Hampton Academies Trust
Applicant Information Pack
Letter from Executive Headteacher
September 2024
Dear Applicant,
Thank you very much for requesting details for a position at Hampton Academies Trust.
This is an excellent opportunity for a talented, hard working colleague to join our trust central team and work with us to make our schools truly great learning environments, where children make very strong progress. We detail in our pack our current strengths and areas for improvement for your information and to help you with your application. We also set out our vision for our schools to be inclusive places, where all children and adults are respected and where we genuinely value well-being. In your letter of application, you should detail your skill set and how your professional experience would equip you to carry out this role effectively.
You will benefit from working with a strong team of trust and school leaders, teachers and support staff, in well-equipped settings. Given the current size of our trust, we envisage you will spend the majority of your time out and about in our schools and will build strong relationships with our teams. You would also be required to build relationships with governors, trustees and new schools joining the trust, or schools seeking support from the trust.
Our recruitment pack gives details of the post, the recruitment process and also the development of the Hampton Academies Trust. I hope you will be inspired to apply for this exciting opportunity and look forward to receiving your completed application.
In the meantime, if you have any queries or would like to arrange a visit to the trust before the application deadline, please contact the HR Department on jobs@hamptonacademiestrust.org.uk
Yours sincerely
Dr Helen Price Executive Headteacher
Trust Vision and Values
Our vision as a Trust is to meet the needs of our students and equip them to fulfil their potential.
We value people:
• Our schools will be a welcoming place, at the heart of its community, valuing all people and their talents, beliefs and cultures equally;
•Students will feel safe and respected as individuals at school;
•They will feel happy to come to school to learn;
• All staff will feel valued, informed and involved in decision making;
•Parents and carers will feel well informed and involved in their child’s education;
•We recognise families as sources of love and care for their members and as the basis of a society in which people care for others.
We value learning:
• Our schools will provide for high quality teaching and learning, involving challenging and enjoyable activities; this will enable our students to think and to produce high quality work;
•Our curriculum will cater for a wide range of ability and talent and will provide students with a broad, general education of the highest quality. We will provide an outstanding choice of extra curricular activities.
We value positive behaviour:
• Our schools will have a positive ethos, which emphasises respect, responsibility and participation;
•Students will be encouraged to grow spiritually, morally, socially and culturally;
•We will place a high emphasis on maintaining positive relationships with students based on honesty and fairness;
•We will expect all members of our schools to act with courtesy, respect and good manners;
•We will emphasise the pleasure in learning, and we will do our best to make sure that fun is part of the experience for all.
We value health:
• Our schools will promote the importance of healthy living, and we will emphasise its impact on learning;
•In all areas of operation, we will stress the importance of healthy eating; students will be encouraged to drink water in most classes;
• The whole trust site is a no-smoking area at all times;
•We believe that the health and safety of students, staff and visitors are of paramount importance, and they will always be our first considerations;
•We will work with students, parents and relevant external agencies to promote safe travel to and from school;
•In the interest of safety, students will receive clear messages about items that should not be brought onto thr premises, or on school visits.
We value leadership:
• Our schools will be well governed, managed and led, having excellent relationships with other schools and agencies. Resources will be used effectively to support learning;
•Students will be offered opportunities to show responsibility, and to develop leadership skills.
We value our community:
• Our schools will emphasise the opportunities and responsibilities that life in a large community can bring;
•We will make our facilities available to members of our community for learning and for leisure;
• We will enhance community life;
•Students will be made aware of the positive roles they can play in our global community;
•Students will learn to respect religious and cultural diversity.
We value our environment:
• We will provide an outstanding learning environment: stimulating, colourful and well cared for;
• Students will learn to respect their environment at a local, national and international level.
Information about Hampton Academies Trust
The Hampton Academies Trust was formed in September 2014 when Hampton College became a convertor academy and formed a multi-academy trust. One of the drivers for conversion was to allow us to bid for other local opportunities. In September 2015 following a competitive bid process, we were named by Peterborough City Council and Cambridgeshire County Council as the preferred education provider for the new secondary school in the locality, Hampton Gardens School.
