Founded in 2013, Burton Hathow is an authentically independent school, continuing to be owned and managed by the founding group. Our mission is to provide children with exceptional preparation for life through a happy, engaging, and stimulating all-round education. We believe in extending learning beyond the classroom to foster each child’s emotional wellbeing and social skills while offering a broad spectrum of experiences.
Our pupils come from diverse backgrounds across Lincolnshire, and our family-oriented approach, enrichment program—including sports, arts, drama, and outdoor learning—and our dedication to developing the whole child attract parents to our school.
Since our inception, we have made significant investments in our facilities, adding new teaching and learning spaces, including a Yurt and a dedicated outdoor learning area, as well as an onsite nursery. These enhancements allow us to expand and welcome more families while maintaining our independence and commitment to offering genuine choices for parents.
I am immensely proud of the team at Burton Hathow. This is an exciting time for a new Head to join us and build upon our excellent academic and enrichment programs. You will have the opportunity to work with and support a dynamic board that shares our ethos of placing children at the heart of every decision. Our board and staff are dedicated to the school’s success, as evidenced by our ‘Excellent’ rating in the last ISI inspection. We welcome interest from a school leader ready to drive our vision forward.
Burton Hathow is a family orientated, independent preparatory school for children aged 2-11, set on more than five acres of wooded grounds in Lincolnshire.
At Burton Hathow, we pride ourselves on providing the best educational experience for children in a safe and happy environment, thoroughly preparing each child for their next step in education and in life. Traditional values, combined with a contemporary curriculum, provide children with a stimulating education both inside and outside of the classroom.
We take an innovative and creative approach to teaching and learning, adapting our curriculum to suit the needs of our cohorts and ensuring diversity and inclusion across all areas of school life. We promote quality first teaching, and each member of our school team works collaboratively to ensure the best possible outcomes for our children. With smaller class sizes, each pupil in our school community has a voice, and we encourage our children to be brave, take risks and step outside their comfort zone.
Our classes are, on average, 12 students strong. Our specialist teachers are experts in their area of study, not overworked and stretched to the limit trying to juggle several different subjects. Many of our teachers have worked, and still do work, professionally in their field which enhances further the meaningful experiences our pupils have, whilst instilling in them the belief that they can achieve anything with a positive mindset and a strong work ethic.
Our teachers pride themselves on knowing each child personally and can tailor their individual experiences to enable them to be the best that they can be. This bespoke and customised approach to learning extends across the teaching and learning in our school.
School aims
The curriculum
Pupils’ learning is divided into two distinct phases.
Stage 1: Early Years and Lower School (EYLS) up to school year 2. Lower School refers to year groups reception to year 2, during which learning is cross-curricular and forms parts of a progressive learning journey for ages 2 – 7. Here, the focus is on creating a nurturing environment, through which skills such as problem-solving, reasoning, organisation, and sharing can be developed.
Stage 2: Upper School years 3-6. During this time, we adopt a forward-thinking strategy through which we can prepare students for their educational journey beyond Burton Hathow. We focus on developing their individual skills, abilities, and passions.
Our varied extra-curricular enrichment classes run every day until 4.50pm. These classes give our pupils the option to pick up new skills and hobbies or enhance their understanding of their existing school topics.
Our enrichment programme
We offer all our pupils the chance to take part in sport, art, languages and outdoor learning, all of which are embedded into the programme and curriculum offering. For example, drama is intrinsically woven into the English curriculum. Our school have strong links with David Lloyd Leisure and through their first-rate facilities, swimming lessons are offered to year groups 1-3. Spanish is taught from Nursery upwards, and is something that has proven highly successful embedding it at such a foundational stage. Further, from September, a new STEAM inactive is being launched which will provide additional learning opportunities to our students through an active and varied programme combining context with concept.
Governance and Leadership
The school has a Board of Directors who work alongside an Advisory Body. Together, they encompass a broad skill set and a wide range of expertise from both the commercial sector and education sector. They collectively monitor compliancy and support the school’s mid-to-long-term development plan.
Our board and advisory profiles can be viewed here: Board & Advisory Body – Burton Hathow | Preparatory School.
Location
The Burton Hathow school campus is located just off the A57. The school itself is nestled in amongst several acres of beautiful woodland, abundant with wildlife, as well as a lake and three acres of sports playing fields.
Our school is also located conveniently just five miles from Lincoln city centre. A city brimming with Roman history and heritage, Lincoln is a sought after and thriving place for professionals, academics, and families. From the spectacular 11th century Lincoln Cathedral and Lincoln Castle at the heart of the city’s cultural Cathedral Quarter, to its two universities within walking distance of the train station, Lincoln is a vibrant place filled with things to do and enjoy.
The Board are prepared to offer an attractive and competitive salary to secure the best candidate. A formal contract detailing terms and conditions will be drawn up on appointment. The following notes provide guidance, without prejudice, on the likely main provisions:
The search for a new Head for Burton Hathow School is being led by Anderson Quigley.
Interested candidates are invited to contact Anderson Quigley to arrange a confidential discussion with Hayley Mintern, hayley.mintern@andersonquigley.com or Phil Gifford phil.gifford@andersonquigley.com.
Closing date: Monday 26 August 2024
To submit your application, please upload the following documents in PDF format:
Interview process
In person interviews will take place at the school on Thursday 5 September. Candidates should allow half a day.
Final panel interviews will take place on Wednesday 11 September, which will involve a presentation to the board and a whole school assembly. Candidates should allow a full day for this interview.