Job Introduction

We are seeking to recruit a founding Head of Early Years to establish our new Early Years Department. This is an exciting and unique opportunity for an exceptional candidate to positively impact the future of the School, through leading on all aspects of the Early Years, including curriculum design, curation of resources, planning and assessment. The successful candidate would have the academic year 2025 – 2026 to establish these practices and assist with staff and pupil recruitment, ahead of our new Co-Ed Pre-Prep opening formally in September 2026. The successful candidate will also have a key role in designing the curriculum and resources for Year 1 and Year 2 and will also be the responsible for safeguarding in EYFS.

Our new Early Years Department will cultivate a love of learning, both through formal and child-initiated activities, and there will be plenty of time for opportunities to explore the outdoors, both on our new play balcony and on Vincent Square, our 13-acre private playing field. High quality adult interactions will prepare our children for a stimulating and world-class education in Year 1 and beyond.

Role Responsibility

Purpose of the Job

• Lead our Early Years Team, promoting effective teaching and learning and supporting the planning and implementation of activities with individual or groups of children;
• To ensure all Early Years children are offered a safe, secure, caring and supportive environment to provide a safe, happy and stimulating learning environment, providing opportunities to foster the pupils’ growth and development within the Reception classes

Teaching and Learning

• Create and develop the new EY curriculum, and begin to establish the framework for Years 1 and 2, in close collaboration with Heads of Department and the Senior Management Team, to ensure that it prepares children optimally for their future learning at Westminster Under School in Year 3 and beyond.
• Ensure the highest standards of achievement for EY children through a process of effective monitoring and tracking progress, as well as reviewing teaching and learning outcomes with formative assessment
• Demonstrate a commitment to CPD for staff, supporting development plans and maintaining best practice, as well as keeping staff abreast of new curriculum initiatives and relevant research
• Prepare for inspections and oversee ‘self-evaluation’ plans for the department
• Implement the EY assessment policy, including the coordination of assessment and testing, and the collation and analysis of results
• Accountable for the parent consultation schedule and report writing a regular flow of meaningful communication between home and school
• Ensure that parents are given regular information about the school curriculum, the progress of their children and other matters affecting the Pre-Prep and Nursery
• Demonstrate high quality teaching on a reduced timetable, exemplifying best classroom practice
• Implement and monitor planning and teaching methods in order to ensure that individual pupil needs are met, and working with the SENDCO in this regard
• Liaise with Heads of Department to ensure continuity, progression, and links in the curriculum, from EY and KS1 up to KS2 and KS3
• Attend and actively participate in whole school training sessions

Pastoral Support and Welfare

• Greet pupils each morning on entry to the School and take an active interest in their wellbeing.
• Respond to events as needed with bespoke pastoral support for individuals, groups and whole year group issues
• Oversee the School day for Reception pupils, checking supervision throughout the day and at the end of the day for dismissal
• Liaise with the Head of Learning Development, Assistant Master, Pastoral and the School Counsellor as appropriate regarding Reception pupils, making referrals as necessary
• Run regular year group and Pre-Prep assemblies, with form teachers as appropriate
• Liaise with the Assistant Master, Pastoral regarding any actions emanating from School Council meetings
• Monitor pupils’ punctuality and attendance on a half-termly basis and follow up where necessary, in collaboration with the Deputy Master
• Support and monitor the settling in of new pupils
• Prepare for and fully support the integration of girls into Reception, including participation in relevant working groups

Behaviour

• Be the Safeguarding Lead for EYFS, working with the Designated Safeguarding Lead
• Liaise with the form teachers and deal with any incidents which take place in line with the School’s behaviour, pastoral and safeguarding policies
• Log any behaviours of concern, notes, parental information and any follow-up actions on WUSMIS, ‘closing off’ any open tickets
• Liaise with Heads of Department, the Assistant Master, Pastoral and other members of staff as appropriate, to ensure the welfare of pupils within EYFS
• Take the lead with behaviour interventions as appropriate

Leadership

• Assist in the recruitment of staff within the EY department and Pre-Prep
• Line manage staff within the EYFS department
• Lead EY Team meetings and whole school training, where appropriate
• Ensure the expected standard of pupil behaviour is clearly embedded into routines and managed in line with the wider School policy
• Advise and support staff when dealing with matters involving parents, pupils or colleagues
• Build and nurture positive relationships with parents
• Support the delivery of key school events such as parent consultation evenings, open mornings, information evenings and parent workshops
• Oversee the transition of children to Year 1, supporting both children and parents
• Report to and attend Governing Body meetings when requested
• Assist with admissions of children into the department in conjunction with the registrar
• Form and develop close relationships with feeder nurseries
• Develop opportunities to raise the profile and enhance the reputation of the Pre-Prep
• Support partnership work with the local community and schools as well as other independent schools within the IAPS cluster
• Hold regular supervision meetings with the EY team members

