Subject Leader of Art

Welcome to The Belvedere Academy. It is my privilege to lead Belvedere working with a body of pupils and staff who are committed, creative and energetic.

There has been a school here for over 140 years and throughout that time Belvedere has provided high quality, innovative research drive and forward-thinking learning for all its pupils within an environment in which we are all enabled to build knowledge, develop skills and make life-long memories.

The Belvedere School became The Belvedere Academy in 2007 and since then has grown from having around 400 pupils to welcoming over 1100 young people from across Liverpool.

Joining the staff at The Belvedere Academy is about so much more than just doing your job. You will be joining a vibrant and proactive group of people of all ages who bring a range of fabulous life experiences to their work. You will be given the chance to develop professionally and personally and will be encouraged to challenge yourself and get involved in all aspects of academy life. Enrichment is a key element of our offer at Belvedere as is an outstanding approach to personal development. Staff, pupils and families operate within a triangulated relationship which is hugely rewarding creating a learning environment which is responsive to the changes and challenges of contemporary life.

As Executive Principal, I want colleagues who are positive, collaborative and solution-focused; who are creative thinkers and who are committed to enabling young people to learn and to grow and to leave the academy with qualifications, life experiences and the self- awareness required to be successful adults.

On behalf of the Local Governing Body, thank you for your interest in applying for a role at The Belvedere Academy. My name is Jill Galvin and it is my great privilege to be the Chair of Governors here at Belvedere, having been a Parent Governor here since 2021 and appointed as Chair in 2023.

This document outlines the many benefits of working at The Belvedere Academy. The Belvedere Academy is an outstanding school in every sense and truly offers a broad and diverse education and student experience to students from across the Liverpool City Region. The extra-curricular and enrichment offer at Belvedere is unrivalled in the city and the excellent educational outcomes are a testament to the fantastic students but also the dedication and professionalism of the staff here at Belvedere. If you were to join the staff community here, you would join a group of passionate, committed and talented professionals who ensure that every student thrives and becomes the best young person they can be.

One of the benefits from my perspective as Chair of Governors is the excellent leadership from the Senior Leadership Team and the Executive Principal, Mrs Taylor. Having worked very closely with Mrs Taylor over the last three years, I have witnessed first hand how her excellent leadership and management has ensured the school has continued to offer a fantastic education to all students through some very challenging times. Mrs Taylor is also passionate about staff wellbeing, ensuring that staff feel valued and are happy and comfortable in their roles in order to be able to deliver the excellent Belvedere education to all students. Mrs Taylor has also created and harnessed an inclusive and welcoming environment which celebrates diversity across the school community.

I am very proud to be associated with The Belvedere Academy and to be Chair of Governors, it is an exceptional school. Thank you again for your interest in the role and wish you the best of luck with the application.

The Girls’ Day School Trust is the UK’s leading family of 25 single sex girls’ schools. 

The Belvedere Academy is one of two academies within the GDST family, the other 23 are independent, fee paying schools. All our schools are single sex schools - we pride ourselves on knowing how girls learn and providing the best environment for girls to grow. Every member of staff, regardless of their role, contributes to our success in providing an irresistible education.

In all of our schools, academic excellence is a given, however at the GDST we also concentrate on developing character beyond the curriculum. Our aim is to support and empower our girls to achieve their full potential.

We focus not only on what is learned but how it is learned. Ensuring our girls are confident and fearless, determined to show what they can do. Nothing holds our girls back – they’re encouraged to embrace every role and subject. As a result, they trust their own abilities and are alive to every opportunity. 

We concentrate on creating an environment where all can thrive and learn from one another. Physical and emotional wellbeing is paramount, which is why every GDST school provides an incredible array of extra-curricular activities and wellbeing programmes. GDST's celebration of diversity and commitment to inclusion is supported by insights gathered annually from our staff and student body. 

Belvedere is proud to be part of GDST and our students benefit from fantastic opportunities such as the annual Northern Trust Sporting Rally, GDST Learn, our own Young Enterprise programme; GDST Sing; a variety of leadership conferences and opportunities; competitions and much more. Furthermore, our staff collaborate with GDST teachers all around the country embarking on some excellent cross curricular and research projects. For example, a recent partnership with Murray Edwards College, Cambridge will give our sixth form Mathematicians oportuities to work with the best students and teachers in the UK. 

For staff, the GDST offers an extensive range of training and CPD as well as the opportunity to work and lead across all the schools. 

At Belvedere, we work particularly closely with Birkenhead High School Academy, our sister academy in the GDST. As well as informal networking, our pastoral and Safeguarding teams and our Digital and Edtech leads collaborate across the schools to ensure that we are always ahead of the game. An annual joint staff inset day enables us to grow stronger together.

Our staff are our greatest asset and staff wellbeing is one of our key priorities. In addition to competitive rates of pay and benefits, we also offer:

• Generous holiday (14 days extra per year for teaching staff)
• Email curfew 5pm-7am (unless there are safeguarding/wellbeing concerns) 
• Employee Assistance Programme (Health Assured)
• GDST Benefits; Retail and Lifestyle discounts (Pluxee)
• Weekly CPD sessions and access to the extensive GDST CPD offer
• Opportunity to work/lead across academies and the wider GDST
• Principal has an open door policy
• Staff Enrichment
• Flexible approach to family appointments and child events
• More PPA than the local average
• Half-termly wellbeing events organised by the Wellbeing Committee including seasonal treats, bacon sandwiches, fortnightly toast, annual Christmas lunch and other staff events
• Parcel collection point
• Half-termly staff voice group
• On-site, free parking
• Mental Health Coordinator
• HUB groups and HUB breakfastS
• High priority in our Y7 admissions process (see Admissions Policy on our website)

In September 2019, pupils, staff, our governors and our families at The Belvedere Academy worked together to create our values. After a number of months and various activities, we decided on the five values below. These guide our work and our behaviours day to day at Belvedere.

We also decided that "Be Brave, Be Bold, Be Belvedere" was the statement that we wanted to underpin who we are.

In September 2020, we worked together to frame what we felt it meant to be a member of the Belvedere community. Between us, we decided on "Being Belvedere". The Being Belvedere framework describes who we aim to be and how we behave.

• We know that education gives us confidence and we celebrate everyone’s different successes.
• We have high expectations which we achieve by thinking creatively, setting clear goals and developing self-belief.
• We celebrate diversity and uniqueness, give everybody a voice and accept everyone for who they are.
• We embrace the importance of caring for and respecting each other, our families and the environment.
• We recognise the importance of doing our best.