APPOINTMENT OF A

SCHOOL SUPPORT OFFICER

Buildings, Land & Trusts

June 2016

2

Introduction

by the Rt Revd Richard Atkinson, Bishop of Bedford

Chair of the Diocesan Board of Education

Dear Applicant

SCHOOL SUPPORT OFFICER

(Buildings, Land & Trusts)

Thank you for your interest in the role of School Support

Officer (Buildings, Land and Trusts). We believe that this is

an exciting time to be working with Church Schools as the

Board of Education seeks to respond to the challenges of

maintaining and improving the quality of the education it

provides for 28,500 children and young people across

Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire.

The post of School Support Officer offers a great opportunity for someone to join a

highly committed, hard-working team and to undertake a wide variety of tasks and

activities. The aim of this post is to build capacity and to provide additional support

and expertise to our schools. The likelihood of becoming bored is slim!

If you would like to discuss the role further, David Morton, Diocesan Director of

Education, and to whom this position reports, would be pleased to talk to you about it

in more detail. Please contact David via his PA, Eileen Bigg, by email

(ebigg@stalbans.anglican.org) or on 01727 818170.

Yours faithfully

Bishop Richard Atkinson

Chair of the Board of Education

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CONTENTS

page

2 Introduction by the Bishop of Bedford

4 The Diocese of St Albans

6 The Diocesan Board of Education

8 The Schools Team

The Schools Support Officer (Buildings, Land & Trusts):

9 The role

12 The person specification

13 Terms and Conditions

14 How to apply, and further information

4

The Diocese of St Albans

The Diocese of St Albans consists of the

counties of Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire

and part of the London Borough of Barnet.

The population is approximately 1.8

million, and the total electoral roll number

is approximately 39,000. The Bishop of

St Albans has overall responsibility for the

Diocese. He is assisted by the suffragan

bishops of Bedford and Hertford, the

Archdeacons of Bedford, St Albans and

Hertford, the Diocesan Secretary and the

Dean. There are twenty deaneries and

the Diocese has 336 parishes, of which

about one third are rural, 201 benefices,

400 churches, 269 stipendiary clergy, 60

non-stipendiary clergy, 232 clergy with

Permission to Officiate and 175 Licensed

[111 with PtO] Lay Readers. There are 136 Church Schools and Academies in the

Diocese.

is the vision of the parishes, church schools and chaplaincies across Hertfordshire,

Bedfordshire, Luton and Barnet. This Vision is grounded in our love of God and love

of neighbour flowing from God’s love for us. Its three priorities are:

Using Mission Action Planning we are developing confident and outward looking

mission and evangelism, leading to spiritual and numerical growth.

The Diocesan Synod is the elected decision-making body of the diocese and the

Bishop’s Council as the Standing Committee of the Synod has a key role in

formulating diocesan policy.

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The statutory work of the

Church and support to the

parishes is provided by the

staff of the Diocesan Office,

located in Holywell Lodge in

St Albans.

They work in four main

teams responsible to four

separate bodies which report

to the Bishop’s Council and

are ultimately accountable to

Diocesan Synod:

The Board of Finance

The Board of Education

The Council for Discipleship and Ministry

The Board for Church and Society

In addition, the three Bishops, three Archdeacons and a number of diocesan officers,

both lay and ordained, work throughout the diocese, sometimes in conjunction with a

parish appointment.

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The Diocesan Board of Education

The Diocese

The Schools Team works with the 136 Anglican church schools in the Diocese of

St Albans, covering six Local Authorities: the London Borough of Barnet, Bedford

Borough, Central Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Luton.

Seventeen schools are Academies. Most of the schools are primary phase, but there

are five secondary schools and six middle schools which are deemed secondary.

The Schools Team is governed by the Diocesan Board of Education (DBE). This

is a statutory body established under the Diocesan Boards of Education Measure

1991, with functions including the promotion of education consistent with the faith

and practice of the Church of England, the promotion of religious education and

religious worship in schools and academies, the promotion of Church schools and

academies in the diocese, and advice to school governors on any matter affecting

church schools and academies.

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The Diocesan Board of Education

The Board of Education of the Diocese of St Albans exists to provide support and

advice to church schools throughout the Diocese. The Diocesan Resource Centre

holds resources for schools, youth work, children's work in churches and general

parish use. The Centre is open to all churches and to church schools, community

schools and private schools.

