On behalf of the students, staff and governors of Queen’s Park High School, can I thank you for your interest in our school. We think that it’s a special place and we are justifiably proud of it and how far we have come in the last few years. But, with your help, we know it can and will be even better.
Queen’s Park High School is currently an under-subscribed but “Good” academy located in the centre of Chester. We are an 11-18 comprehensive school with around 600 students including a smaller than optimum but growing sixth form. The projected intake for year 7 in 2021 is around 130, a further increase on previous years. Our exam results are improving. Students, staff and governors share an ambition to be the best we can be and we are constantly searching for new ways to secure the best possible outcomes for all our young people.
Our school as it is today has recently been shaped by an exceptional individual. Lyndsay Watterson, who is leaving for a Development role in The Learning Trust, has led the school for 6 years resulting in an Ofsted judgement of “good” in January 2020, improved financial performance and improving academic results.
As a result, we believe that many of the key ingredients for further improvement are already in place:-
a shared ambition to do what it takes to secure further improvement and the best possible outcomes for all our students
well-motivated students with a passion for learning
hugely talented and committed staff
strong tradition of high quality teaching and learning, and of continuing professional development
active and supportive Governing Body
collaborative and supportive Trust providing a wide range of experience in back office, improvement and development areas while allowing individual schools substantial autonomy for teaching and learning and pastoral matters
good infrastructure which has benefitted from £3.2m of self-generated investment in recent years
But there is much still to do, including:
further improvements and greater consistency in our exam results
developing our sixth form to become more attractive to students, more financial stable and able to meet a wide range of needs and aspirations
ensuring we meet the needs of all our students irrespective of background, gender or prior attainment
further developing our broad-based inclusive curriculum and wide range of extra-curricular activities in the face of a challenging financial scenario
finding new and innovative approaches to issues such as “The Wasted Years”
collaborating with the Trust to secure optimum benefits for all its current and prospective students
strengthening existing and building new partnerships to generate income and mutual benefits
and much else besides
So an exciting opportunity exists for a dynamic, inspiring and empowering leader, with a clear vision and the ability and drive to turn it into reality, to build on these key ingredients, add a little magic of their own, and take us to the next level. If you believe you are that person and are up to the challenge, do get in touch with Martin Blair at Hays Leadership on 07736791138 or at martin.blair@hays.com for a private and confidential discussion about the role.
I look forward to meeting you in due course.
Peter BurkeChair of Governors
About Section
About us
Queen’s Park High School is a smaller than average 11-18 school, located to the south of the River Dee, in the heart of historic Chester. Queen’s Park is an ambitious, forward thinking school with a clear vision, which is to ‘Inspire Individuals, Empower Minds and Define Futures’.
The school strives to provide the very best learning and personal development opportunities for every young person in its care. Queen's Park employs a committed, hard-working and enthusiastic team of staff, who regularly go above and beyond to ensure that all students are known as individuals, are given opportunities to thrive both within and beyond the classroom and equally achieve success beyond their expectations. All are committed to nurturing, motivating and inspiring all individuals to recognise their worth, develop their self-belief and strive to achieve their aspirations and goals. Students are placed firmly at the heart of everything at Queen’s Park, giving rise to a real warmth and ‘family feeling’ which permeates throughout the school.
The school is often described as a school with a heart, which benefits significantly from active partnerships with parents and carers, members of the wider community, as well as other organisations within education, culture and business.
2020 was a significant year for the school. In January, it received its first inspection as an academy and were judged to be a GOOD school. Inspectors recognised the high expectations, the calm and welcoming atmosphere across the school as well as the strength of the relationships between staff and students.
The broad and rich curriculum enables students to make excellent progress as highlighted by the outstanding results in the GCSE and A Level students achieved, with the majority of students exceeding their targets and increased numbers remaining to continue their studies in the 6th Form.
The school continues to go from strength to strength, with a strong reputation for its inclusivity, pastoral care and academic achievement across a broad range of subjects. It equally provides opportunities for students to grow beyond the classroom, with students taking part in many activities which help to develop their confidence and resilience. These include annual drama productions, a variety of music groups and a robotics club.
In addition, students have competed nationally in STEM activities and participated in regional and national rowing competitions, with Queen's Park High School being one of only a handful of state schools in the country to have its own boathouse down by the river.
Based in Chester, The Learning Trust, formed as a Multi Academy Trust in 2016, currently consists of Queen’s Park High School and:
An ambitious, forward thinking and successful 11-18 school with over 1400 on roll including 320 in 6th form. It is three miles from the centre of Chester and serves a community of small villages and housing on the east side of the city. Academic standards at the school are high and frequently the highest in the region, thanks to highly motivated staff, children who wish to learn and parents who support them.
More than this though there is a shared belief that everyone has talent. The talented and committed staff team constantly strive to provide inspiring learning and extra-curricular initiatives with the focus on working with every student to nurture their individual abilities and equip them for success on their pathway through life. The school has undergone a number of major refurbishments in the last five years to continually improve its excellent facilities for learning.
A new 14-19 school with over 200 students, offering a unique learning pathway including both the International Baccalaureate Diploma and Career-related Programmes. Situated in a purpose-built world-class facility, Principal, Katrina Brown, is developing a school which is unparalleled in its capacity for innovation, enabling students to go into the world with confidence, skills and a broad range of experience.
To best help all of its students to make good progress at all stages, to be the very best they can be
To care for its students and staff
To deliver sustainable, consistent and effective improvement across each of its schools
To support each of the schools within the Multi Academy Trust to allow them to focus on Teaching & Learning
To strive that is Academies are held in the highest regard by others within and beyond the education sector
To optimise revenue to allow highest level of focus on Teaching & Learning
To develop and grow the Trust to improve the educational outcomes of both current and new MAT students
Enabling (Allowing the schools to focus on Teaching & Learning)
Improving (Doing what it does but doing it better)
Developing (Adding to what it already does to improve student outcomes)
Growing (Building the Trust)
The Trust is actively seeking to grow through closer partnerships with other primary and secondary schools in the Chester area and beyond. Indeed, an Academy order has been granted for a feeder Primary School of QPHS to join the Trust as its first primary school.
The Trust was founded on the principle that individual schools are generally best placed to understand and meet the need of their students and local communities. As such Headteachers and their Governing Bodies are given a high degree of autonomy but within an agreed framework. Local Governing Bodies are responsible for the strategic oversight and performance management of their school’s Headteacher and accountable to the Trust for achieving the desired outcomes.
However, the Trust also believes that there are great mutual benefits to be derived from joint-working across the Trust to share expertise and resources and to give students and staff the opportunity to experience a range of learning environments.
The CEO leads this joint-working, advises Trustees and Governors on performance matters and opportunities for improvement and supports individual schools as required. Headteachers are expected to work pro-actively and collaboratively in the interests of all students across the Trust.
In summary, the Trust aims to provide the following to Headteachers and schools:
Mutual support network, within a framework of autonomy
High quality service provision meaning that the Headteacher can concentrate fully on standards and experience of students and staff
Opportunity to share and transfer success
Further, continuous and ongoing career development and opportunity
Diverse school communities within the Trust to challenge orthodoxy
Pool of experience and trust networking to draw on
Solvency, low central costs and financial security
Vacancy Section
Vacancy details
Main Purpose
To provide professional and inspirational leadership for the school, which drives success and continuous improvement, ensuring excellent standards of learning and achievement, the highest quality education and the best possible outcomes for all students.
For further information, an informal and confidential discussion about the role or to discuss the application process please contact Martin Blair at Hays Leadership Appointments.
