Head of Department

 

I would wholeheartedly recommend working at The Spires College. Teaching here I feel valued as a professional, taking responsibility for my own development as a teacher through action research in a supportive environment where evidence-based practice is valued. There are opportunities for leadership experience and further professional development at every level; for instance, in the past year I have been supported through completion of the Chartered Teacher Programme, had experience in leading group coaching sessions for middle leaders, and led a strand of the college’s professional development programme. 

There exist opportunities for progression within the College’s leadership structure; within the last five years I have held several positions of responsibility in the Mathematics department, culminating in my current position as Lead Practitioner, and I have also held the position of Acting Head of Year 11 and spent a year on secondment to the Senior Leadership Team.

Lead Practitioner

 

Don’t hesitate to apply!  You will be working in a supportive environment that values the importance of continuous development, for staff as well as students. The opportunity for people to further themselves professionally and personally will be noticeable as soon as you enter the building.

Head of Year

 

I was apprehensive about moving to a new school but I did not need to worry! The Spires College has an excellent induction programme, meaning I felt very prepared before my first day. My department were incredibly welcoming and could not do enough to help me settle in. The school has given me great support with behaviour management and new systems, and offers an extensive CPD programme. After one term, The Spires College definitely feels like the school where I belong.

Teacher

 

It’s a place where your opinion counts and you are given opportunities to flourish and develop as a teacher. The college is continually evolving into something bigger and better.

Head of Year

 

I really enjoy the level of enthusiasm from our students and the enjoyment they get from learning about new topics. Students are polite and inquisitive with a keen sense of identity to their local area and the College: an identity of which they are proud.

Teacher

 

The school has a lovely atmosphere, the kind of atmosphere where you feel empowered to work to the best of your ability. The staff are friendly and support one another all the time, no matter how small the query is.

SEN Specialist Teacher

 

I feel the best thing about working at The Spires College is the people. Our students are fantastic and really value staff who care about them. The relationships between staff and students are what makes The Spires College the best place to work. This, combined with a staff team that support and look after each other, is why I love my job. Whatever I need to get my head around, there is always someone who is happy and willing to share their ideas, views or experiences. We are a team.

Head of Department

 

The best things about working here are students who engage with staff, come to lessons with a smile and are keen to do well, and working with a team of passionate colleagues who love what they do.

Teacher

 

I have been teaching for more than 30 years and have worked in numerous schools in different areas of the country. I have been at The Spires College for six years and I can genuinely say this is the most supportive school I have ever worked in. SLT really care about their staff’s wellbeing and strive to make sure teachers have a work/life balance. They show empathy in dealing with teachers’ needs beyond the classroom. Staff are supportive of each other and work across subject areas to deliver the best education possible for the students. I wouldn’t want to teach anywhere else!

Teacher

 

Having recently transferred from a primary to secondary school provision I cannot recommend The Spires College highly enough. From the warm welcome from both students and colleagues to the support provided on a daily basis, this is a truly an inspirational college to work in. I can honestly say every student counts and there is a real ethos of 'children first'. It is a pleasure to be part of such an outstanding team whose focus each and every day is to support every student in reaching their full potential.

Pastoral Support Manager

 

I moved down from Nottingham and find the journey to and from work really good (half the time of trying to drive through a busy city centre).

I love the ethos of the school and its commitment to developing strong teachers. In comparison to other schools I have worked at, I find senior leaders are much more willing to listen to ideas and concerns and also allow teachers freedom to explore their own practice. So many other schools are becoming very prescriptive.

Teacher

 

Working at The Spires College has proved to be one of the most rewarding career choices I have made to date. I work with such lovely people, and there is a great sense of team spirit and camaraderie! Every member of staff is so well supported, whatever their role within the school community, and the enthusiasm we all have is reflected in the success of our students at all levels. The Spires College is a very well run school, and I'm so proud to be involved in the college's continued success!

Learning Support Assistant

 

I have been at The Spires College for four months and I have received some truly amazing support from colleagues, not just in my department but from other areas of the school as well.

What I like most about working here is that I am encouraged to think for myself about how I can support our students. I am given the freedom to develop and try new ideas in the classroom, knowing that we are not just interested in immediate outcomes but the processes of learning instead. This means that I work in a department that is constantly thinking about how we can improve and make the language learning journey as productive and enjoyable as possible for our students.

Alongside this, I have been overwhelmed by our students’ genuine desire to develop into well-rounded young adults. We have an interesting, unique, and warm student base, and it is a privilege to be able to help them along their journey into young adulthood.

Teacher (Early Career Teacher)

 

For me, the most notable thing about working at the College, is the community that has been built. All of the staff genuinely care about the lives of young people and work really hard to make sure they are given the best possible chances. There is a huge amount of positivity among the staff and students in the College. The department I work in is collaborative and really supportive; they work with one another for the benefit of everyone. I would recommend working at The Spires College because it is genuinely a brilliant place to work. I really do love coming to work each day.

Second in Department

 

The strength of working at The Spires College is that you’re allowed to be a teacher! We all enter the profession because we want to educate young people about, and to express the beauty of, our subjects. The opportunity to nurture the learning of each pupil isn’t available in too many schools now.

The Spires College isn’t like most schools. Working here allows autonomy in teaching, whilst expecting each teacher to expand their own love of learning as well as their classes’.

There are high levels of expectation, motivation and support to engage with professional learning in order to improve the learning environment for each student. That isn’t to say that the expectation is to just regurgitate from academic literature: the expectation is to critically evaluate its worth in an educational environment and to make it fit the needs of our pupils and the subject that we teach.

In essence, if you want to teach, become a member of The Spires College team. You will not regret your application. Teaching is at the forefront of our ethos. The enjoyment of teaching and learning is our raison d’etre. Combined, they produce a potent weapon and achieve results. The Spires College allows you to really focus on your practice and develop as a critical thinker, learner and teacher, whilst encouraging the students to do likewise.

Teacher

 

This is the best school I’ve worked at for its dedication to research and development of teachers. I’ve never had such a good CPD programme and I’m aware of so many more researchers and their work than ever before, which is having a direct and exciting impact on my own practice.

Teacher

 

The Spires College is a real community within a community. Staff at all levels are very supportive of the children in our care and of each other: celebrating successes and coming together in times of adversity both professionally and personally. There is never any doubt that colleagues, whatever their role, will rally together and there is a genuine ‘all hands on deck’ approach whenever necessary.

The principal purpose of any school is, of course, the education of children and the consistent improvement in teaching and learning at The Spires College is evident from measures and outcomes. However, less easily measured is care. As more responsibility for the personal welfare of children and their families is carried by schools, I have witnessed this school step up to, and beyond, the mark to ensure that the pastoral care here is second to none. The school centres on the whole person in the knowledge that well-supported and nurtured children will not only have better educational outcomes but will benefit socially and mentally.  There is not a one size fits all mentality here and I believe that all of our students benefit because of that.

There can’t be a much better endorsement than this being the school I have chosen for my own children to attend. I simply wouldn’t want to work anywhere else.

Administration Team