BRIEF FOR THE POSITION OF CHAPLAIN WOLDINGHAM SCHOOL AUGUST 2025 CANDIDATE BRIEF | CHAPLAIN The school Set in hundreds of acres of beautiful Surrey countryside, Woldingham is one of the UK’s leading day and boarding schools for girls aged 11-18. Our vision is to provide an outstanding education that empowers women to change the world for the better. Founded in 1842 by the Society of the Sacred Heart, Woldingham is proud to be a pioneer of women’s education. Our supportive and stimulating all-girls environment enables students to grow into independent women who will make a positive contribution to the world. As part of the global network of Sacred Heart schools, Woldingham has a Catholic foundation. The five Sacred Heart Goals of faith, community, intellect, social awareness and personal growth underpin everything we do. The result is a unique, forward-thinking and caring community, where girls thrive in and out of the classroom. Woldingham is increasingly popular and we have more than 540 students enrolled. Students achieve outstanding GCSE and A Level results opening doors to exciting careers. Woldingham is in the top 10% of schools for added value. Most students leave Woldingham to take university places at prestigious institutions in the UK and overseas. Around 75% go to courses at Oxbridge or Russell Group universities. In recent years some of the most popular UK universities for students have included Bristol, Durham, Edinburgh and Exeter. Woldingham students have also taken up places at a range of universities overseas including Dartmouth, NYU and Cornell in the USA. Academic excellence in all subject areas goes hand in hand with learning beyond the classroom. Our exceptional extra-curricular programme of sport, clubs, performing arts and outreach into our local community enables students to develop a wonderful range of skills, expertise and interests, alongside high-level academic achievement. Every student is unique. Our aim is for girls to ‘write your own story’ at school and throughout life. Around 50% of students board – full, weekly or flexi. Around 40% of our students live locally, 40% come from London and 20% from overseas. Our global community is very important to us and students from more than 30 different nationalities attend Woldingham. woldinghamschool.co.uk 1 CANDIDATE BRIEF | CHAPLAIN Our strong sense of community is underpinned by a set of shared values, based on the five Sacred Heart Goals which outline the essential principles and vales of Sacred Heart education. They follow the Sacred Heart philosophy: to educate the whole person as a member of society, confident of their personal worth and actively living out Christ’s call to know and share His love. The five Goals are: • a personal and active faith. • a deep respect for intellectual values. • a social awareness which impels to action. • the building of community. • personal growth. SACRED HEART SCHOOLS The Society of the Sacred Heart’s charism is based on the Heart of Jesus. Our foundress Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat desired nothing more than to share God’s love with her students and to inspire them to share that love with the world. Her hope was for all to grasp fully the experience of being loved by God. HISTORY Founded by Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat in 1842, Woldingham is one of the oldest girls’ schools in the UK. Initially based in Acton, the school later moved to Roehampton and in 1946 moved to our current home at Marden Park. Initially a full boarding school, Woldingham now has a well- balanced mix of boarders and day students. As the first Sacred Heart school in England, Woldingham was initially called the Convent of the Sacred Heart. It became Woldingham School in 1985 when it moved to lay leadership. ETHOS Woldingham is a happy and successful school where we develop confident, compassionate and courageous young women. Students are encouraged to nurture respect for self, each other and for the environment. The Woldingham community is strong, forward- thinking and kind. Students leave Woldingham with academic results that open doors, values to navigate successful careers and friendships that last a lifetime. Woldingham is a Catholic school, where we welcome girls of all faiths or none. Woldingham is part of the Sacred Heart Network, which has schools in more than 40 countries around the world. woldinghamschool.co.uk The logo epitomises this as it represents the heart of Christ, with a cross at the opening. It is an open heart that is welcoming to all, with the world at its centre, showing both our internationality and our desire to make a difference in the world. Saint Madeleine Sophie also believed passionately in the power of education for girls to make the positive difference to their world. The school fully embraces her vision in our commitment to all girls’ education and Saint Madeleine Sophie’s declaration that for just one child she would have founded the Society. ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE Woldingham is committed to fulfilling the academic potential of every student. A selective school, We are proud of our ‘value added’ outcomes where students regularly achieve a grade higher than their baseline predictions in all subjects at GCSE. In 2024, 51% of A Level grades were A*-A and 30% of GCSE grades were 9. 