Head Teacher, The Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls’ School

About The Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls School

The school was opened in 2022. It is the creation of a not-for-profit called ‘CITTA’. CITTA India works extensively in health, education and economic development within India. Its key focus is on providing quality health and education and promoting social awareness in underprivileged communities in India.

It is CITTA’s stated aim to “empower girls through celebration and participation in their cultural heritage and prevent harmful practices.”

The school has been set up to educate the girls beyond the region’s current low levels of literacy and numeracy as well as train them in traditional skills such as artistry, weaving and embroidery.

The school takes its name from one of the royal family’s ancestors: Princess Ratnavati and receives additional investment from Infosys.

It is the first part of the three part The GYAAN Center. designed by Diana Kellogg Architects. “Gyaan” is the Sanskrit word for knowledge.

Mission Statement

At the Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls School, we strive to be a beacon of excellence in the provision of education for local girls, showcasing the skills and experience of our learning community, providing a sustainable, safe, and stimulating environment for local girls to learn, where all are valued.

The girls should enjoy their learning, achieve their potential and become independent life-long learners, in turn strengthening their role as women in their communities and keeping themselves safe. We are committed to the families we serve, providing support and encouragement for academic and cultural learning and excellence.

The School

The pedagogy of the Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls School school is versatile and adapts methods depending on learners’ needs. Its approach is, in essence, pragmatic and seeks to support the development of academic and cultural needs. Beyond this the aim of the school is to produce happy well-adjusted, resilient young women, who become leaders and productive members of the local community and beyond.

The school is committed to the families and the communities it serves, providing support and encouragement.

The school began with an enrolment of 140 girls from Class 1 to 4 moving up in the school each year until the school reaches capacity at 400 students up to Class 10. Currently the school boasts five grades with one class per grade. Each class has between 25 and 30 students. The girls will be expected to sit state exams annually in line with education across the country.

As the school evolves, so its approach to teaching the girls responds to their needs and its cultural backdrop. It aims to be flexible in its educational outlook and will accommodate an innovative approach, ensuring safeguarding measures are maintained.

Set in the stunning, unique Thar Desert, the school is a half hour drive from Jaisalmer, often referred to as the “Golden City”.

This visually rich and extraordinary setting is a backdrop to a complex cultural and social-economic environment. Levels of literacy are low and often the girls at the school are the first-time learners in their own families. Only 66% of people in Rajasthan are literate and a mere 52% of women are in this category.

About the Role

The school is seeking a passionate, dedicated and culturally sensitive Headteacher to lead the small, dedicated staff and raise the level of academic achievement at the school.

Responsibilities would include (including but are not limited to):

The successful applicant will have a background in education and will have taught for a number of years. They will be able to provide examples of having successfully led a team, run the day-to-day administration of a school and overseen curriculum development and implementation.

This person will be flexible in outlook and be able to go the mile to ensure the smooth running of the school.

The Headteacher has responsibility for the leadership and management of the school

The Headteacher will be a member of the Rajkumari Ratnavati senior leadership team, responsible for all staff on site.

The chosen candidate will support the staff to develop their skills and professionalism, understand, and listen to their feelings about how they are able to work and the challenges they face.

Ideally the successful candidate will create a dynamic, generous work environment where the school community feels that their skills and experience are valued.

The successful candidate will drive consistency of provision, including effective planning, some modelling and/or coaching and monitoring classroom practice, how effective it is and how well the children learn.

The candidate will strengthen and develop the curriculum.

The successful candidate will adopt and embrace ongoing professional development for all staff.

They will:

• provide vision, professional leadership and management, and a clear direction for the students of the Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls’ School, securing its success, safety and continuing improvement providing high quality education, ensuring standards of learning achievement and pastoral care.
• formulate the overall aims and objectives of the school and policies for their implementation.
• produce, monitor and evaluate a school development plan, underpinned by sound financial planning.
• conduct the affairs of the school to the benefit of the pupils and the governing body through pursuing objectives and implementing curriculum and policies.
• carry ultimate responsibility for all safe-guarding issues.

Qualifications

For the Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls School, we are seeking a talented professional passionate about driving educational transformation and making a positive impact.

Education:

Ideally the candidate will have qualified teacher status as well as previous experience in leading girls’ schools. A post graduate qualification is desirable.

Work Experience:

This successful applicant will have previous exposure to, and therefore understand, working with differing cultural environments. They will have had experience in leading teams in a business, educational or administrative framework.

The successful applicant will have strong financial acuity and be able to manage the budget.

The ideal candidate will be resilient, in good health and able to cope with the extreme temperatures of Rajasthan.

Although not essential, Indian heritage or an otherwise strong link to the nation of India would be a great asset.

Linguistic skills in Rajasthani, Hindi, Marwari or Urdu would be advantageous.

Terms and Conditions

Length of Contract: at least two years.

Accommodation: The school will provide accommodation for the first six months until the Headteacher has had time to make permanent arrangements.

Living expenses: There will be a travel allowance. Details to be discussed.

Salary: negotiable depending on experience.

How to apply

Please fill in this application form https://forms.gle/UXEgHKkXpgb93SG78 and submit by 30th June 2024.

For any further queries about the role, please contact Dr Barbara Schwepcke at bhschwepcke@gmail.com

Further Information about the school and its community can be found at: https://cittaindia.org/the-rajkumari-ratnavati-girls-school/