【学生寮アシスタント】Boarding House Assistant - Rugby School Japan

House Assistant, Rugby School Japan

Rugby School Japan launched in Kashiwanoha (“Oak Leaf”) Smart City, Chiba Prefecture (Greater Tokyo), in September 2023 to champion a new era of British international education in Japan. It is Rugby’s second international sister school. The School is a co-educational day and boarding school based on a campus within walking distance of a baseball stadium, football pitch, lake and running track in Kashiwanoha Park.

Rugby School Japan shares Rugby’s ethos of ‘the whole person, the whole point’: the School believes in taking education beyond the classroom and nurturing the whole person – in mind, body and spirit – to give pupils a holistic sense of self and to enable them to achieve in all areas of life. Rugby School Japan aims to become a benchmark for British education worldwide.

Rugby School 

Rugby School is a co-educational boarding and day school situated in the English county of Warwickshire. Founded in 1567, it is one of the original ten English public schools defined by the Public Schools Act 1868. Rugby’s greatest Head Master, Dr Thomas Arnold (1828-42), transformed British education and formed the model that many other schools have since adopted. He recognised a modern concern – that education should address the formation of character, going beyond an understanding of learning as simply the acquisition of knowledge.

Today, the School has 850 pupils aged 13 to 18 housed in 15 houses, 13 of which are for boarders and 300 pupils aged 3 to 13 at its Prep school, Bilton Grange. Rugby is national and international in outlook and recruitment, with boys and girls from all over the UK and 10% from overseas. The School is now almost equally populated by boys and girls. In 2022, Rugby achieved record results at GCSE and A-level, and has been described by Tatler as ‘a school at the top of its game’. The opening of Rugby School Japan has been the next step in this rich history, as Rugby proudly takes its educational philosophy international to make a difference across the world.

Academic

In line with Rugby’s mission to offer a broad education that is not merely about an acquisition of knowledge, Rugby School Japan offers a diversity of subjects from a young age. The Rugby School Japan Curriculum, across the range of academic subjects, is designed: 

• to instil a love of learning and of individual subjects, 
• to ensure social and personal development,
• to foster a multicultural and multilingual environment, which in addition to Modern Foreign Languages, celebrates local Japanese cultures and traditions,
• to provide academic support and acceleration as appropriate, 
• to develop a suitable work ethic and self-motivation and to help each child to reach his or her academic potential, 
• and ultimately to prepare children for IGCSE and A level. 

The School offers the National Curriculum of England Key Stage 3 in Years 7-9 when all pupils will complete the Rugby Learner Profile, IGCSE courses in Years 10 and 11, and A-Levels in Years 12 and 13. Lessons take place over 6 days per week, and academic enrichment is available to all age groups during the school day and in the evenings. Teachers are drawn from around the world, with proven records of achievement as teachers and scholars. They have an enthusiasm for teaching in an international setting, and a commitment to making Rugby School Japan a world-class school.

Pastoral

It is Rugby School Japan’s aim for the quality of the pastoral care to be apparent in the smiles and sounds of busy children enjoying their day. Good pastoral care comes from the staff caring about all the children. The School strives to get to know and understand each child, building strong relationships with them. Rugby’s tutor based approach means that teachers have a first point of contact should there be a concern for a child. This also means parents can go to the tutor with any concerns they may have and get a quick response to help resolve the issue. Pupils are encouraged to talk to any member of staff about a worry they might have, including their Tutor, Housemaster/ mistress or the School counsellor. 

Boarding 

The House system originated at Rugby School 200 years ago and is a central aspect of the pastoral care throughout Rugby School Japan. Within their Houses girls and boys have regular opportunities to represent their House in a range of sports, music, drama and co-curricular events. The School takes boarders from Year 7 through Year 13 (aged 11 to 18) and anticipates providing boarding across six Houses at capacity. Throughout their time, boarders are cared for by a committed team of House staff.

Co-curricular

Rugby School Japan’s co-curricular programme is developing into a key strength the School will celebrate, as the broad range of activities enrich each child’s learning experiences. These activities are run by staff members, who will be encouraged to promote their own passions and hobbies outside the classroom, as well as specialist instructors brought in to broaden the programme on offer. Activities include music, the arts and outdoor activities.

