(NON-RESIDENTIAL)
MATRON
COLLEGE EAST
THE SCHOOL
Fettes College is a leading HMC co-educational boarding and day school close to the heart of Edinburgh. It has a strong tradition of academic, sporting and cultural excellence underpinned by outstanding pastoral care. Fettes opened its doors in 1870 and became fully co-educational in 1980: it is now an independent school of some 780 students. There are 590 students in the Senior School (13-18 years) and 190 students in the Preparatory School (7-13 years). The academic staff in the College consists of the Head and 90 full-time members of the Common Room. Our Prep School shares the same site and consists of a further 30 teaching staff.
The school stands on a magnificent site of approximately 100 acres, but still within walking distance of Edinburgh’s city centre. The historic main building holds the Chapel, Library, the English, Classics and History Departments as well as the Medical Centre and two boarding houses. A large purpose-built teaching block (the Spens Building) houses Art, Modern Languages, Mathematics, Economics, Geography and Music. The Theatre, Science Laboratories and Dining Hall are adjacent. The Preparatory School and seven further boarding houses (including Craigleith, our U6th House, specifically designed to prepare students for university) are also on the campus. Our sports facilities (including extensive playing fields, two all-weather pitches and a private Health Club) are excellent
As well as our teaching staff, we employ over 220 Operational Staff across the many departments, including Estates, Security, Housekeeping, Finance, Admissions and Marketing with a pervading sense of community amongst staff, students and parents alike.
THE AIMS OF THE COLLEGE
Fettes College aims to nurture the individual while fostering a happy, well-ordered and caring community with strong family values at its core. To this end, we will do our utmost to ensure our students:
• Receive the highest possible quality of education within a boarding environment.
• Feel safe, valued, have a sense of personal worth, are thoughtful and considerate of the needs of others, possessing a willingness to take on responsibility.
• Develop their self-confidence, integrity, emotional resilience, loyalty, good manners and humour, leadership skills and teamwork.
• Value a sense of community and service, and develop a clear sense of right and wrong, equipping them for life beyond Fettes.
• Are provided with equal opportunities regardless of gender and identity, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity or religion.
• Are encouraged to stretch and challenge themselves in everything they undertake.
The Vision and Context
Fettes College’s vision and strategy (Fettes Moving Forward: A place to live. A place to learn. A place to grow.) are founded on the four key strands of learning, wellbeing, our community and our people, each of which is integral to the ongoing success and growth of the school. There are many parts to all these strands, including the design of a curriculum for the future, further broadening our engagement in and with the local community and, of course, our steadfast belief in promoting a full boarding ethos but crucial to each in some way is the improvement and/or development of facilities to allow the vision to be fully realised.
This is therefore an extraordinarily exciting time for Fettes College as it embarks on the delivery of our Head’s new vision for the school, which includes a very significant and ambitious facilities development programme over the next 5 to 7 years through a combination of new debt facilities, internal resources and philanthropy. A recently approved funding facility is now available to support those key projects and it is critical that the financial reporting is accurate and timely to allow the Bursar to oversee and manage that facility.
Finally, Fettes College has just concluded a significant restructure of its constitution, originally established as a body corporate under statute in 1870. The new entity, a company limited by guarantee and a charity, represents a much more modern approach to governance whilst retaining elements of the original Trust scheme under which it was originally created. This, coupled with the need to fully embed a new accounting system, offers an exciting opportunity for the right individual to make a real impact on the operational efficiency and success of Fettes College.
THE ROLE
The Boarding House Structure
Fettes College is a flourishing boarding school, and a full-boarding ethos underpins all activities at the College. Approximately 78% of the students are boarders. The 22% of students who attend on a Day Student basis are fully integrated into the boarding life of the College. Day students come into school early and go home late. They follow precisely the same regime as a boarder in all but the fact that they sleep at home.
The Boarding Houses are run by a Houseparent who is resident in the building. There is also an Assistant Houseparent in each House. Each House has a Matron, reporting to the Houseparent, who looks after the domestic side of the House and who liaises with the College’s Medical Centre over any student medical matters.
Every member of the teaching staff, except the Senior Management Team, engages in the boarding structure of the College through their role as a Tutor. Each boarding House will have four or more visiting Tutors forming a part of the pastoral care team. A Tutor will do one evening’s duty per week in the House and will have responsibility for a group of up to 12 Tutees. Tutor groups are, as closely as possible, organised on a year group basis within the House.
Each House will have a Head of House and a team of House Prefects. These students are all drawn from the Lower 6th Form, which is the senior year group accommodated in the boarding Houses.
The Role of the Non-residential Matron in College East Boarding House (Girls Boarding)
The desired candidate will be a fully committed professional; an open and friendly team-player contributing to a rewarding and vital part of the whole life of the House.
A sense of humour and an unconditional positive regard for young people are essential. The Matron is an integral member of a close and hard-working team. The main requirements for this position are strong communication skills, a friendly but firm manner, good organisational, domestic and administrative skills. They will be a first point of contact for the students and are likely to notice individual problems or anxieties very quickly.
It is a non-residential position. The position would include the following key areas:
• The general care and welfare of the students • Housekeeping duties
• A contact point for medical attention for the students
• Communication with parents/other departments (medical, catering, maintenance etc)
• Administrative tasks
College East House is centred on the values of cooperation, appreciation, and enthusiasm. The house staff work closely together to ensure that the students understand the value of themselves and their community, in which they are expected to make a full contribution. The house provides students with the opportunity to learn and apply independent life skills and it is expected that the students will do their part in keeping the House tidy, doing their own washing and ironing and generally taking responsibility for their own personal organisation.
