To apply for any current vacancy, please complete both the EMS Employment Application Form and the EMS Personal Details Form and email them to jobs@exeterms.ac.uk.
Job Title: Pastoral Boarding Tutor
Hours: 9.25 – 18.5 per week (0.25 – 0.5 of Full Time) plus overnight on call
Salary: £20, 327 to £22,587 (FTE inclusive on on call allowance)*
Person Specification – Pastoral Accommodation Tutor
Job Description – Pastoral Accommodation Tutor
We are seeking a caring, pro-active and responsible person to join our pastoral team, supporting boarding students to thrive whilst living away from home for the first time. If you want to make a positive difference to young people’s lives, this could be the job for you.
Exeter Mathematics School (EMS) is a unique 6th form, created to meet the needs of able Mathematics students throughout the South West. The school is a learning community in which students’ needs are at the centre. Students expect high levels of challenge coupled with thoughtful support and guidance. Approximately one third of students board mid-week (Monday to Thursday) and are supported by a team of pastoral tutors who ensure they are safe, cared for and well prepared to live independently once they leave EMS.
Students come from a variety of backgrounds. Most will be the only one from their feeder school, or their home town. The curriculum is demanding and students often find themselves challenged in a way they have not been before. Many of the students are highly ambitious and/or highly able and need support in managing their expectations and the expectations of others.
Boarding staff play a crucial role in supporting students to manage their transition to EMS, their anxiety and other mental health issues. A high number of students have autism or other specific needs for whom boarding staff have a crucial role in meeting their needs.
Students who join us often have much to learn: how to cook, clean up, manage the sharing of facilities, use a washing machine, personal hygiene (for some). Boarding staff provide essential teaching of these life skills, supporting students to acquire independent living skills.
We are seeking to appoint a Pastoral Accommodation (Boarding) Tutor to share responsibility for the welfare and supervision of students in EMS accommodation for one or two nights a week, between Monday and Thursday – this is a job share, with an existing member of staff working for the other nights. Typical working hours are from 4pm until 11pm, staying overnight and then being on duty again from 7am to 9.15am in the morning. The post is a year-round (52 weeks a year) job, with leave taken during school holidays only.
An absolute commitment to the welfare of students is vital as is the ability to work with parents, tutors, school staff and outside agencies. The successful postholder will have initiative, energy and the determination to make a positive difference to our students. They will have a proactive approach to work and demonstrate the ability to relate to our students and work effectively in a small team.
It’s an exciting time to join our boarding team, with a new boarding building planned for 2024 and further expansion likely within another year or two, this post provides the opportunity for development and progression. The successful candidate will be committed to reflective practice, ongoing training and learning from best practice examples.
EMS is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people and expects all staff to share this commitment. All appointments are subject to satisfactory DBS checks, together with the receipt of references.
Further information about working at EMS can be found on this page. We also recommend that you take a look at the Our Story page to get a sense of what our school is like. Finally, more information about our boarding provision can be found on our Weekly Boarding page. If you have any questions prior to applying please get in touch by calling 01392 429020 and asking to speak to Yasmin, Grace or Kerry. Alternatively, you may email jobs@exeterms.ac.uk.
To apply, please complete the Job Application Form and Personal Detail Form which are available on this page and email them to jobs@exeterms.ac.uk.
Application Deadline: Tuesday 13th June
Interview Date: Afternoon/Early evening of Wednesday 21st June
*The quoted salary is correct for the academic year 2022/23 and is due to be amended for 2023/24. Once governors have set the new pay scales we will update this figure.
Exeter Maths School (EMS) is working in partnership with Mathematics Education for Social Mobility and Excellence (MESME) in the South West region.
MESME are leading a new and exciting nationwide enrichment programme for high-attaining secondary school students: MESME Maths Circles.
Their charitable purpose is to support high-attaining students to develop their mathematical excellence by participating in MESME Maths Circles, so that they go on to have a greater and richer range of future personal, employment and economic choices. They are especially committed to supporting high-attaining secondary school students from disadvantaged backgrounds, who currently are under-represented in mathematical studies at degree and higher levels.
MESME’s long-term target is that by 2035 there will be double the number of PhD students in the mathematical sciences at a UK university. Along the way MESME intends to enrich the mathematical experiences of everyone who participates in our programmes, enabling them to enjoy mathematics and identify as a mathematician.
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We are seeking to appoint passionate and dedicated mentors to support and develop the mathematical thinking and curiosity of high prior-attaining KS3 and 4 students through our exciting online enrichment programme, MESME Maths Circles.
Benefits of working as a MESME mentor:
If you enjoy maths problem solving and are keen to develop this in others, this could be the perfect opportunity for you!
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Format
3.5 hours per week to start in September (30-week’s across the academic year) or January (20-week’s across the academic year) – dependant on student numbers.
Online programme with 2-3 face-to-face days for mentors to attend where possible.
We have online mentoring groups that meet on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons, 1615-1800 – we will ask your availability at interview.
The remaining hours are for training/preparation and can be completed at a time convenient to you.
Salary: £12.22 per hour, inclusive of holiday allowance
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Become a MESME Maths Circles Mentor: Express your interest
If you’re interested in getting involved, please read the person specification and job description before completing the expression of interest form, here.
We’ll be in touch with updates about our mentoring opportunities and will let you know once our mentor recruitment opens. We recruit twice annually – in the spring and autumn terms.
If you’d like to discuss this role or find out more before applying, please contact us by emailing: events@exeterms.ac.uk
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This is an opportunity to make a positive difference to students in the South West: at least 30% of participants will be from disadvantaged backgrounds and we’ve had encouraging feedback from the programme so far:
They are a really positive part of my day and inspire me to think logical and outside of the box.