Sport

Throughout Rugby School Japan’s educational experience PE and sport plays an integral role. The School is committed to creating a positive PE and sporting culture in which teachers, coaches, parents, supporters and officials work together to achieve the School’s vision. This area of education is not simply about health and fitness, but about learning skills and life lessons that prepare boys and girls for the world beyond school. It is also about preparing some pupils for a professional sporting career. The School has access to world-class sports facilities with a large indoor sports hall (1,200 square metres), a 25-metre swimming pool, tennis courts, and a full size 3G rugby pitch. The incredible surroundings – a baseball stadium, football pitch, lake and running track within walking distance to the school – provide the School community the means to provide the boys and girls with plenty of space and fresh air to grow.

The Location

Rugby School Japan is located on a 4-hectare city campus in Kashiwanoha, Chiba Prefecture (Greater Tokyo). On one of the Chiba University campus sites, the School is fitted with all the state-of-the-art facilities expected from a world class educational facility including professional-standard sports facilities, a black-box theatre, a dance studio with Harlequin flooring, and more. Thirty minutes by train from Central Tokyo, Kashiwanoha is being designed to become a smart micro city, leading by example and championing sustainability.

Japan boasts some of the most unique and beautiful landscapes, vistas, volcanos and coasts in the world. The country is home to the highest quality and most diverse range of offerings imaginable – globally sought-after skiing and snowboarding in Niseko, scuba diving in Okinawa, industry leading technological advancements in transportation, engineering and IT, and a celebrated history that uniquely blends Japanese and Western cultures.

The House Assistant Role

In September 2024, two additional boarding Houses will be fully functional and equipped to a high standard to accommodate the full and weekly boarders, as well as day pupils.  This will provide all pupils a base for themselves during their time at the school.  Further boarding Houses will be ready in September 2025.

Each of our boarding houses is home to approximately 65 pupils, aged between 11 to 18 and the House Assistant (HA) is an integral member of the House team. Along with the Housemaster/mistress (HM), Assistant HM and Resident Tutor, the HA helps to ensure the welfare and well-being of pupils in the House, contributing to the development of a friendly, safe and supportive culture and environment. The HA is expected to be a visible presence, setting the tone as a role model and being accessible and approachable to the pupils. Issues of safeguarding and confidentiality are to be understood to a high degree, and a well tuned understanding of the needs of the pupils, options for support, and channels of communication is essential. The HA will also be expected to provide administrative support to the HM. 

Main Duties:
Creating a home: the HA’s role can generally be summarised as creating a home for the pupils within the boarding House. Just like a parent might do for their own children, this could involve baking, celebrating birthdays, providing appropriate snacks, setting standards, having high expectations for the pupils, and having the pupils’ well-being and happiness at the heart of everything that happens in the school.

Pastoral Care:
The HA plays a crucial role, alongside the HM and other house staff, in the daily pastoral care of the pupils in the boarding house. Collectively, they have a responsibility for creating an environment within which the pupils feel safe and well looked after. The HA should be alert to warning signals potentially indicating unhappiness or problems in a pupil’s life, and should be prepared to communicate concerns with colleagues and, when necessary, with outside agencies.

Medical support:
Although the School has a Health Centre staffed at all times by professional nurses, the HA is often the first port of call for pupils who are feeling unwell in House. The HA is responsible for providing care, dispensing routine medications, and liaising with the Health Centre staff in order to determine the best course of action for the pupils, sometimes sending them to be looked after in the Health Centre. The HA is often required to accompany pupils in their House to routine appointments and attend to any medical emergencies. 

Beginning and end of terms and half-terms:
The HA plays a crucial role in getting the boarding House ready before the beginning of the new term, as well as being on hand for the arrival of pupils into the House, typically on the evening before term starts, and on the morning when the day pupils arrive. Helping to settle the pupils into the House, meeting parents and receiving passports and medications from them, and creating a homely and welcoming environment are central to the HA’s role. At the end of term and half term periods, the HA is needed to ensure that all the pupils have left the House, and that the rooms and common areas are appropriately emptied, with windows closed and lights switched off.

Registration:
The HA is responsible for recording daily attendance at House registrations, and following up absences with colleagues and with parents when necessary.

Administrative support for the HM and the House:
The HA is often required to perform administrative duties for the HM, including helping to organise events, make calendar entries, support with filing, and generally play a central role in managing a well ordered and organised House. Some of these tasks will require competent use of IT systems and the School’s databases.

Meeting parents:
The HA will meet prospective and current parents who are visiting the boarding House.

Liaison with Maintenance and Logistics teams:
The HA is responsible for coordinating with the School’s logistics and maintenance teams, to ensure faults and damage are recorded and rectified promptly, and that any logistical functions are facilitated.

Cover:
The HA will be required to provide cover for other boarding houses in the event of staff shortages elsewhere in the School.

