The College
Peter Symonds College has around 4,500 full time students aged 16-19 most of whom study A levels or equivalent. We offer an exceptional range of subjects, dedicated pastoral care and opportunities for sport and other enrichment activities that are second to none. Additionally, we have a thriving adult and higher education provision, much of which is based at a separate site. Unusually, we have boarding provision and take students from as far away as the Falkland Islands. We are members of the Wessex Group of Sixth Form Colleges and the Maple Group, giving us access to the benefits of excellent shared practice and assisting us in influencing national debate around sixth form education.
Our College motto is ‘Counting in Ones’ and it is the key principle which guides everything we do. We are looking for talented and committed staff who share our ideals and would like to join our team.
You can download a copy of our prospectus and browse our website to find out more.
Our Staff
The large size of our staff means that, in a typical year, we have job vacancies in a wide range of roles and are able to offer an unusual number of promotion opportunities to those already with us. We have about 800 people on our payroll, ranging from those who are employed full time and full year, through those who are part time or term time only, to those who work on a casual basis. Job roles are also extremely varied, with examples including teachers, specialist support staff, management, cleaners, catering staff, administrators and sports coaches.
Managers and the Personnel team do their best to ‘count in ones’ and look after staff as individuals, just as we do with students. Staff turnover is well below average. We believe that this is a special place to work and in an anonymous survey of staff satisfaction, 97% said they would recommend the College to others as a good employer.
We have forward-looking policies to look after our staff relating to matters such as special leave and flexible working. Additionally, we are able to offer some benefits such as computer and bike loans, eye care costs and discounts on fees for our adult education courses.
College life
Most staff work at our Owens Road site, which is close to the centre of Winchester and within a few minutes’ walk of the train station. We have free staff parking. Our second, smaller site is located about a mile away in an area of Winchester called Weeke. There is an on-site gym at Owens Road and we have a number of staff activities such as yoga and choir. We also have an annual summer wellbeing programme for staff including sports, crafts and special interests such as birdwatching.
As you would expect in such a large and high achieving college, there are always interesting things going on in which you can get involved. As home to the Hampshire Music Service, our Music Department organises concerts throughout the year which are of exceptional quality. We are also privileged to hold annual Carol and Founder’s Day Services in Winchester Cathedral. For those interested in sports, many of our student teams play at the highest level and always welcome support. Other excellent student events which are often open to staff include dance and drama productions, exhibitions and outside speakers.
Our Staff Development Programme is extensive and, in exit interviews, staff frequently praise it as the best they have experienced. In addition to the standard staff training days, the College runs professional review days for the analysis of student outcomes and there is an extensive programme of training offered each year in the Summer term. The College is a firm believer in allowing people to grow. In recent years over thirty staff have completed management training programmes offered by the Wessex Group of Sixth Form Colleges.
Frequent consultations are carried out to obtain staff views on important decisions and we have a Joint Negotiating and Consultative Committee at which staff and management discuss matters relating to employment. Two members of staff sit on our governing body and another two act as health and safety representatives. We welcome the involvement of unions in the College and have a UNISON health and safety representative working alongside the other staff representatives.
Employment Requirements
All job offers are subject to proof of your right to work in the UK, a Disclosure & Barring Service clearance at enhanced level, two good references and medical clearance.
We are dedicated to safeguarding the students in our care. To that end, a Disclosure and Barring Service enhanced disclosure will be required if you are offered a job with us. Our staff undertake regular safeguarding and Prevent training and are subject to ongoing safeguarding scrutiny. In addition to the above, there will be other requirements according to the role and your application will be assessed against the essential and desirable criteria for the post.
We aim to ensure that all applicants and staff are treated entirely fairly and that there is no discrimination on the basis of any protected characteristic. Where possible, we interview all candidates who have a disability if they meet the essential criteria for a job.