I feel like it expands my imagination and thinking in maths classes to think of other options.
I have enjoyed the maths sessions, especially as the questions are sometimes more challenging then at school and there is only a small group.
It boosts my motivation.
They make me think in a different kind of more logical approach to thinking and I think will definitely help me in the future. Because in school it’s a kind of robotic like you do this in this way and it works but here we get to trial and error and make our own chooses and go with our hunches etc.
It’s good how we have to justify our answers which makes you think about them whereas at school that doesn’t really happen. The Maths Circle sessions suit me more than normal school.
TEACHING COVER – if you are an experienced teacher of Mathematics or Computer Science and interested in providing cover when our staff are absent, we would be keen to hear from you. Please email jobs@exeterms.ac.uk to arrange to discuss this further, or complete and application and personal details form and email to the same address.
The following quotes are taken form our most recent staff survey in May 2022
“I have just recently started at EMS in a new role which I am enjoying and feel supported with new challenges.”
“I couldn’t feel more supported and am hugely grateful for this.”
“This school goes the extra mile to respect individuality.”
“I think one of the greatest strengths of the school is that staff are regularly given opportunities to contribute their thoughts to both small and large school decisions.”
“I love being surrounded by people who are so amazing at what they do, and I feel like I’ve progressed as a mathematician because of it.”
“The EMS culture is incredibly supportive and friendly, and I feel like I’ve made some amazing friends here.”
“EMS is an inspirational and pleasant place to work – staff are friendly and supportive and you can ask for help if there is a problem.”
These quotes were made the previous year (March 2021):
“I feel like there is a very good combination of teacher autonomy and support amongst staff. I have the freedom to try new things in lessons but still feel part of a team.”
“EMS is such a lovely place to work – everyone is incredibly friendly, helpful and passionate about what they do.”
“Incredibly grateful for the camaraderie over the difficult past year in particular. Everyone is focused on looking out for our students (not only their education) but not at the expense of looking after each other/ourselves.”
“I always feel respected for who I am and feel safe to voice worries without being scared I will be seen in a negative light for not being perfect.”
“I feel very well supported by the leadership at EMS and feel that the response to COVID changes have been very positive and supportive.”
“EMS really is a great place to work! We have lovely students, an incredibly supportive staff team and a leadership team who don’t just care about wellbeing as a buzzword but as a genuine priority.”
“I am 100% in love with EMS still, and believe it is all that a school should be.”
“I think I have become a better human being whilst working here due to the staff. Thank you.”
“Great place to work and really happy here. Everyone is so easy to get along with, supportive and friendly.”
As a 6th form our contracts are not typical school contracts. As such you have an entitlement to 40 days (8 weeks) of holiday each year plus bank holidays, all of which are taken outside of term time. In addition, we have a shut down period at Christmas which is not taken from your holiday allowance.
When you work Saturdays, you receive an additional day of holiday in lieu of the time you are in school. For a full-time teacher this tends to be 5 days / 1 week (pro rata for part time).
Our term times are similar to Exeter College: we normally break up for school holidays about 5 to 10 days into July and return to school on A-level results day (mid-August).
In the summer, teachers will always have at least 3 consecutive weeks of leave, but there are often more weeks available. At Easter, all teachers will have at least 1 week of leave and may be required to work for two or three days for outreach activities. We have also, for example held admissions interviews in February half term, requiring teachers to attend for up to two days.
We don’t tend to ask teachers to attend site during non-term time unless there is a specific reason such as training, outreach, or admissions events. These are planned at the start of the academic year, enabling teachers to plan their holiday time with certainty.
The table below is indicative of the how holidays may be taken by a full-time teacher who has worked for five Saturdays. The total number of discretionary days leave may vary, for example, depending on when bank holidays fall over the Christmas period.
The non-teaching roles vary greatly, some staff have term-time only contracts whilst others are employed for the full year. Some work “normal” office hours and others overnight. The information in this section is based on a full time member of staff who works for the full year, the principles are consistent with other roles but precise details will vary.
Full time is 37 hours a week.
The main school building is open between 0800 and 1800 on most week days and typically working hours fall between 0830 and 1800. Notable exceptions are boarding staff who work evenings and overnight and outreach staff who sometimes need to work on Saturdays to support events.
Annual leave is for 25 days a year plus bank holidays and additional Christmas closure days. The school has period of time over Christmas during which it is closed, this may vary each year but it is typically for two weeks. All staff take holiday during the shutdown period but this is not taken from their annual leave, in effect adding to their overall holiday allowance. The real beauty of this is that with every member of staff on holiday, you wont return in the New Year to an enormous string of emails and messages!
Non-teaching staff are expected to take their annual leave when students are on school holidays. In exceptional circumstances exceptions will be made but taking leave during the term time is not the norm.
All EMS employees have access to a range of resources and support through the Health Assured EAP. The programme includes:
Our staff and students have access to the facilities at Exeter College including HR support and Gym membership (for a small fee).
It’s a small gesture of our appreciation for your work that we provide tea, coffee and milk for staff and no charge. We hope it makes your day a little easier.
Teachers are entitled to join the Teachers’ Pension Scheme: Teachers’ Pensions
Non-teaching staff are entitled to join the Local Government Pension Scheme: LGPS member site
The staff team is truly fantastic, welcoming, helpful and kind. It’s one of the very best things about working here (the students being the other). It’s not possible to overstate just how supportive they are – if you’re having a tough day someone will pick you up, if you’ve had a brilliant success, your colleagues will celebrate with you.
This scheme offers EMS staff a range of lifestyle savings vouchers from retailers, typically giving up to 5% off a purchase. It also gives access to Salary Sacrifice benefits which include: