The School

Magdalen College School, founded in 1480 by William of Waynflete, is one of the country’s leading independent day schools. It is situated in an enviable location at the heart of Oxford beside the River Cherwell. Shaped by its Christian Collegiate foundation and links with the university city of which it is part, it aims to inspire in all its pupils a desire to learn, flourish and to serve.

The school will celebrate its 550th anniversary in 2030. The current generation of MCS staff and pupils wish to ensure that we shape a School that is able to flourish for at least another half millennium, and hopefully many more beyond. There are around 980 pupils, boys 7-18 and Sixth Form Girls, and 200 staff who learn and work on the school’s central Oxford site.

The Sports Department

The Sports Department at MCS has grown in recent years and is now one of the largest departments in the school. The department oversees the running of both the Games and Physical Education programmes from 7-18.

Heads of Sport manage their own programmes in a way that allows pupils to flourish in a number of sports. They are ably supported by highly qualified Sports Professionals and experienced PE & Games teachers. We are fortunate to have a number of Level 3 and 4 qualified coaches, many of whom have played sport to the highest level. The introduction of greater departmental inset has proved invaluable in sharing technical knowledge across all sports. Sports staff act as mentors to pupils who are aiming to progress through performance pathways, but also have a focus on increasing the numbers of pupils representing the school at all levels. Sport at MCS has seen sustained improvement and success over the last 10 years: sports teams across focus sports are habitual county champions – Girls Hockey 1^st XI were crowned 2021 county champions and Netball regularly qualify for the regional finals. Boys teams regularly advance far in national competitions – Boys Hockey 1^st XI were 2022 Tier 2 National Champions and U16 and U18 were both runners-up in 2023. In 2024 the U16 team were also runners up. There are currently 4 pupils representing England or GB at junior level across all sports, whilst four former pupils are currently playing first class cricket (two of them with England Lions). There are currently 4 MCS students in the Midlands U18 regional rugby DPP and 3 U16 students in the England Hockey Talent Academy.

The department as a whole aim to provide a sporting option for everyone and to support every pupil in finding the sport for them and helping them make the most of their ability. There is great enthusiasm for sport from pupils, parents and colleagues alike.

Please see the Information Pack for more information.

The Role

The school is seeking to appoint a skilled and motivated individual from 1st September 2024, or 1^st January 2025, to support the Head of Hockey in developing the sport further within the school. The successful applicant will be expected to coach bright and enthusiastic pupils from U8 – U18. The vacancy arises as a result of the previous Hockey Professional moving to another position, and with the school looking to further cement its place as one of the strongest Hockey schools in the region.

The Hockey Professional will be responsible to the Master through the Director of Sport for the proper discharge of his or her duties.

The main duties of the post will include, but not be restricted to, the following:

• Leading and overseeing year-round coaching for all years at MCS, whilst offering support and development opportunities to individuals from within the Sports Department and the wider Common Room as well as communicating effectively to pupils, parents and the local community
• In conjunction with the Head of Hockey, creating and managing a player pathway, which will encourage the development and promotion of Magdalen College School as a centre of excellence for Hockey
• Practically supporting the Head of Hockey and coaches from both the Sports Department and wider Common Room
• Taking responsibility for at least one school age group
• Looking to improve performances as well as preventing injuries across all of the athletes and sports at the school
• Coaching in timetabled Games and PE lessons in the junior and senior school
• Leading the coaching of one senior school team per term (football or rugby in Michaelmas, hockey in Hilary, and Tennis, Cricket or Athletics in Trinity), which will include Saturday fixtures
• Other duties as reasonably requested by the Director of Sport and the Master

The Candidate

The ideal candidate should be an outstanding coach who displays a high level of technical knowledge alongside an enthusiasm for both participation and performance levels of the game.  It would be advantageous if the candidate has experience of either playing or coaching at an elite level.

The successful candidate will:

• Show clear commitment to safeguarding children and take a keen interest in the welfare of pupils
• Have England Hockey Level 3 coaching qualification – or an ability to work towards this within 6 months
• Have experience in a similar role
• Have the ability to plan and implement annual strength and conditioning programmes to individuals and teams
• Have a strong willingness to contribute to all aspects relating to the leading of a year-round coaching and competition programme

Desirable:

• Previous experience of coaching within an independent school
• An understanding of sport as part of a thriving extra-curricular provision

Candidates short-listed for interview will be asked to teach an observed session when they come to the school.  Further information on the observed session and documentation required will be provided with the invitation to interview.

Application Process

Candidates should submit the “MCS Application Form for Teaching and Support Staff” which can be found on the Job Vacancy link of the website (www.mcsoxford.org).  To access Click here.  To apply for the position please send the following two documents to the Recruitment Officer, Miss Yelena Molcanova (recruitment@mcsoxford.org).

1. “MCS Application Form for Teaching and Support Staff” Form
2. CV (Curriculum Vitae)

All documentation should be sent no later than Friday 17^th May, at midday; early applications are encouraged.  The school’s preferred method of communication is by email and it will not be necessary to send a hard copy of the documents by post.

References may be taken up in advance.  If you do not wish references to be called for at this stage, please make that clear on the reference section of the application form.

We anticipate holding interviews in the week commencing 20^th May, which will include a taught session with pupils. We will be in contact with shortlisted candidates by telephone. Please be aware that all shortlisted candidates will be requested to complete a “Self-Disclosure” form before attending their interview. We reserve the right to interview and appoint before the above dates.

Equal Opportunities

Magdalen College School recognises and is committed to ensuring applicants and employees from all sections of the community are treated equally regardless of race, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief, gender reassignment, marital and civil partnership status, or pregnancy and maternity. We welcome applications from all sections of the community.

Safeguarding Policy

Magdalen College School is committed to the safeguarding of pupils, and any offer of employment will be subject to an enhanced DBS disclosure, the receipt of satisfactory references, the school’s pre-employment medical questionnaire, plus sight of relevant original ID documentation and degree certificate(s). This role will be in regulated activity and will require a children’s barred list check as well as an enhanced DBS check. The enhanced DBS check is due to this role being exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

Remuneration and Benefits

The employment terms are based on an ability to work 30 hours per week averaged across the year, during term time and to include fixtures as part of the wider school sports programme. The salary will be appropriate to the experience and qualifications of the successful candidate. Non-teaching staff are automatically enrolled in the school’s contributory Group Pension Scheme.  This is a defined contribution pension scheme into which the employee contributes 5% of gross salary and the employer contributes 10%.

School fee remission is available for permanent staff sons and Sixth Form daughters who pass the entrance tests for the school, and is currently 50% pro rata subject to a minimum FTE of 50%. In addition, 20% fee remission pro rata is available for MCS staff who have daughters attending Headington Rye, subject to a minimum of 50% FTE.

There is a wide range of benefits on offer to staff, including a free lunch during term time, free private health insurance and complimentary use of school sports facilities.

Head to mcsoxford.org/vacancies to find out more.

Additional Information

Please note that MCS is an urban school, with very limited parking. Staff are encouraged to use public transport wherever possible for their journey to work.  There is a Cycle Scheme on offer to support this where possible.

If you have any questions or require additional information, please contact the HR office: 01865 253401.