Management

• Liaise with Assistant Master, Academic in the organisation and planning of the 4+ entry process in line with the School’s Admissions Policy
• Run the testing and call-backs for the 4+ entry process ensuring the school makes a great impression on potential students and their families
• Co-ordinate and be present during the 4+ Welcome Evenings and Parents’ Evenings
• Ensure the smooth running of the EY on a day-to-day basis and have oversight of special occasions and events
• Create and update Early Years Policies and Risk Assessments, in collaboration with SMT
• Work closely with the Head of Learning Development to provide the best possible provision for pupils with specific additional requirements
• Oversee the tracking and monitoring of pupils in EY
• Ensure that the Department is fully and appropriately resourced

Whilst every effort has been taken to provide a comprehensive list of responsibilities, the post holder may be asked to complete other duties which could be considered relevant to the role, as directed by the Master.

The Ideal Candidate

Please refer the below (attached) person specification.

Equal Opportunities

We are an equal opportunities employer. We therefore encourage candidates to apply irrespective of age, disability, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion and belief, gender identity, sex or sexual orientation.

Safeguarding and Child Protection

Westminster Under School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Package Description

Required for: September 2025

Location: Vincent Square - Westminster Under School

Contract: full-time, permanent

Salary: Westminster Under School has its own salary scale, and new members of staff are placed at a point relevant to their qualifications and experience. Details of salary will be discussed at interview with those candidates who are short-listed. 

There is also an associated responsibility allowance with this role.

The deadline for applications is midday on Friday 25th October 2024. Longlist interviews will take place w/c 11th November.

About the School

Working at Westminster Under School

Westminster Under School is a busy, purposeful and vibrant place to be and an excellent workplace. The community is made up of 292 pupils, 43 teaching staff and 50 support staff.

Our teaching staff are friendly and welcoming and all new teachers quickly become part of the rhythm of life here, both inside and outside the classroom. Social events are regular and varied, with plenty of opportunity to socialise outside working hours.

It also does not matter where you come to us from. Some teachers come to us straight from university or having just taken a PGCE. Some have taught in independent schools before while others come from the state sector, or another industry altogether. The common ground is that all our teachers have a great knowledge and love for their subject and are willing to be fully involved in the life of the School and the lives of the children who come here.

At Westminster Under School we will always select the best candidate for every position. However, we know we can only truly choose the best person on every occasion if a broad and diverse pool of candidates see the job advertised and are encouraged to apply.

As such, we continue to work on how our job roles are encountered, and particularly welcome applications from groups who have traditionally been underrepresented here. Westminster Under School is for everyone, regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or any other protected characteristic. We hope you are encouraged to apply.

The School

Westminster Under School is a great environment for happy and purposeful pupils, and for the staff who teach them. Our aim is to produce well-rounded individuals with a love of learning and an enthusiasm for life. We expect the boys to be hard working and active participants in their lessons, but we place equal importance on the boys embracing extra-curricular activities at the School.

We want our pupils to enjoy their time at School and we believe that one of the best ways to achieve this is by providing stimulating, challenging lessons. The boys are encouraged to think for themselves, to engage fully in classroom discussions and to take pride in their work. We aim to foster a love of learning in all our pupils and a love of teaching in those who educate them.

The Under School is a day school with approximately 292 pupils aged between 7 and 13. The School was founded in 1943 in the precincts of Westminster School in Little Dean’s Yard, just behind Westminster Abbey. The 17 boys with whom it began rapidly became 60 in number and by 1950 there were 80 boys in the Under School. The boys had to compete for space with the senior school pupils who had returned from evacuation at the end of the war, but in 1951 the Under School acquired its own premises in Eccleston Square. Numbers of pupils continued to rise during the 1960s and 1970s and in 1981 the School moved once again to its present site overlooking the Westminster playing fields in Vincent Square. A stone’s throw from the same Square is the striking Art Deco Sports Hall, which is used by both Westminster Under and Westminster Great School pupils.

To this day, the Under School enjoys a strong and important bond with Westminster Great School. Both schools foster a deep sense of the importance of independent thought and the ethos of a liberal education, giving them a unique shared identity. It is usual for Under School pupils to be offered a place at the Great School, and the vast majority accept their offers, continuing on until they leave the School in Year 13.

Westminster School