83% of students achieved a place at their first choice university. Empowered Learning is a student-focused, teacher-led approach to academic curriculum, designed to cater for the needs of each individual student, create independent learners and inspire students to love their subjects. The school offers a broad curriculum with 26 A Level choices available in the Sixth Form. There is an excellent academic enrichment programme for all students, as well as a dedicated programme for academic scholars. We also provide intensive support for students applying to Oxbridge, and for medicine, dentistry and veterinary science. 2 CANDIDATE BRIEF | CHAPLAIN BOARDING Woldingham is first and foremost a boarding school with strong traditions. We offer a flexible approach to boarding to meet the needs of families today. Around half of current students board with options including full, weekly and flexi-boarding. Boarders are cared for by a Head of Year, housemistress, assistant housemistress and resident tutor. Boarders in Years 7, 8 and 9 live in Marden and Years 10 and 11 in Main House, with individual study bedrooms from Year 10 upwards. Students in the Sixth Form live in purpose-built modern accommodation, providing the perfect transition from school to university. There is a busy range of evening and weekend activities with students in the older years enjoying greater independence. EXTRA-CURRICULAR Woldingham has a rich and varied extra-curricular programme with more than 100 clubs and activities to choose from. Students are encouraged to balance study with activity, and to be committed and proud of their wider abilities. The House system fosters community across the school, with a busy programme of activities and competitions. Woldingham has four mixed-age Houses, each of which promotes a spirit of community among students of different ages and staff. Students belong to one of four Houses named after Patrons with a close association to the Society of the Sacred Heart. Houses organise a wide variety of activities including charity fund-raising events, inter-House competitions and, a highlight of the year, the House Festival in September. House assemblies are held fortnightly. Each House has its own Mass and feast where students and staff celebrate together and focus their fund-raising efforts. Woldingham has an active outreach programme giving back to the community – both locally and further afield. 3 PASTORAL CARE THRIVE & WELLBEING Pastoral care is at the heart of the school. At Woldingham every student is known and supported as an individual by both teaching and support staff. The school supports – and expects – students and staff to be kind to each other. Students can be themselves and grow into independent women who will make a positive contribution to the world. Tutors provide excellent academic and pastoral support and guidance for students, in close conjunction with Heads of Year, teaching and support staff. Sacred Heart Education is rooted in the importance of relationships; recognition of the individual; building social awareness and the importance of acting on it. Kindness and responsibility is at the heart of this, both towards one another and to others beyond our own community. We educate to develop students’ recognition of their own worth and to ensure that they leave school with a sense of their own responsibility to stand up for others. We prepare students to become positive role models and agents of change. woldinghamschool.co.uk The school’s THRIVE programme promotes emotional well-being and enables every student to develop the growth mindset, resilience and self-worth to enjoy success as well as learn from setbacks. It helps students face changes with flexibility, meet failure with resilience and manage their own busy lives calmly. As part of the THRIVE programme, students develop study skills. Study skills are developed as girls move up through the school, with the strong foundations built in Years 7 and 8 carried on through to the Sixth Form. THRIVE focuses on the importance of wellbeing. Students learn about handling social media, self-esteem and body image. They learn how to deal with pressure, responsibility and making the right choices. All skills needed to be successful at school and as an adult. In Sept 2025 we will be opening a dedicated Wellbeing Centre which further enables us to support individual students in an environment which is wholly inclusive. CANDIDATE BRIEF | CHAPLAIN SPORT Sport is extremely important to life at Woldingham and plays a vital role in supporting physical and emotional health and wellbeing. Sport is about enjoyment, inclusion, team spirit, fitness, competition and performance. By the time our students leave, our aim is for them to have a lifelong commitment to sport and healthy living. We rightly celebrate the achievements of our athletes, some of whom represent their county and even country, and our school teams who do well in local and regional competitions. Woldingham has excellent sports facilities including a sports centre with a large sports hall, two squash courts, fitness studio and a dance/gymnastics studio. We have extensive outdoor courts and pitches, an indoor tennis dome, an indoor swimming pool and an all- weather pitch. In the autumn and spring terms, netball and hockey are our major sports. In the summer we play cricket, tennis and