Gap Year Assistant

Appointment of:
Gap Year Assistant
Information for Candidates

The School

Queen Mary’s School is a Christian community that values, nurtures and respects every individual. It is a place
where all are challenged to do their best, serve others, show compassion and act with integrity.

At Queen Mary’s School, we:

Strive for excellence in every endeavour
Love life and enjoy learning

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•  Nurture spirituality and personal growth
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•  Make strong and lasting friendships

Respect individuality and embrace diversity
Enhance character and build resilience
Create independent young people

Queen Mary’s School is an all girls’ independent boarding and day school situated in beautiful countryside, between
Ripon and Thirsk. Baldersby Park, the school’s current home, is a Grade 1 listed building surrounded by 40 acres of
landscaped grounds, sports fields and paddocks.

Queen Mary’s has a reputation for high academic achievement to add to a long-standing tradition of building all-
round confidence in pupils, through a very wide range of educational and co-curricular opportunities.

Headmistress, Mrs Fe Beadnell, firmly believes in happily empowering girls from the earliest years, nurturing
leadership skills and a strong sense of self so that every pupil is equipped to become who – and what – they aspire
to be. Our school is a dynamic and supportive environment where academic excellence, creativity, adventure, and
personal growth go hand in hand.

The School is on a very strong footing financially, with a healthy endowment and recent investment in major
facilities. The Board has an exciting long-term programme of investment to sustain Queen Mary’s into the future.

The School’s Pre-Prep department is co-educational, while the Prep and Senior School is for girls only and spans
the age range 7 to 16. The School has a strong boarding tradition with a healthy mix of full, weekly and flexi-
boarding. The boarding life of the School is a central part of the Queen Mary’s culture for both day girls and
boarders.

Queen Mary’s is part of the Woodard Corporation, a group of 43 independent and maintained schools. Woodard
Schools operate  as stand-alone entities, with professional support from the centre where required. The Woodard
ethos promotes Christian education and high academic and pastoral standards within all its schools.

The Role:

Queen Mary’s School is seeking an enthusiastic Gap Year Assistant to join a dynamic and caring staff
body, where girls are nurtured and encouraged to have a love of learning, exploration and self-
discovery.  Successful candidates will primarily support the Boarding department, and will assist key
subject departments during the school day.

Queen Mary’s is a much-loved home for girls who wish to board. Candidates will be joining our
exceptional team of staff who care for and support the girls throughout their busy school week and
weekends. Overseen by the Assistant Head: Safeguarding & Wellbeing and Head of Boarding, the team
provide a wonderful environment, full of laughter, fun and friendships.

At Queen Mary’s, teaching and learning are supported by an exceptional range of resources and extra-
curricular activities and the ethos and values foster an enthusiasm for lifelong learning and encourage
independence of thought. The children develop self-esteem, a wide range of knowledge, and essential
communication, study and life skills as they progress through the School.

The academic life of the School is overseen by the Deputy Head and the Assistant Head: Prep & Pre-
Prep, together with the Heads of Department for each subject area, to ensure a vibrant and challenging
curriculum, where on-going assessment is bespoke, and pupil progress shines in our excellent academic,
value-added results.

Reporting to:

Assistant Head: Safeguarding and Wellbeing

Start Date:

September 2026

Hours of Work:

Full time (40 hours per week)

This is a fixed term contract for one year: 01 September 2026 - 03 July 2027

Overview of Responsibilities

Gap Year Assistants are expected to fully immerse themselves in Queen Mary's life, in boarding, and during the
school day.

Gap Year Assistants are responsible, under the direction of the Assistant Head: Safeguarding and Wellbeing, for
primarily assisting the Boarding Department, in addition to:

−  Overseeing and helping during break and lunch times
−  Assisting with Educational and Adventure Trips off site during term time as required
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Supporting academic departments in the preparation of practical lessons, resources for key projects, and
assisting pupils in activities throughout the school day
Supervising small groups of children in non-teaching situations

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−  Be present at the beginning and the end of each term, Half-Term and Exeat for boarders’ arrival, settling in,

packing and departure
Supervising mealtimes and boarders’ prep

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−  Assisting Boarding House staff with evening activities
−  Assisting Boarding House staff with laundry
−  Assisting with morning wake up and breakfast in boarding
−  Proactively seeking out opportunities to assist with an activity that reflects one of their talents/interests
−  Assisting the Staff in supervising play areas and break-time activities
−  Showing initiative in the organisation of informal games with children
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Supporting the general running of the boarding house, including boarding meetings, the upkeep of boarding
displays, and planning the boarding programme each term.