Clothing & Laundry:
The HA is required to liaise with domestic teams to ensure that laundry is sent and received in good time on behalf of the pupils within the boarding House. Some onsite laundry in the boarding house and small repairs to pupils’ clothing may be required from time to time.

Cleanliness:
The HA plays an important role, alongside the other House staff, in maintaining cleanliness and tidiness within the boarding House. The HA will coordinate with cleaning staff, directing priorities and setting expectations alongside domestic service supervisors. Routine checks of pupils’ dorms and common areas are expected, as is the creation of a culture of respect by the pupils, who are required to keep their spaces orderly and hygienic.

Meetings:
Regular formal and informal communication with colleagues is expected of the HA. HAs will be required to meet with each other, with their House teams, and with the Deputy Principal (Pastoral) regularly.

Other roles and duties:
There will be a number of other activities which the HA would be expected to attend, including House events, and the HA is encouraged to bring any specialist skills to the school, such as support for the well-being programme, and any initiatives which are deemed appropriate and beneficial to the school. Success in the role will be dependent on having a constructive relationship with the other House staff, and it is hoped that the HA would be winning to contribute in other areas to House life as required by the HM.

The following duties shall be deemed to be included in the professional duties which staff may be required to perform:

Appraisal and professional development 
・Participate in arrangements made for staff appraisal and professional development. 
・Undertake such training as may be reasonably required by the School to adapt to the changing requirements of the School or as may be necessary to fulfil the School's statutory or regulatory obligations. 
・To undertake mandated job related training as required and instructed by the School.
・HAs are required to hold a current First Aid Certificate, and so will be expected to attend First Aid Courses. 

Child protection, discipline, health and safety 
・Safeguard and promote the welfare of all the children and young people at Rugby School Japan. ・
・Maintain good order and discipline among the pupils and safeguard their health and safety both when they are on the School premises and when they are engaged in authorised School activities elsewhere.
・Ensure all staff act in accordance with Rugby School Japan’s policies and procedures.

Equality and diversity
・Acting in accordance with Rugby School Japan’s equality and diversity policy, maintaining a fair and consistent manner in all actions.

Flexibility 
・Undertake such other reasonable duties from time to time as the School may reasonably require. 
 

THE PERSON

The successful candidate will have:

Qualifications

• 5 GCSE (or equivalent) passes, at grade “C” or above, including Maths and English
• Educated to A Level (or equivalent)
• First aid qualification

Experience

• Experience of working with young people

Skills

• The ability to offer a high level of pastoral care
• Good spoken and written English.
• The ability to communicate both in writing and verbally with a wide range of people
• Excellent administrative and organisational skills
• Flexibility and the ability to work calmly and quickly under pressure
• Resourcefulness and the ability to multitask and prioritise
• Ability to work well as part of a team and also autonomously
• IT literacy, with a high level of competence in Microsoft Excel, Word & Outlook
• Previous experience as a Matron or similar in a Boarding School
• Previous experience as a Nurse
• Experience of working in an educational and/or medical environment
• Experience of working with teenage children
• Experience in an administrative role
• Japanese language ability

Personal competencies and qualities

• An empathy for, and understanding of, young people
• Enthusiasm and the ability to motivate pupils
• A sensitive and supportive approach
• A good sense of humour and emotional resilience
• Discretion and the ability to maintain confidentiality
• Commitment to the protection of children and young people.
• Willingness to work within the School’s Child Protection guidance for staff and follow relevant organisational procedures.

PACKAGE

• The remuneration package will reflect the importance of the post and will include:

• A competitive and internationally benchmarked salary

HOW TO APPLY

Application process and closing date for applications

• Please apply through Career Cross, sending a recent photograph, a CV and a Cover Letter of no more than one side of A4 addressed to Mr Tony Darby, Principal, Rugby School Japan, by the closing date.
• The closing date for applications is Friday, 12th April at 12:00 JST (early applications are encouraged); RSJ reserves the right to make an appointment at any stage of the recruitment process.
• Interviews will take place at Rugby School Japan, or online.  

Qualifications, Identification, Health and Background Checks 

• Please note that candidates may be required to bring documentation to interview providing proof of identity and qualifications.
• They may also be required, within the final appointment process, to undergo a health check and relevant background checks as part of the School's recruitment and safeguarding procedures.

Child protection

• Rugby School Japan is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
• Applicants will be required to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the DBS. In addition, all successful candidates will be vetted in accordance with COBIS, NMBS and KCSiE requirements.