athletics. In addition, students compete in sports such as swimming and cross country. We place great value in being part of a team as well as excelling as an individual. The school has a busy weekday and Saturday fixture list and participates in district and county tournaments. There are strongly contested House sport competitions throughout the year, culminating in our annual sports day. We also offer a fantastic range of sport trips within the UK and overseas. CREATIVE AND PERFORMING ARTS Woldingham’s Millennium Centre has some of the best facilities for music and drama performance of any school in the country. The 630-seater acoustically designed Dineen Auditorium includes an orchestra pit and fully computerised sound and lighting system. The Millennium Centre also has recital and rehearsal rooms, a studio theatre, wardrobe room, dressing rooms and fantastic foyer area. Woldingham School has an outstanding reputation for drama. The industry standard facilities and specialist drama staff support students to create productions of the very highest standard. The school has high specification technical support with state-of-the-art sound and lighting run by a highly-qualified technical crew. The Music Department is well resourced, dynamic and busy, providing many and varied opportunities for our musicians to perform. Standards and expectations are very high. Each term there is a large-scale concert and a number of informal and formal recitals. Our musicians perform in the numerous joint productions with the Drama Department and the choirs lead the singing at Westminster Cathedral for our annual school carol service. Woldingham’s art facilities are outstanding with purpose-built art and textiles studios comprising two studios, a 3-D area equipped with a range of power tools and two kilns, a dark room and a textile room. Student artwork is displayed throughout the school. LOOKING FORWARD The school’s vision is to provide an outstanding education that empowers women to change the world. Woldingham’s mission is to be a happy and successful school developing confident, compassionate and courageous young women. Sue Baillie, Head joined in September 2024 and says “Woldingham is a very special place, where the strength of our values-led ethos combined with our empowered approach to education creates a warm and caring community where girls flourish.” woldinghamschool.co.uk 4 CANDIDATE BRIEF | CHAPLAIN The role Our Chaplain will be an inspiring, experienced and charismatic individual. We seek someone with both empathy and drive to join a talented, creative and good-natured team, to forward our ambitious development plan. Woldingham School has been designated as a school with a religious character. It is part of the Catholic Church and is conducted as a Catholic school in accordance with Canon Law, the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and the Trust Deed of the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton. The post therefore requires a practising Catholic who can show by example and from experience that he or she will ensure that the school is distinctively Catholic in all its aspects. This appointment is with the Governors of the school under the terms of the Catholic Education Service with the school as employer and will be endorsed by the Bishop or his representative before it is confirmed. It is subject to the current conditions of service for support and teaching staff. RESIDENTIAL ACCOMMODATION Accommodation on-site may be available, with rent payable at a rate reflective of the type and location of the accommodation within school grounds. MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES The key responsibilities of the Chaplain that relate to the charism of the Sacred Heart Society include: • Ensure all staff and students understand and ‘live’ the charism of the Society of the Sacred Heart. Continued affirmation of our Sacred Heart ethos and offering opportunities for students and staff to progress on their journey of faith including through liturgical and sacramental celebrations. • CPD training for all staff on what it means to be a Sacred Heart Educator. • Regular celebrations of the feasts and founding mother anniversaries as marked in the Society. • Promotion of the Goals of Sacred Heart Education across the curriculum, in collective worship and with other stakeholders such as parents and governors. • Creation of Prayer and Worship Calendar for the school that incorporates the key annual events and liturgical celebrations connected to the Society. • Engagement in cross network projects and global network projects. • Facilitating opportunities for visits between Sacred Heart schools. • Being the ‘go to’ person for all aspects of the charism and mission of the Society. • Developing a student leadership programme at Sacred Heart based around the Sacred Heart Goals. • Facilitating HeartFest and Network Student Leadership training. woldinghamschool.co.uk 5 CANDIDATE BRIEF | CHAPLAIN • To offer opportunities of prayer, silence and reflection for staff and students. • If a priest, celebrate Mass and the sacraments regularly in school; if not, plan for the same to occur with local clergy. • Develop suitable activities to mark and celebrate the major feasts and seasons of the Church. • To support staff and students in their planning, preparation and leading