Working for us

As a member of the teaching staff you can expect small class sizes, highly motivated pupils, excellent facilities and resources to enable you to focus on what you do best.

Your continuing professional development is important – we provide development for staff at every stage of their career. There are many opportunities to advance your career with a position of responsibility.

The pastoral team are at the heart of the School community, creating a home from home for our girls and peace of mind for their parents. Our pastoral teams are renowned for offering the very highest levels of family friendly boarding, which is synonymous with life at Downe House. Roles include Housemistress/master, Assistant Housemistresses/masters, Matrons and a wider range of in-house support staff.

In an organisation as complex as Downe House, this takes many forms from replying promptly to enquiries, ensuring accurate record-keeping, dealing with auditors and inspectors, the list is endless.

Finance and Administration functions fall into three main areas:

Administration

The Administration Department provides the infrastructure to support Downe House’s pursuit of excellence by preparing accurate correspondence for parents and staff in various forms, including written and verbal. We also engage in planning for School events and activities to ensure seamless co-ordination and execution.

The Department is a central point of contact for enquiries and the team are committed to providing first class administrative support. Our aim is to assist parents, girls, staff and visitors in a professional and timely manner.

Finance

The Finance function aims to operate as efficiently as possible combining best practice, tight budget controls and obtaining best value from finite financial resources. At the same time we never lose sight of the fact that Downe House is a school and a charity.

Resources

Along with providing stationery, small office and teaching supplies, the Resources Department also supports the School with a full range of reprographic and desktop publishing services. We produce a wide range of booklets, documents and promotional material which is used in all areas within Downe House.

The IS Department has core responsibilities for maintaining and supporting all computer equipment, including the network infrastructure, audio visual systems in classrooms plus sound and lighting support for all our indoor and outdoor performance venues. In addition the Department is responsible for the operation and development of the School’s Management Information System (MIS) known as Merlin. Merlin provides all the key information for administration of the School from timetabling and pupil achievements/academic tracking to internal and external exam management in addition to basic data processing and communications. The department is also responsible for all telephone systems and security access arrangements.

The School invests in a comprehensive programme to support and develop staff with the requisite IT skillset. IT training is available at various INSET sessions during the year as well as dedicated one-to-one sessions which staff can book at any time. There are also sessions specifically devoted to new staff joining Downe House.

The Downe House network connects around 800 computers and mobile devices (including our school in France in Veyrines) with the necessary infrastructure to provide access to a complete range of teaching and learning resources plus day-to-day administration. Each classroom is fully equipped with both IT and audio-visual installations. There are approximately 100 computers installed within five IT suites. The School accommodates a range of equipment platforms including Microsoft, MAC, iPads and smartphones. Access for pupils to some mobile devices is limited at certain times of the day to ensure a satisfactory balance of usage is maintained.

All boarding houses accommodate computers that are available for the exclusive use of pupils. Pupils each have their own login that they use to access their files and their email whilst at School or at home. All boarding houses and classrooms offer wireless connectivity and all internet access is filtered and age appropriate. Pupils have access to a dedicated intranet/extranet known as ‘Elaine’ while at School or at home which allows them to retrieve a broad range of learning resources, interact with teachers and tutors and keep up to date on all the available activities each week.

Parents also have secure access to the Parent Zone, the Downe House extranet which contains key academic/pastoral information pertaining to their daughter, plus key event information. Many services are now available online.

Catering

Our catering staff are an established and friendly team at the core of the School who work hard to provide three meal services for approximately 1000 people daily alongside School events ranging from three-course sit-down dinners for 200 to sports teas for 500!

Housekeeping

Our dedicated team of Housekeeping staff look after, and maintain, ten Boarding Houses, communal areas and our classrooms. They are self-motivated and able to work unsupervised to the highest standards either on their own or as part of a team.

Estate Management

The Estate Department is responsible for the continuing maintenance and repair of building fabric and services across the Downe House campus. The Department operates a help desk support system and staff can log their calls, knowing that a member of the team will be in contact to solve a problem, move a piano or change a light bulb!.

The Estate team provides a wide range of expertise on site; the roles include Arboriculture and Groundskeeping, Property and Services management, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Energy and Sustainability Management, Construction Management, Health and Safety Management as well as Estate Administration.

At the Palmer Centre, our dedicated team of trained nurses provide round-the-clock medical care for our girls throughout the term. Day girls remain with their local GP but all the boarders are looked after by our School Doctors, who hold regular surgeries at School and will also see girls at the Burdwood Surgery in Thatcham.

No girl likes being ill, especially when away from home, but in our purpose-built centre with its comfortable and homely rooms, girls are cared for until they feel well enough to return to their Houses, and the nurses will keep parents informed every step of the way, especially when a girl stays overnight.

Girls also have access to a range of specialist services, including asthma management, nutrition advice, travel advice, including injections, physiotherapy, chiropody, in fact any service you would expect to find in a well-run local medical practice. Dentist, orthodontist and optician appointments can also be arranged, although this is arranged via Housestaff. The services of a Counsellor are available to the girls for advice and guidance when required.

This dedicated medical facility forms an important part of our Pastoral Care provision.

The experienced Admissions team within the Foundation Office is dedicated to guiding families through the admissions process. They are often the first people prospective families will speak to when making an enquiry for their daughter. Overseen by the Director of Admissions, the team is led by our Registrar, Miss Angela Nutt who has 14 years of experience at Downe House. The Admissions team will help, listen, guide and support each family through the process from the very first enquiry through until the moment their daughter starts her first day in Downe House uniform.

Marketing and Communications are a dynamic and creative team within the Foundation Office. At Downe House, we do lots of our design work and website management in-house so the team are responsible for creating and promoting consistent and authentic messages across different communications platforms. From programmes and banners for School events to press releases and social media, the team celebrate and promote the life of the School.

The Alumnae Relations team manage correspondence between the School and our alumnae. This connection can take the form of networking opportunities, social events and active involvement in the future development of Downe House. Notably, DH LINKS is our global alumnae and parent network which provides invaluable careers-based knowledge and guidance. Members of the Downe House community can benefit from work shadowing and internship opportunities as well as professional networking groups. Every alumna is invited to become part of our mutually beneficial and rewarding alumnae community.