Person Specification

Candidates must be able to demonstrate empathy with, and commitment to, the ethos of an academic, independent boarding
and day school, fit for the 21st century.

The successful candidate will:

Attributes

Essential Criteria

Desirable Criteria

Qualifications

−  A-Levels
−  Completed Sixth Form education

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 First Aid (Training can be provided)

Knowledge

Skills and
abilities

−  Be fully committed to boarding school life
−  To be a compassionate and good listener
−  A person who truly enjoys working alongside

children and is able to win their confidence and
inspire them

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Strong communication and inter-personal skills.
Liaising well with staff, pupils, parents and outside
agencies

−  Ability to be discreet and uphold confidentiality
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Excellent time management and organisational
skills

−  Be prepared to undertake daily operational tasks as

required
Experience and ability to use data effectively

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−  Ability to cope with multiple demands shifting

priorities and rapid change

−  Awareness of the importance of child protection
and keeping young people safe from harm
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Excellent written English and attention to detail
−  Ability to show initiative and respond to a changing

environment

−  Ability to work under pressure and to deadlines
−
−

Strong IT skills (MS Word, Excel, CMS)
Energy, drive, enthusiasm and a positive manner

Personal
circumstances

−  All candidates must hold the Right to Work in the

UK

−  Current driving licence
−

Safeguarding qualifications

−  A willingness to engage with and articulate the
School’s Christian values, ethos and heritage
−  Clear sympathy with the advantages of single sex

education

−  Willing to play an active part in the life of the School

community

−  Willing to work out of hours as and when School

functions occur

Terms and Conditions of Employment

The following particulars do not form any part of an offer of employment. They provide guidance, without prejudice, on the
likely main provisions.  Terms and conditions, which will incorporate the Staff Handbook and Contract of Employment, will
be issued in due course to the successful candidate.

General Notes

−  Queen Mary’s School operates its own competitive salary scale, commensurate with the responsibility of the post

and the experience of the successful candidate, which will be discussed at interview or on appointment.

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−  Gap Year Assistants will at all times be referred to as Miss... by the children, be expected to be smartly dressed
during the working day in order to ensure that high standards of behaviour and respect by the pupils are
maintained.
This is a paid position, and the salary will be approximately £12,000. The role is 40 hours per week working to an
agreed rota including weekend working, with 48 hours off in one block.
The appointed Gap Year Assistant will report to the Assistant Head: Safeguarding and Wellbeing. During Term
Time,
Single Person Accommodation, with all utilities (except for telephone calls) is covered. It is expected that the Gap
Year Assistant will keep the accommodation in good, clean and tidy order and are respectful of the school rules
whilst living on site.

−

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−  Due to the nature of the school, we let out the building during the holidays and accommodation is not provided

during these periods.
The accommodation has Wi-Fi and laundry facilities.

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−  All meals during term time are provided.
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This is a fixed term contract for one year: 01 September 2026 - 03 July 2027, the appointee is required to give the
School one full term’s notice of their intention to leave this post should they wish to leave before 03 July 2027.

−  All staff are required to attend INSET, Open Mornings, Sports Day and Speech Day.
−
The School operates an employer stakeholder contributory pension scheme.
−
The appointee will be required to participate in an annual appraisal.

The Application Process

An application form can be downloaded from the school website, and this should be submitted accompanied with
a covering letter addressed to the Headmistress, Mrs Fe Beadnell, explaining the motivation for applying for this
post and the experience, skills and qualities you would bring to the role.

Suitable candidates may be interviewed before the closing date, and the school reserves the right to withdraw the
position if an early appointment is made. Applicants are therefore strongly encouraged to apply early.

Please send your completed application form to: head@queenmarys.org.

Please be aware that we do not accept curriculum vitaes. Only completed application forms will be submitted to the
shortlisting panel.

Safeguarding and Recruitment Checks

Queen Mary’s is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. All
shortlisted candidates will be required to complete identity, and qualification checks in line with our Safer
Recruitment Policy, and references will be taken up at this stage. The successful applicant must also complete a
medical questionnaire before an appointment is confirmed.

As part of our safeguarding commitment, candidates will undergo child protection screening appropriate to the
role, including checks with previous employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service. All staff share responsibility
for safeguarding and must adhere to the School’s Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy.

No Agencies Please

Baldersby Park
Topcliffe
Thirsk
North Yorkshire
YO7 3BZ

01845 575000
admin@queenmarys.org
www.queenmarys.org