The name of the Trust reflects our local focus and we have no current plans to expand our operations beyond the Peterborough/ Cambridgeshire area. We are not a corporate MAT (and do not want to be) and neither are we part of a regional/ national chain. Our vision is to retain our ‘homegrown’ status and manage our growth in a sustainable way. We believe that MAT working can be most successful when you concentrate on what you know best, in the community you are invested in.
Hampton Academies Trust Schools:
Hampton Lakes School
Dogsthorpe Infant School
Hampton College Primary Phase
Hampton College Secondary Phase
Hampton Gardens
Al Kingsley – Chair of Trust, Hampton Academies Trust Al Kingsley is CEO of the EdTech company, NetSupport, with almost 30 years’ experience in educational technology and digital safeguarding. He has a passion for education and, in particular, educational technology, governance and raising organisational performance. Al has undertaken many roles outside of his NetSupport duties, including being Chair of Hampton Academies Trust and an AP Academy. Al sits on the Regional Schools Director’s Advisory Board for the East of England and is Chair of the county SEND Board. With 20+ years of governance experience, he is also a FED Council member and Chair of the BESA EdTech Group. Al is the author of “My Secret #EdTech Diary”, “My School Governance Handbook” and “My School & Multi Academy Trust Growth Guide” and a co-author of “A Guide to Creating a Digital Strategy in Education”. Al continues to support schools with consulting and mentoring – as well as writing for the wider education community, supporting vendors and regulalry speaking at education conferences and events. Al is also the regional Apprenticeship Ambassador and Chair of the Employment & Skills board for his region's combined authority. Al has been with the trust board since its inception in 2014 and before that led the governing body at Hampton College.
Dr Helen Price – Executive Headteacher, Hampton Academies Trust
Helen had been at HAT’s first school, Hampton College, since it opened in 2005 and became Headteacher in 2011. In 2014 when the school converted into a multi-academy trust, Helen became Executive Headteacher. In January 2017 Helen relinquished the day to day running of Hampton College and moved across full time into her trust role. Helen now oversees the strategic develop of all HAT schools.
Caroline
Behan
– Director of Finance and Resources, Hampton Academies Trust
Caroline works closely with Helen at Trust level. She is an experienced and well-qualified financial and operational leader and joined the trust in 2014 having completed 10 years’ service at St John Fisher School in Peterborough. Caroline is also highly experienced in the field of new build project management and procurement. Thanks to her stewardship and robust financial governance, the Trust is financially secure. Caroline is a key support to the Heads of School in terms of financial planning and resource management.
Simon
Walls
– Trust Director of Sixth Form
Simon took up the post of Trust Director of Sixth Form in September 2019. Simon has worked in Peterborough schools for over twenty years. Prior to joining the Trust Simon worked in a local school as Head of Post 16 provision. This previous experience has been pivotal to providing a strategic vision for building the provision of HAT sixth form and preparing Hampton Gardens for the expansion of our Post-16 numbers
Hampton Lakes Primary School
Hampton Lakes is a developing primary school with a nursery, built in 2019 to serve the new township of Hampton Gardens. HL is a school that has had an incredibly exciting journey; resulting in the children being educated in a state of the art, beautiful, brand-new building, with modern resources that support the teaching and learning of today’s children and has fantastically committed staff that live and breathe the school's vision and values. As a school that has grown year by year starting with Reception, HL has an extremely knowledgeable EYFS team, who have been instrumental in rolling out the principles of the Characteristics of Effective Learning to subsequent years. The children in Year One and beyond enjoy learning through a creative curriculum, which has been developed in house. HL is now at a really exciting point in its journey of development as Key Stage Two develops and the first Year 6 children take their national assessments.
Zoe Trigg - Head of School (HL)
Zoe has a proven track record of senior leadership within Hampton, and was seconded from Hampton Vale Primary School to Hampton College as an Assistant Head to set up the Foundation Stage in 2012 when HC became an allthrough school. Zoe’s previous leadership experience as a founding member of Hampton Vale Primary School provided her with the enthusiasm and flexibility to work in unique situations, and prepared her to always expect the unexpected! Zoe joined HC and soon secured a promotion, as Deputy Head of School to support and lead the school as it grew. She is committed to her professional development and was successful in completing the National Award for SEN Coordination resulting in Hampton College Primary Phase becoming an Accredited SENCO School in October 2016. She has promoted the principles of the Code of Practice, and is solution focussed when considering the planning of learning opportunities for all children. From September 2019, Zoe has led the new primary free school, Hampton Lakes and has overseen its growth and development.
