Benefits: Pension, Employee Assistance Programme, Staff Discount Scheme
Thank you for your interest in Hopescourt School, a new all-through specialist school which opened in September 2024 and is the first specialist free school within the Bourne Education Trust. I am immensely proud to be Hopescourt School’s Headteacher and to have the opportunity to develop this new and much needed provision for children with Autism in Walton-on-Thames.
This is an exciting time for new staff to join the school, providing an opportunity to play an instrumental role in our journey right from the start. I want to ensure that we develop and define a school culture with strong outcomes for pupils at its heart, and create an aspirational environment where learners can access specialist support alongside a range of subject expertise. My vision is that we equip our pupils for life and offer the best of mainstream and specialist settings, breaking down barriers and ensuring that opportunities are expanded so that they can flourish.
In our first year, we will be welcoming up to 77 new pupils across years 7 to 10, in class sizes of no more than 11, and will be opening in temporary accommodation on the former Hurst Park school site in West Molesey. Our brand new, purpose-built facility on Waterside Drive in Walton-on-Thames should be completed in Spring 2026 and from September 2026 onwards, our numbers will grow incrementally with intakes into Reception and Year 3 as well as Year 7. All of our pupils will either have a diagnosis of Autism, or identified communication and interaction needs as their primary need on their Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) and will be functioning at broadly age-related expectations.
No child should ever have a glass ceiling placed on them and every child should have the opportunities to reach their full potential, regardless of their disability or special educational need.
I hope to create a dynamic team of colleagues who are passionate about special educational needs and disabilities and are both aspirational for our pupils and driven to ensure that they can thrive and succeed.
If you would like to contact me to talk through more of the detail about our overall vision, the plan for our inaugural year, and the role that you could play in shaping Hopescourt School’s journey, please do email Joanne Orchard at orchardj@hopescourt.school to arrange a mutually convenient time. I look forward to hearing from you.
The closing date for this vacancy is the 12th March 2025. However, we strongly recommend applying early to have the best possible chance of being considered. Applications will be considered on receipt, and we retain the right to amend the closing date and withdraw this vacancy if we have received sufficient applications.
Bourne Education Trust is committed to safeguarding and protecting the welfare and safety of its staff and pupils, and follows safeguarding interview procedures. We expect all candidates to meet the highest standard of safeguarding and successful applicants will be required to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.
Bourne Education Trust is committed to equality of opportunity for all colleagues, pupils and other stakeholders. Applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships. In advertising our vacancies, we are committed to accommodating diverse needs. If you require the applicant job pack to be supplied in a different format, please don't hesitate to contact us and we will do our best to provide a suitable alternative.
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