Head of Sport

WE ARE HIRING

               Head of Sport

(Strategic Leadership +
Teaching & Coaching)

Founded in 1858, West Buckland School has grown
into a vibrant and inspiring community. Set within
nearly 100 acres of stunning North Devon
biosphere, the school enjoys an exceptional
location close to renowned surfing beaches and
surrounded by unspoilt countryside.

This unique setting celebrated as “world class by
nature” reflects the standard of education we deliver.
From Nursery through to Sixth Form, we are proud to
offer a truly world-class learning experience in a
place where students can thrive both academically
and personally.

West Buckland School, Barnstaple, Devon EX32 0SX +44 (0) 1598 76000

Email: recruitment@westbuckland.com www.westbuckland.com

Our School
Our School

At West Buckland School, we proudly stand
among the leading independent schools in the
UK, for boys and girls aged 3 to 18. Our ethos
distinguishes us, as we prioritise shaping the
school experience around each child. With a
commitment to exceptional teaching, we place
the child at the heart of all we do. Our ultimate
goal is to empower every individual to
discover their unique excellence.

The school’s buildings and facilities have
developed steadily throughout its history and, in
recent years, over £14m has been invested in
outstanding facilities. These include an excellent
sports complex, including the Jonathan Edwards
Sports Centre, and the award-winning 150
Building, which includes the Art and Design &
Technology Departments and a Theatre.
Parker’s, a seventy bed, Sixth Form boarding
house and The Michael Morpurgo Library, a
state-of-the-art building comprising of study
facilities, library and resource centre, opened in
autumn 2015.

Academic standards at the school are high and,
for many years, West Buckland School has been
one of the most consistently high-performing
schools in the South West at GCSE and A-level.
A-level results typically exceed 75% A* to B and
at GCSE over 50% of grades are A* and A.
Perhaps, more importantly, we prize most what
our students become, not what they get. The
school has a proud record in Sport, Drama,
Music, the Combined Cadet Force, Outdoor
Education and the Duke of Edinburgh Award
Scheme.

Our School
Job Description

Head of Sport

This is a superb and exciting opportunity for an ambitious, enthusiastic, and resilient Head of
Sport to join our team at West Buckland School.

The Head of Sport will provide dynamic leadership for sport across the whole school (Prep,  Senior
and Sixth Form), combining strategic direction with active teaching and coaching. The postholder
will ensure that students experience an ambitious, inclusive and aspirational sports programme
that balances broad participation with opportunities for excellence, reflecting West Buckland’s
ethos, values and existing strong sporting reputation.

Key responsibilities

Strategic Leadership of Sport

•  Lead a clear whole school vision for sport, promoting participation, aspiration and excellence.

•  Lead and oversee long term planning of sport, including a ‘Sports Development Plan’ aligned with

wider school aims.

•  Create a meaningful long term development plan for sport for children from Year 3 to Sixth Form.

•  Act as the public face of sport within and beyond the school, supporting marketing, admissions

and community engagement.

Teaching, Coaching & Curriculum Delivery

•  Where required and able, they should be confident to teach PE and Games across relevant year

groups, including GCSE PE and Cambridge Technical Sport (Post16)

•  Coach one or more major sports to a high standard, including regular involvement in training,

matches, tournaments and tours. The ability to coach netball and tennis to this standard would be
advantageous, plus the ability to coach hockey, football, cricket or rugby across genders and age
groups.

•  Deliver inclusive, progressive teaching and coaching that supports students of all abilities.

•  Promote and develop high quality teaching and coaching practices across the department.

Operational Management of the Sports Programme

•  Leading the individual Heads of Sport and the Head of PE to oversee all sports fixtures (home and
away), tournaments, block fixtures and festivals, ensuring they are strategically and professionally
organised and communicated.

•  Lead the creation and management of the Games timetables, weekly calendars and staffing

allocations, working closely with the Head of PE.
Our School

•  Work closely with Estates and Grounds staff to ensure facilities are safe, prepared and fit for

purpose.

•  Support the coordination and placement of whole school sports events such as preseason

programmes, tours and outreach sporting events.