The vision of the DBE is to see Church Schools at the heart of the Diocese’s vision,

Living God’s Love. In aiming to achieve this goal, and building on the excellent

contribution of 136 Church Schools (with more in the pipeline), of which 89.2% are

either Outstanding or Good, the Board has established the following priorities:

community-focused schools serving the common good

outstanding education delivered in a distinctively Christian setting

Church Schools at the centre of the diocesan vision Living God’s Love

high quality Religious Education

the creation of new Church Schools within new housing developments

strong and fruitful school/parish relationships

rigorous safeguarding that ensures Church School pupils are celebrated as

children of God

These priorities are delivered in ways that recognise the unique local context of each

of our schools.

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The Schools Team

The Schools Team currently comprises the following staff, and plans to expand as

shown:

David Morton Director of Education

Lizzie Jeanes Interim Deputy Director of Education

Charlotte Johnson Interim Deputy Director of Education

Jane Chipperton RE Adviser (including SIAMS, Collective Worship, Values)

Bob Garrard Admissions Adviser and data analyst

Belinda Copson School Support Officer (Governance )

TBA School Support Officer (Buildings, Land & Trusts)

Eileen Bigg Schools Secretary and Director’s PA

TBA General, Schools Administrator (Director’s PA)

Ruth Garman General Schools Administrator (part-time, 0.8fte)

TBA Schools Administrative Assistant

The Schools Team is supported in their work by a team of over 20 educational

consultants who provide professional and pastoral support to schools through the

diocesan service level agreement. Currently 83% of schools subscribe to the SLA.

The Diocese of St Albans is one of the

larger dioceses in terms of the number

of schools it serves, yet has one of the

smaller schools teams. This presents a

number of challenges for the team

which has developed a close-working

relationship with each other that

depends on shared vision, flexibility,

hard work and a sense of humour. The

appointment of a School Support

Officer (Buildings, Land and Trusts) is

therefore an important one for the

team as a whole.

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The Role of the School Support Officer

(Buildings, Land & Trusts)

The role of School Support Officer (Buildings, Land and Trusts) reflects the increased

variety and complexity of the work that is undertaken across the Diocese. The post

will involve travel across the whole of the Diocese and will include working alongside

the General Schools Administrator responsible for the administration of the LCVAP

Capital funding scheme for Voluntary Aided schools which is worth around £2.2

million annually.

Post Title

School Support Officer (Buildings, Land & Trusts)

Accountability

The School Support Officer will be accountable to the Diocesan Director of

Education and through him to the Chair of the Board of Education, the Bishop of

Bedford. The School Support Officer reports to the Board of Education.

Overall Purpose

The overall purpose of the post is

To act as the Board of Education’s lead officer for land, buildings and Trusts

To support school re-organisation proposals across the Diocese

Responsibilities

To assist the Director in strategic areas relating to school buildings, land and

trusts, including the establishment of Academies (and Academy Trusts)

To manage and advise on issues relating to school organisation, including the

development of federations and strategic partnerships (including Local

Collaboration Trusts) between schools

To advise Governing Bodies on issues relating to government and Church/

Diocesan policy in relation to school provision

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School Buildings

To advise Church Schools and Academies on buildings-, land- and trust-related

issues

To create and maintain a directory for building, land, trust issues relating to

diocesan schools, including details of external tenants, reverter clauses,

external site trustees, outstanding land transfers, external site trustees

To manage the diocesan bulk insurance scheme annually reviewing Voluntary

Aided School insurance arrangements and ensuring adequate cover is in place

To develop strategic partnerships with other providers and organisations

To liaise with the Estates Team of the Diocesan Board of Finance

Capital Works

To implement and monitor the annual capital building programme (LCVAP)