Dogsthorpe Infant School
Dogsthorpe Infants School joined the Trust on 1 December 2020. The school has been open for over 70 years and is a central part of the Dogsthorpe community. Many of the children who attend have parents and grandparents who also attended the school; this contributes to the feeling of ‘family’ that the school works hard to achieve. Whilst the school is in an area of very high social deprivation, children make good progress academically, socially and emotionally. DIS is proud of the partnership working with feeder settings to establish an extensive transition programme including summer holiday activity sessions, reading cafes, supporting EY settings to develop their Phonics provision and hosting training events for practitioners. The school has seen many changes, developments, and growth during this time, but has always kept the children at the very heart of every decision. We firmly believe that every child who attends the school should have the ambition to be anything they want to be - if they have the ‘Dream’, and ‘Believe’ in themselves, then they will ‘Shine’! All staff work tirelessly to ensure all children have exciting and meaningful experiences across all areas of the curriculum which enable them to develop a sense of curiosity and a love of learning.
Rebecca Waters - Headteacher (DIS)
Becky has worked at Dogsthorpe Infants for 23 years, starting as an NQT and later becoming Assistant Head and then Deputy Head before becoming Headteacher in April 2015. Before moving into leadership, she taught across the school and has held a variety of different roles including leading RE, PSHE and Assessment, acting up as SENDCO and leading all three year groups. Becky has a proven track record of senior leadership and played an instrumental role in moving the school from Special Measures to Good. This involved implementing a new assessment and data tracking system and setting up the rigorous monitoring approach that was needed to move the school forward. Since taking on the Headship, Becky has made a number of changes to the school including creating the SHINE values and ethos, changing the logo and the school motto. She is passionate about involving and engaging the community the school serves and ensuring all children who attend DIS know that they can ‘Dream, Believe and Shine’.
Hampton College Primary Phase
Development of the ‘all-through school’:
In order to meet the unprecedented demand for primary places on the Hampton development, the Local Authority asked Hampton College to open the Primary Phase a year early, in September 2012, on the site of Hampton Hargate Primary School. In 2013 it moved into a brand new state-of-the-art primary school building next to the Secondary Phase campus. As pupils move from Year 6 to Year 7, they are already well accustomed to our ethos, values and expectations and have already been taught by a number of secondary staff such as PE, Music and MFL. In Maths we teach ‘White Rose’ from EY to Year 11 and pupils visit the Secondary Phase for performances and sports events.
Paul Jones has worked at Hampton College since September 2013 and fully believes in the Hampton College Vision and Values, which have been developed for our youngest children into the Primary Phase PROUD aspirations. At Hampton College Primary we firmly believe that children should come to school to learn, grow and develop in many areas. We also believe that children should enjoy their learning and as such we place an emphasis on making learning exciting and fun.
Paul Jones – Head of School (HC Primary Phase)
Paul graduated with a BEd in Mathematics with Education (QTS) from Homerton College Cambridge in 2002, specialising in Primary/Middle Years Education. He took up a post at Hampton Hargate Primary School in September 2002 and taught there for 11 years, working predominantly in Early Years and Key Stage 1, where he developed a passion for early education. Whilst at Hampton Hargate Primary School, Paul became subject leader for RE and then mathematics. He was also appointed to the Senior Leadership Team as a Team Leader in 2007, before taking up the roles of Acting Deputy Headteacher and Assistant Headteacher between 2010 and 2013. Paul joined the staff at Hampton College in September 2013, as the Head of School at the Primary Phase. Since taking up his post within the school, he has led the team to grow the school from the original 60 reception children who started in 2012, to the warm and welcoming primary phase of 425 pupils from 4 to 11 today.
