The Role
- This is an outstanding opportunity for the successful candidate to lead and develop the West Buckland School CCF and would suit a recently retired Commissioned Officer or a current CCF officer who has experience as OC of a CCF service Section, or perhaps be an existing Contingent Commander, eager for a fresh challenge.
- The Contingent Commander reports directly to the Assistant Head Co-Curricular and leads the CCF on behalf of, and is accountable to, the Headmaster.
We seek to appoint an experienced, enthusiastic and suitably qualified individual to: - Be responsible for the day to day running of the CCF.
- Lead the continuing evolution of the CCF as a central activity in the co-curricular life of the school.
- Ensure that CCF weekends are coordinated with other extracurricular activities and entered into the school calendar
- Inspire and motivate the pupils and staff across all CCF Sections.
- Promote and co-ordinate the role of the CCF in our twice-yearly Field Day activities, and across the school year.
- Provide a disciplined organisation within the School, which enables students to exercise responsibility and leadership.
- Take an active role in promoting the benefits of outdoor education to students in and outside the CCF.
The Person
The successful applicant will lead a popular Combined Cadet Force. He or she will have acquired the broader knowledge, experience and outlook to inspire, motivate and manage not just the cadets and NCOs, but also the staff and other adult volunteers. He or she will also possess excellent organisational and administrative skills to ensure a high-quality experience for all cadets and staff and effective use of resources. In addition to working normal working commitments there will be weekend and holiday commitments where a willingness to work sometimes long, odd and flexible hours, sometimes away from home, will be necessary.
The candidate will also work with SSI to provide ‘Alarm cover’ for the Armoury when the SSI is not available. This is a shared, year-round, responsibility which requires the appointee to work a call out rota with the SSI to ensure either is available to attend if the armoury alarm activates
Candidates holding further qualifications, such as: Qualified ECO; Range Qualifications; SAA Instruction Qualifications; AT Qualifications would be an advantage. What follows is not an exhaustive list, but some of the key tasks of this multi-faceted role.
The successful candidate will:
CCF
- Lead the co-ordination, development and evolution of the CCF as a central activity in the co-curricular life of the school.
- Plan and manage the annual calendar of events for the Contingent in liaison with the SSI, Senior Officers and SLT, which will include Field Days, camps, etc
- Oversee all aspects of training on a Monday afternoon.
- Attend camps, field days and additional trips as necessary.
- Attend formal training courses as required and represent WBS’ CCF at various external military meetings and functions.
- Develop and oversee the CCF area of the School’s website.
- Contribute to the overall marketing and development of the School’s reputation and promote the profile of the CCF within the extended WBS community by publicising CCF activities as appropriate.
Staff
- Be responsible for overseeing the work of the SSI.
- Be the Delivery Duty Holder (DDH) for the Contingent.
- Lead and manage a team of teachers, support staff, instructors and the SSI. The CCF may work closely with the Head of Outdoor Learning
- Be able and willing to work towards adventure training qualifications, i.e Walking Leadership awards to benefit the CCF and DOE expeditions, as available.
- Delegate appropriate responsibility to the officers in the CCF.
- Encourage and support CCF staff in their professional development and ensure the provision of appropriate CPD opportunities for CCF Officers.
- Assist in recruitment of additional Adult Civilian Volunteer Instructor/Officers as required to aid in delivery of an expanding programme.
Pupils
- Oversee cadet recruitment and retention and present the CCF to students, outlining the opportunities and benefits.
- Oversee the planning and delivery of the Contingent training programme, ensuring regular review and recommendations for improvement are considered and implemented.
- Communicate regularly with parents in relation to CCF.
- Deal with pastoral issues regarding cadets in conjunction with other relevant staff.
- Ensure structures and systems are in place to enable effective monitoring of cadets’ progress.
- Promote a growing sense of leadership and independence amongst older pupils, delegating responsibility as appropriate.
Administration
- Ensure, through effective personal administrative organisation and delegation where necessary, that all MOD standing orders are current and adhered to and that changes in policy are communicated to staff.
- Oversee the planning of the contingent’s Inspections and Reviews.
- Ensure, through effective personal administrative organisation and delegation where necessary, that all the appropriate school and MOD paperwork is accurate, produced in a timely manner and is up to date.
- Ensure, through effective personal administrative organisation and delegation where necessary, appropriate supervision of the finances of the CCF by managing MOD and school budgets and accounts.
- Oversee through effective personal administrative organisation and delegation where necessary the writing of risk assessments for all activities and making sure that these are adhered to by all staff involved.
- Ensure, through effective personal administrative organisation and delegation where necessary, compliance with school and MOD Health and Safety and Safeguarding policies and guidelines in all CCF activities.
- Ensure, through effective delegation where necessary, the security of buildings, weapons and ammunition in conjunction with the SSI.
- Promote and protect children’s welfare in all aspects of their contribution to school.
For more information take a look at the Job Description here.
This vacancy will close on 15 April, 2020.