Graduate Sports Assistant

Summary

This is an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic sportsperson to join the School having recently won the ‘Sporting Achievement’ category in the Independent Schools of the Year Awards!

Detail

An introduction to King’s Ely

Purpose, Ethos and Values

King’s Ely exists to make the most and best of childhood, and in particular to give the very best education, opportunities and pastoral care to as diverse a community of children as we can. In doing so we aim to prepare each one to live positive, productive, successful and fulfilled lives, for the betterment of themselves and the world around them. We achieve this through the operation of a family of schools centred around a 2-19 co-educational day and boarding school in Ely, aiming to draw fully on our exceptional environment, history, physical, cultural, spiritual and human resources in doing so.

History

King’s Ely can trace its origins from at least 970AD, making it one of the oldest schools in Europe. The School was first established to educate the choristers of the worshipping community of Ely and throughout our history we have maintained strong links with Ely Cathedral.

In 1541, King Henry VIII founded a College of Canons at Ely Cathedral to replace the monks whose monastery has been dissolved in 1539 and the School received its Royal Charter, later becoming known as “The King’s School”.

King’s Ely Today

In recent years King’s has expanded rapidly, becoming co-educational in 1970, and today educating around 1100 children aged 2-18 at Ely, including 185 boarders.

The school is divided into three sections: King’s Ely Senior (age 13-18) and King’s Ely Prep (age 7-13), which occupy adjacent campuses and benefit from shared facilities, and King’s Ely Acremont and Nursery (ages 2-6) which have their own self-contained campus about 400m from the main site. Additionally, Fairstead House School in Newmarket (for pupils aged 1-11) joined the King’s Ely family of schools in 2022.

The main campus extends to around 75 acres and contains buildings spanning the thirteenth to twenty-first centuries, including many of the historic monastic buildings adjacent to Ely Cathedral as well as more recent, purpose-built facilities and almost 40 acres of playing fields.

King’s Ely plays a key role in the local community. We are one of Ely’s largest employers and contribute greatly to the local economy, and we also continue to educate the choristers of Ely Cathedral. King’s Ely also offers a number of bursaries to enable pupils from all walks of life to benefit from the education it offers.

In its recent ISI Inspection (March 2025), King’s Ely was found to meet or to exceed all regulatory standards. In addition, the Inspectors judged the School to have a significant strength in the way in which its high quality pastoral care is interwoven with a dynamic enrichment programme. This enables “pupils of all ages to develop their independence, intellectual curiosity, creativity and socialization particularly well”.

The School is rightfully proud of the Inspection. It is testament to the community spirit of King’s Ely and the commitment and respect shown each day by pupils, staff and their families.

King’s Ely is affiliated with the HMC, Society of Heads, IAPS, the Boarding Schools’ Association and the Choir Schools’ Association.

The successful candidate will assist with the teaching of both PE and Games, working with PE staff, sports coaches and other staff across the curriculum, potentially from Reception to Year 13. The applicant should be able to coach to a high level in Football and Hockey and at least two of the following sports: Hockey, Rugby, Cricket and Athletics. If you have an interest in Athletic Development, and Strength and Conditioning we would very much welcome you applying for this role. This position represents an outstanding opportunity for an individual looking to gain experience in an independent school setting, before following a career in teaching or sports coaching.

Job Description

• Coaching and officiating teams as appropriate, including attending fixtures during weekdays and at weekends.
• Team teaching and assisting experienced subject teachers in classroom situations.
• Teaching small groups in specialised topic areas.
• Running or assisting with Co-Curricular activities as appropriate.
• Supporting PE lessons from the ages of 5-18.
• Supporting Sport Scholarship provision.
• Undertaking cover duties and specific duties as required within a Boarding House.

This description is not exhaustive and may well be subject to change over time. The intention is to offer candidates an accurate impression of the expectations commensurate with the post and an outline of the role as it is envisaged at this time.

This is a residential post. From late August 2026 until mid-July 2027, accommodation will be provided. All bills and term time meals, which are taken in The Monastic Barn with the boarding community, will be provided for resident assistants at King’s Ely. Items of branded games clothing will be provided for staff working within the Sports Department.

If you would like to discuss the role further, please contact Hayley Mortimer, Deputy Head Co-Curricular (hayleymortimer@kingsely.org), Alex Meddle, Director of Sport Senior (alexmeddle@kingsely.org) or Ruth McAlinden, Director of Sport Prep (ruthmcalinden@kingsely.org).

Please view the job description for further information regarding the role.

• King’s Ely is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure & Barring Service.

• If you are selected for interview, you will need to provide and bring with you photographic proof of identity (eg passport or photo driving license), birth certificate, documentation confirming your National Insurance Number or your right to work in the United Kingdom, proof of address (eg recent bank statement/HMRC correspondence/utility bill) and certification of declared qualifications

We appreciate your effort in completing this application and for your interest in working for King’s Ely.

Documents

• Info pack - Graduate Sports Assistants - Dec 2025 PDF Document