To prepare capital bids after consultation with governors, headteachers,

building consultants and Local Authorities

To assist governors and heads with the management of Devolved Formula

Allocations (DFC) to ensure they are used to the best advantage on school

buildings

New School Provision

To be responsible for implementing DBE policies for new school provision

To lead the process of bidding for and commissioning new church schools

To advise governors and headteachers on the provision, maintenance and

development of school buildings and the financing of projects through the

various funding streams

Academy Conversion

To work with educational consultants within the process of facilitating the

conversion of maintained Church Schools to academy status

School Reorganisation

To support the Director of Education in issues relating to school organisation in

rural areas

To attend such diocesan, LA or statutory meetings as required

To keep up to date with developments in local and national strategies from the

Church of England and the Government in relation to school organisational

The Role of the School Support Officer

(Buildings, Land & Trusts) (continued)

11

matters

Other duties

To comply with and assist in the development of policies and procedures

relating to child protection, security, confidentiality and data protection

To contribute to and support the vision and priorities of the Diocesan Board of

Education

To establish constructive relationships and communicate with other agencies

and professionals

To attend and participate in regular meetings of the Schools Team and with

other diocesan teams as required

To participate in training and other learning activities and performance

development as required

To undertake such other appropriate duties as requested by the Diocesan

The Role of the School Support Officer

(Buildings, Land & Trusts) (continued)

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Person Specification: School Support Officer

(Buildings, Land & Trusts)

Essential Desirable

Qualifications

Degree level

Experience

Experience of the world of primary and secondary

education, including the place and nature of Church of England schools

Experience and/or knowledge of the Academy and Free

Schools process

Experience of relevant education, charity and building law

Financial literacy, planning and management skills

Knowledge, skills and abilities

High level interpersonal skills including the ability to

communicate on the telephone, in writing and face to face

Knowledge of Church of England structures and the

Voluntary Aided sector as it relates to school buildings

Ability to present complex legal and organisational issues

in an accessible manner

The ability to work effectively with governors, headteachers, Local Authority officers, DfE officers and

other related professionals

An understanding of Church of England Schools as

Charitable Bodies

Ability to work under pressure

Ability to maintain confidentiality

Personal Qualities

Commitment to providing a professional service to schools and to the Diocesan Board of Education

Flexible, adaptable

Ability to travel across the diocese

Supportive of the Christian ethos of the diocesan Schools

Team and the schools they serve

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Terms and Conditions

Term: The appointment will be based upon a probationary period of three months

during which it may be terminated by either party by one week’s notice, and

thereafter by three months’ notice on either side. This is a fixed post for the period

1 September 2016 to 18 July 2018 in the first instance.

DBS disclosure: The appointment is subject to enhanced DBS disclosure.

Salary: The post is offered on the scale £35,589—£41,638 (pro rata); the starting

salary will depend upon qualifications and experience.

Pension: There is currently a non-contributory pension scheme with the Church of

England Pensions Board to which the Diocesan Board of Education make a

contribution of 25% of salary.

Hours: The School Support Officer shall work such hours as are necessary for the

proper discharge of the duties of employment under their contract and in any event

not less than an average of 21 hours per week. There are no normal hours of work.

The post will involve travelling around the Diocese and evening work and very

occasional work at weekends. The School Support Officer will be expected to

establish a flexible work programme. Time off in lieu is given for hours worked

outside normal working hours. No overtime is paid.

Holidays: Annual leave entitlement is 13 working days plus statutory Bank Holidays

and the working days falling between Christmas and New Year bank holiday and one

day in November or December for Christmas shopping.

Costs: Approved expenses are paid in full through the Board of Education budget at

agreed rates.

Office facilities: The person appointed will be required to work in the Diocesan

Office at Holywell Lodge in St Albans, at which administrative assistance and office

support is provided.

Right to work: The successful applicant will need to provide proof of right to work in

the UK before taking up the post.

More detailed information on terms and conditions for diocesan staff will be found in

the Staff Handbook.

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How to apply for this position

To apply for this post, please send a CV, a covering letter explaining how you meet

the requirements, and the names and addresses of two referees to the Diocesan

Director of Education, Holywell Lodge, 41 Holywell Hill, St Albans AL1 1HE, or by

e-mail to ebigg@stalbans.anglican.org.

Please ensure that when submitting your CV that you include a full chronological

history of full or part-time employment since leaving school.

References may be taken up before interview. Please indicate if anyone may not be

approached at this stage.

Closing date: Friday 24 June 2016, 12 noon

Interviews: Friday 8 July 2016 in St Albans

Further Information

Information about the Diocese can be found on http://www.stalbans.anglican.org/