of liturgies and collective worship. • Help with the provision of suitable resources for the prayer life and worship of the school. • Ensure the school environment and displays reflect the school’s Catholic Christian identity and charism of the Sacred Heart. • Promote and care for the Chapel as a sacred space. • Organise a school retreat programme for students. • Support students to participate in the sacramental life of the Church, where appropriate. • To celebrate and share the faith life of the school with the wider community. • To include the local parishes in school celebrations, where appropriate. • Help with sensitive issues, advising on the Church’s teaching. • Support the effective monitoring, evaluation and review of Catholic Life and Collective Worship. • Ensure liturgical resources are adequate and appropriate. • Support and promote fundraising and awareness raising projects, for example CAFOD. • Develop and facilitate a Chaplaincy team of interested young people who will work collaboratively in building the Catholic ethos. D. The Chaplain as educator • Support and enhance the Theology curriculum, where appropriate. • Supporting staff spiritual development opportunities such as trips to Joigny etc. • Engagement with and support of Chaplains and Goals Coordinators Network Team. • Support of the House system, named after key figures in history of the Society and school. The specific responsibilities of the Chaplain that relate to the Diocesan Chaplaincy Standards include: A. The Chaplain as witness • Help people to recognise God’s love for them and their need of God. • Inspire through example. • Encourage staff and students to live the faith by being involved in projects relating to social justice and global citizenship. • Assist young people and staff in the effective planning, preparation and execution of the liturgy so that each celebration is a catechetical moment as well as a time of personal encounter with Jesus Christ. B. The Chaplain as pastor • Be visible and approachable across the school community. • Accompany people at particular stages of their journey through life. • Get to know people individually and use every opportunity for contact to the best advantage. • Support the Head in their role as faith leader within school. • Play a central role in the pastoral system. • Work to foster a cohesive synthesis between faith and life for all members of the school community especially addressing the issues relevant in contemporary society. C. The Chaplain as a leader • Support and further develop the spiritual, religious and liturgical life of the school. • Use a collaborative style of ministry that encourages a team approach to Chaplaincy to develop and lead a Chaplaincy team. woldinghamschool.co.uk 6 CANDIDATE BRIEF | CHAPLAIN E. The Chaplain as professional • Have input into the school development plans, their operation and review. • Advise the senior leadership team, where appropriate. • Challenge and support on standards, morals and the virtues of the Christian life. • To meet regularly with the line manager. • To engage in a regular process of appraisal. • Report to and work with governors to promote the Catholic ethos and distinctive nature and charism of a Sacred Heart school. • Attend, when requested, staff meetings and any other meetings as appropriate • Develop a good working relationship with the local clergy. • Engage with Continual Professional Development (CPD) relevant to the role of Chaplain. • To lead school based CPD for staff in relation to the Catholic life of the school. • Engage with the other Chaplains who are part of the Sacred Heart network, the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton and other diocesan agencies by attending meetings regularly and engaging with resources. • Liaise with diocesan agencies, groups and individuals, where appropriate. • Provide support and assistance in preparing the school’s self evaluation form and other Catholic school inspections. • Maintain an awareness of and respect for school policies and working procedures. • Report to the Head and work with her to promote the development of Chaplaincy, Chaplaincy provision and the charism of the Sacred Heart within the school. • Any other appropriate duties as directed by the Head within the school communities. For lay applicants, it is a requirement to be a practising Catholic therefore one of your referees must be your Parish Priest / the Priest of the Parish where you regularly worship. EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES The school is committed to the principles of equal opportunity, diversity and inclusion. It seeks to attract and retain the very best staff, ensuring that our staff body ref ects the diversity of our students and the local community. APPOINTMENT PROCESS Please return your completed application form and cover letter to hr@ woldinghamschool.co.uk. This role will close at 09.00am on Monday 6th October 2025. Interviews will be held on Wednesday 15th October 2025. SAFEGUARDING The school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check, and the receipt of two satisfactory references, including one from your current employer. woldinghamschool.co.uk 7 Marden Park, Woldingham, Surrey, CR3 7YA (for satellite navigation please use postcode CR3 7LR) +44 (0)1883 654308 hr@woldinghamschool.co.uk woldinghamschool.co.uk