Key Responsibilities
The main duties and responsibilities of the role follow but given the flexible nature of it, the following list is not exhaustive:
Main Duties and Remits
a) General Care and Welfare of the Students
1. Following a duty period, the Matron should liaise with the Houseparent about any matters that have arisen.
2. The Houseparent will undertake a ‘mentoring’ role where appropriate, and this will be supported by a weekly meeting with the Matron. More frequent, informal daily contact is expected and encouraged; indeed, the relationship works best when contact is simply ‘on-going’, for example, popping into the office, handing over observations and information picked up through osmosis.
3. During a duty period the Matron should assess, dispense medication if deemed appropriate and if necessary, refer any student with a medical problem to the Medical Centre, having telephoned in advance.
4. During a duty period in the absence of the Houseparent, they are inlocoparentis and fully responsible for the care and welfare of the students in the House.
5. Matron should be ready to set up and decommission at the beginning and end of a term. A visible presence at the start and end of terms is an important part of the ethos as is establishing relations with parents, when dropping off or picking up.
6. The Matron should read and be fully familiar with the contents of the ‘House Handbook’, the ‘School Rules’ and the Employee Handbook (Enchiridion).
b) Housekeeping Duties
The Matron is responsible for the general cleanliness, appearance and smooth running of the House and its facilities. The role includes -
• Daily checks to ensure that students keep their study/dorms tidy, they change their bed linen regularly and perform their cleaning duties to the required standard.
• Checks of the pantry/kitchen areas to ensure healthy standards are maintained.
• The overseeing of the laundry system.
• The purchase/distribution of some cleaning materials.
• Sewing/darning/repairing torn or worn clothing and tagging name tapes when appropriate.
• Reporting defects that require to be repaired or any issues of health and safety requiring attention to the relevant department.
Students take responsibility for the routine cleaning in their study bedrooms. The Matron would be involved in this process and play a part in the support, checking and monitoring of the students’ efforts.
College East has its own team of cleaners who are an important part of the house staff team and are part of the school-wide cleaning team managed by the Deputy Head of Housekeeping. House cleaning staff will normally report to Matron on a day-to-day basis. In the event of disputes or problems, Matron will liaise with the Housekeeping Manager to resolve them. All House maintenance needs are dealt with by the Estates Manager using the school’s own maintenance staff or outside contractors. The Matron will liaise directly with the Estates Department to follow up on approved work requests until they are completed.
c) Medical Attention for the Students
The school operates a separate central Medical Centre which is open 24 hours a day 7 days a week and which is staffed by registered nurses supported by the school Medical Officer. The Medical Centre staff will advise the Matron on any medication to be administered in House. The Matron will keep and dispense such medication in House as and when they are required. The Matron will deal with only the low-level medical needs of the students in her care and all serious medical issues will be referred to the Medical Centre staff. The Matron will arrange for the students to attend medical or dental appointments and where appropriate accompany them to hospital or surgery.
d) Communication with Parents
On the understanding that the Houseparent must be kept fully informed of absences and requests that require her approval, the Matron may be required to act as the initial contact point for parents for the following approval -
• The reporting in of day student absences.
• Any minor domestic issues for which a parent might need assistance from the Matron/Housekeeper (eg replacement uniform, ordering a taxi for a day)
It may be appropriate that the Matron will be present when prospective parents are shown round the House or when parents are entertained in House at the beginning and end of terms or on other important House occasions.
e) Administrative Tasks
There are several important, routine administrative tasks the Matron is expected to perform, for example:
• Recording all consultations, treatments given, and doses of medicine dispensed in House.
• Recording laundry lists and related student charging sheets.
• Arranging the evening snacks for the week.
• Keeping financial records of all purchases made in connection with the execution of duties.
f) Communication with other Departments
The Matron will liaise with the Accounts department as necessary in respect of purchases, extras and related financial transactions. They will liaise with the Estates department on maintenance issues and with the Deputy Head of Housekeeping in respect to cleaning and house provisions matters. The Matron will liaise with the Medical Centre on all medical issues affecting students. Finally, the School’s trading subsidiary, Fettes Enterprises Limited runs summer lettings of school facilities including the boarding houses and the Matron will liaise with Fettes Enterprises at the end of term and of the holidays to agree an inventory of the House before and after the lets. The Matron will attend various termly meetings.
g) Hours of Work and Holidays
The hours of work for the Non-residential Matron in College East are term time only (approximately 36 weeks), totalling around 56 hours per week, Monday to Friday full days and half a day on a Saturday.
Matron may be required to work additional hours or to be on call to suit the exigencies of the post. In that event appropriate time off in lieu will be granted by
arrangement with the Houseparent.
Matron will be expected to stay on at the end of term and to resume work before the start of a new term as required to decommission or set up for the students returning from the holidays.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
• You will ideally hold a recognisable Childcare or Social Care Qualification or be willing and able to obtain this within a given timeframe with our support. It is a requirement that Matron is registered with Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) or a similar regulatory body.
• Continuing professional development will be encouraged and funds allocated to Matron for the purpose.
Knowledge and Experience
Essential • Communication skills must be exceptional • Organised individual • Domestic experience
Skills and Attributes • Computer-literate • Regard for young people • Friendly but firm manner
BENEFITS
The remuneration package will be competitive and will, to an extent, depend on the experience of the successful candidate.
In addition to being part of a great team you will be entitled to a range of benefits that include:
• Free parking within the campus grounds. The campus is easily accessed by car and bus; there is a bus stop located outside the campus serving several routes across the city and to rail stations.
• Membership of Westwoods gym and health club which offers a range of excellent fitness and leisure facilities including a 25m swimming pool.
• Free lunchtime meals during term time, and at other times when catering is provided, and you are on duty.
• Death in service cover.
• Excellent Employee Assistance Programme (EAP).
• You will be opted into the Fettes College Non-Teaching Staff Pension Scheme after 3 months service.
