stmaryscalne.org
01249 857 300

Receipt of an application will be acknowledged as soon as possible.

Closing date for applications: 9am, Friday 9 January 2026

Proposed Interview date: w/c 19 January 2026

Start date: September 2026

Appendix 1: Extract from the School Child Protection Policy

St Mary’s Calne and St Margaret’s Prep fully recognise their responsibilities for Child Protection.

We are dedicated to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our pupils, regardless of sex, race, disability,
religion or belief, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, or sexual orientation.  We follow the child
protection procedures set out by Wiltshire’s “Safeguarding Vulnerable People Partnership”. We understand
the need to engage with the Safeguarding Vulnerable People Partnership and the statutory duty to cooperate
if the school is named as a relevant agency. We have regard to statutory guidance issued by the Department
for Education “Keeping Children Safe in Education 2025” and are aware of our obligations under the Human
Rights  Act  1998  and  Equality  Act  2010.  Our  policy  takes  full  regard  to  “Working  Together  to  Safeguard
Children  2023”  (WT),  “What  to  do  if  you  are  Worried  a  Child  is  Being  Abused  (2015)”  and  the  National
Minimum Boarding Standards (2022).

We have a ‘Nominated Governor’ to take leadership responsibility for the school’s safeguarding arrangements.

What is safeguarding?

Safeguarding can be defined as promoting the physical and mental health, safety and welfare of all pupils.

Safeguarding is the responsibility of all adults, especially those working or volunteering with children. The
school aims to help protect the children in its care by working consistently and appropriately with all relevant
agencies to reduce risk and promote the welfare of children.

 Staff:

• are advised to maintain an attitude of ‘it could happen here’ as far as safeguarding is concerned;
• should always act in the best interest of the child.

 What is child protection?

Child protection is a part of safeguarding and promoting welfare.  This refers to the activity which is undertaken
to protect specific children who are suffering, or at risk of suffering, significant harm.

September 2025