Hampton College Secondary Phase
Hampton College has now been established for nineteen years and has enjoyed a high degree of success, both in terms of public examination results and recognition from Ofsted (four full inspections all Outstanding or Good).The College opened in September 2005 with a roll of just 180 students in Years 7 and 8. In September 2009 we welcomed our first cohort of Sixth Form students and from September 2010 our secondary school was complete with students in all years from 7-13. Today the Secondary Phase has 1,050 pupils on role and 190 in the very successful Sixth Form.
Alex Ford – Head of School (HC Secondary Phase)
Alex trained as a secondary Teacher of History and has been a Head of Department, Advanced Skills Teacher, Assistant Headteacher and Deputy Headteacher working in Peterborough since 2005. Alex has particular experience in curriculum and assessment, raising standards and learning and teaching. Alex is a PiXl associate and works with several local schools on their KS4 raising standards strategies. She was also a subject mentor for ITT at Cambridge University for many years. Alex has been Head of School at HCSP since September 2023 and has already made a great start to using her expertise to optimise standards.
Hampton Gardens
Hampton Gardens School is an inclusive secondary school which is proud to serve the local community of Hampton and Yaxley. The school serves 1,248 students, offering 210 places in each year group and 220 places for Post16 students. At Hampton Gardens we are very fortunate to benefit from a purpose built secondary school with outstanding facilities including a 3G all-Weather sports pitch, amphitheatre and an impressive Learning Resource Centre which features a full height glazed wall. Our classrooms are light and airy so that students are provided with the best opportunities to reach their full potential.
Kevin Ainslie - Head of School (HG)
Kevin Ainslie is the Head of School for Hampton Gardens. Kevin has a background in Behaviour and Welfare from working across a number of Peterborough secondary schools. He has been a senior leader since 2010 having previously worked as a Director of Sport and a specialist leader in education. Kevin’s experience of school leadership has provided the skills to continue the growth and development of Hampton Gardens. With a student-centred focus to removing barriers to learning and developing wide ranging experiences, Kevin is committed to working with all stakeholders to ensure that students of Hampton Gardens are fantastic young learners with exceptional opportunities for the next stage of their journey into further education and beyond.
Hampton Lakes Primary School was inspected on 26 and 27 March 2024 and rated Good - https://hamptonlakesprimary.org.uk/about/ ofsted/
Dogsthorpe Infant School continues to be a Good school. The latest inspection was 31 October and 1 November 2023 - https:// www.dogsthorpeinfants.co.uk
Hampton College have been recognised as Good or Outstanding in all five inspections since opening in September 2005 (March 2007, June 2010, May 2013, May 2017 and the latest inspection, June 2023) was rated Good - https://www.hamptoncollege.org.uk/schoolinformation/ofsted/
Hampton Gardens School was visited by an inspection team from Ofsted in November 2021 and rated Good - https:// www.hamptongardens.org.uk/learning/ofsted/
Student Outcomes
As an all-through trust our settings have a strong understanding of how primary education supports children’s future learning. We have been successful in securing attainment at KS2 above local averages and with progress which has been at or above national average: we seek to build on this strong position and aspire to truly exceptional outcomes. Our post covid challenges have related to our youngest children and have been: securing strong phonics outcomes; supporting children who are not school ready on entry, and in adjusting to cohorts with higher levels of SEND and increasingly complex SEND. We look forward to discussing our progress in these areas with candidates at interview.
Please click here for the DfE Performance Tables website to see further information relating to Hampton Academies Trust - https://www.gov.uk/school-performance-tables
Why Join Hampton Academies Trust
People are at the heart of our core visions and values. Our trust vision is to meet the needs of our students and equip them to achieve their potential. To enable us to do this we need to ensure that we are attracting, developing, and retaining the best possible talent.
We offer a variety of opportunities for professional learning and career development. The trust supports a range of training and talent development opportunities including apprenticeships in teaching and support staff roles, professional leadership training and bespoke training to meet the needs of individual training and development requirements. Hampton Academies Trust is locality based and therefore there are realistic prospects for staff looking for career development within the trust. The close proximity of our schools makes cross-trust working, delivery of training and collaborative working practical and viable, creating more opportunities for staff.
The trust provides a supportive, collaborative community which is diverse and inclusive. We encourage staff to work together, sharing ideas, resources, and expertise with colleagues from across the trust. The trust has a keen focus on wellbeing and supporting good mental health and is well supported by our team of dedicated HR professionals who are all trained Mental Health First Aiders.