•  At the start of each academic year, the Head of Sport will lead a dedicated Sports INSET Day for

all sports coaches and relevant support staff. This will include:

o  Presentation of the annual Sports Plan, including key priorities, expectations,

performance pathways and participation goals.

o  Full briefing on the PE & Games timetable, weekly staffing, squad structures, changing

room allocation, facility allocations and seasonal fixtures.

o  Review and dissemination of risk assessments, including updates to procedures for

travel, fixtures, off site venues, facilities, and emergency protocols.

o  Annual compliance update, covering safeguarding, health and safety, concussion

protocols, injury reporting and return to play processes.

o  Departmental CPD, providing training on coaching standards, pedagogy, new

initiatives, inclusivity in sport, use of fitness/conditioning facilities and best practice in
independent school sport.

o  Coaching alignment workshops, ensuring consistent delivery of skills progression,

team culture, and expectations across Prep and Senior phases.

o  Briefings for external/peripatetic coaches, ensuring they understand school policies,

communication routes, safeguarding protocols and coaching expectations.

o  Operational preparation, including review of facility readiness, equipment checks and

communications planning for the start of term.

o  Oversee the effective management of the overall sports budget, including the

planning, allocation, and monitoring of sub
accountable use of resources.

budgets to ensure efficient and

‑

Staff Leadership & Development

•  Line manage individual Heads of Sport, specialist coaches and peripatetic sports staff.

•  Lead recruitment, induction and performance management in line with school procedures and

expectations.

•  Develop a collaborative, ambitious and supportive departmental culture.

•  Lead in-house CPD and share best practice across the sports staff team.

Pupil Development & Pathways

•  Ensure the sport provision enables progress for all students: high participation, talent

development and elite pathways.

•  Lead identification, mentoring and development of talented performers.

•  Promote physical literacy, health, fitness and lifelong involvement in activity.

Our School

•  Work with medical/fitness teams on injury prevention, management and return to play planning.

Safeguarding, Compliance & Risk Management

•  Maintain and oversee all sports related risk assessments, including those for fixtures, tours,

transport and external venues.

•  Ensure all pupils and staff adhere to school safeguarding policies.

•  Uphold high standards of behaviour, respect and sportsmanship.

Partnerships & External Links

•  Develop links with local clubs, regional governing bodies, external coaches and feeder schools.

•  Promote West Buckland Schools sporting reputation regionally and nationally.

•  Support outreach, events and community engagement where relevant.

Candidate Profile

Essential

•  Strong teaching and coaching experience, including in at least one major school sport.

•  The ability to balance strategic leadership with hands on teaching and coaching.

Our School

•  Previous experience of managing or coordinating sports programmes, fixtures or teams.

•  Excellent communication, organisational and interpersonal skills.

•  Commitment to inclusivity, participation, pupil wellbeing and safeguarding.

Desirable

•  Be confident teaching GCSE PE or Post-16 vocational sport (Cambridge Technical).

•  Previous experience in the independent sector or in high performance sporting environments.

•  Previous experience of working across a Prep–Senior continuum.

•  The ability to lead performance pathways, tours or preseason programmes.

•  Skills in developing staff or leading CPD.

Hours of work

This is a full-time appointment.

In  addition  to  a  competitive  salary,  we  provide  free  parking,  daily  lunch  and  access  to  our
outstanding sports facilities.

Our School

Applications

The Process

•  Applications should be submitted by noon on Wednesday 25th February 2026.
•
Interviews will be carried out during week commencing 2nd March 2026.

Interested applicants should submit an application form and letter of interest to:
Chief Operating Officer, West Buckland School via email at: recruitment@westbuckland.com

Safeguarding Policy Statement

The  post  holder's  responsibility  for  promoting  and  safeguarding  the  welfare  of  children  and  young
persons for whom s/he is responsible, or with whom s/he comes into contact, will be to adhere to and
ensure compliance with  the school's  Safeguarding  and  Child  Protection Policy  at all  times. If, in  the
course of carrying out the duties of the post, the post holder becomes aware of any actual or potential
risks to the safety or welfare of children in the school, s/he must report any concerns to the school's
Designated Safeguarding Lead or to the Head.

West  Buckland  School  is  committed  to  safeguarding  and  promoting  the  welfare  of  children  and
applicants  must  be  willing  to  undergo  child  protection  screening  appropriate  to  the  post,  including
reference checks with past employers and the Independent Safeguarding Agency.

This post is identified as being within the scope of Regulated Activity and requires a cleared Enhanced
Disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Agency.  As such all previous criminal convictions deemed
to  be  expired  under  the  Rehabilitation  of  Offenders  Act  are  required  to  be  declared,  this  may  not
negate the applicant from being appointed.

In line with KCSIE guidance the school will conduct an internet search of short-listed candidates on
Google  and  Social  Media  and  limited  to  the  information  provided  on  the  application  form.  Any
information that is publicly available online and relevant to safeguarding or your suitability to work with
children might be discussed at interview.

Equal Opportunities

West Buckland School is committed to equality of opportunity for all staff and applications are
encouraged from individuals regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual
orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships.

Data Protection
Our School

The school is registered under the Data Protection Act 1998. The information you supply
when requesting a job pack will be held in electronic format for monitoring and evaluation
purposes and in connection with any future contact. We keep applications from unsuccessful
candidates for a period of six months from the closing date after which they will be
destroyed. If you do not wish your application to be retained during this period please
indicate this in a covering letter with your application.