Case Studies: SEN Schools

The Challenge

Philip Green Memorial School is an independent special boarding school.  The school seeks to provide the National Curriculum for 44 boys and girls aged 9 to 19 years who have a range of moderate learning difficulties, speech and language difficulties and diverse social needs.  It also offers students links with the wider community and other educational settings.  Students’ places are generally funded by their local authorities and a few students come from overseas.

The school is in the ownership of ‘The Boveridge House School Trust’, and is set in a late 18th century former stately home in 38 acres of landscaped gardens and fields near the village of Cranborne in Dorset.  All students are boarders, with occasional weekly boarding arranged.  The school aims to provide a friendly and supportive setting where learners become independent, confident and successful young people.

How we helped

• TES Prime was asked to help the trustees appoint a successor after the retirement of the Head of School.  As well as building on the current success of the school which includes an Ofsted grade of Outstanding for the residential provision, the trustees wanted to: attract a candidate that could strengthen the marketing of the school and find new revenue streams in light of the cuts and budgetary constraints from local authorities; and develop the curriculum provision so that it meets the residential provision outcomes.
• Our support was to manage the overall recruitment assignment, but more critically to carry out a search that included looking at individuals with core experience in this sector, able to demonstrate experience in terms of business acumen that would enable Philip Green to move to the next stage – particularly, in promoting itself more widely.

The result

Philip Green shortlisted five candidates for the final two day process and on the second day interviewed three candidates.  They successfully appointed after having taken candidates through a series of paper-based activities with trustees, a technical assessment with a TES Prime Associate, and interaction with students.  The trustees feel that they have the right candidate with the blend of skills and experience to fulfil their ambition of improving the school further.