The trust provides an excellent working environment. Most of our schools are new builds and offer light, modern accommodation and a range of new technologies. All our schools provide a well-cared for and stimulating environment where students and staff are able to thrive.
The HAT Family
What we can offer you:
• Staff CPD – we offer extensive CPD opportunities with access to National College and support with external courses to promote career development.
• Competitive Pay – we follow the STPCD for teaching staff and National Pay Rates for support staff.
• Excellent Pension schemes (Teacher Pension Scheme and Local Government Pension Scheme) with generous employer contributions.
• Access to HR support – a Trust HR team that is on hand to support you from day one.
• Flexible working and family friendly policies – we have generous policies in place to support our colleagues such as flexible working, maternity and paternity leave. We also have a Discretionary Leave of Absence policy which includes dependency care leave, compassionate leave and a paid day to move house!
• Generous sick pay entitlement - for teachers and support staff. We work with an Occupational Health provider to ensure that colleagues are supported in the workplace, for example through phased returns.
• Free onsite car parking at all HAT schools – Electric car charging is available as some HAT sites.
• Employee Assistance Programme – all our colleagues have free access to Health Assured, a 24 hour a day/7 days a week confidential service which provides a huge amount of support such as counselling, financial and legal advice. You can also access an on line portal to view resources and guides to promote a healthy lifestyle.
• Free tea and coffee at all HAT schools
• Free eye test
• Access to school gym facilities and discounted membership to Vivacity Leisure Centres in Peterborough (subject to change)
Header text Recruitment Process
Equality & Diversity
The Trust Board at Hampton Academies Trust is committed to promoting equality of opportunity for all staff and job applicants. We aim to create a supportive and inclusive working environment in which all individuals are able to make best use of their skills, free from discrimination or harassment, and in which all decisions are based on merit.
We do not discriminate against staff on the basis of age; race; sex; disability; sexual orientation; gender reassignment; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; religion, faith or belief. (Equality Act 2010 protected characteristics). The principles of non-discrimination and equality of opportunity also apply to the way in which staff and Trustees treat visitors, volunteers, contractors and former staff members.
For further information please refer to the school’s Equality & Diversity Policy (Staff) - https:// www.hamptonacademiestrust.org.uk/site/assets/files/1085/hat_equality_and_diversity_policy_staff__october_2023.pdf
Promotion Opportunities
As an expanding trust, there are permanent posts and opportunities for promotion which arise regularly, which help us to recruit and retain staff.
Applications
Application packs are available from our website www.hamptonacademiestrust.org.uk or by contacting the HR Department on 01733 246824.
Please complete an application form, and also enclose a letter of application outlining how your skills and experience meet the requirements of the person specification. Applications should be emailed to: jobs@hamptonacademiestrust.org.uk
School Visits
If you would like to arrange a visit prior to making your application, please contact the HAT HR Team.
Please note that these visits are informal and not part of the selection process and are at the candidates own expense.
Please find below links to each schools website and social media, where you can find additional information and get a feel for each setting.
Hampton College Secondary, Eagle Way, Hampton Vale
Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, PE7 8BF
Website: www.hamptoncollege.org.uk
Facebook: HamptonCollegeUK | Twitter: Hampton_College
Instagram: Hampton_College
Hampton College Primary, Clayburn Road, Hampton Vale, Peterborough, PE7 8GL Website: www.hamptoncollege.org.uk
Facebook: HamptonCollegePrimary | Twitter: HCPrimary
Hampton Gardens, Hartland Avenue, Hampton Gardens
Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, PE7 8HR Website: www.hamptongardens.org.uk
Facebook: Hampton Gardens | Twitter: Hampt0nGardens
Hampton Lakes, Waterhouse Way, Hampton Gardens, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, PE7 8SJ Website: www.hamptonlakesprimary.org.uk
Facebook: HamptonLakesPrimary | Twitter: @LakesHampton
Dogsthorpe Infants, Central Avenue, Dogsthorpe, Peterborough, PE1 4LH Website: www.dogsthorpeinfants.co.uk
Twitter: Dogsthorpe_Edu