Parliament Hill

 About Parliament Hill School

High Achieving and Happy

Parliament Hill School is situated in North West London, on a stunning site located on the edge of Hampstead Heath. This idyllic location provides an exceptional learning environment within our newly renovated campus. We have a strong track record of excellent academic outcomes with results that are well above the local and national average.

We have an unswerving commitment to our inclusive culture and a well-established reputation for providing an education of the highest academic quality for girls. It is a happy school where, “students’ behaviour is outstanding. They feel very safe, and are proud and happy to be at the school.” Ofsted.

Our Mission

Our feminist mission is to enable every student to forge a strong identity, empowered to make their mark in the world.

We are proud to be a centre of excellence and innovation for girls’ education.

We nurture aspirations and support each student to discover their dreams and ambitions. We empower girls to take risks and to develop the confidence, leadership attributes, and cooperative relationships that enable them to flourish academically, socially and personally.

Students are educated to be inclusive global citizens, enabled to speak out, and make a positive difference to the world now and in the future.

We believe that achievement and happiness are inextricably linked and we are committed to enabling both.

About our School

We are a large, over-subscribed, fully comprehensive community school for girls aged 11-18 in the London Borough of Camden, with approximately 1213 students on roll and a diverse intake.

We are an outward facing school and an active participant in a number of valued partnerships, including the acclaimed LaSWAP Sixth Form, a partnership with three other local schools (La Sainte Union, William Ellis and Acland Burghley). We are proud of our strong track record of achievement. Progression post-16 is excellent with students moving from LaSWAP to a wide range of destinations including competitive places at Russell Group universities, including Oxbridge and other prestigious universities. Students benefit from excellent preparation and guidance on applying to the universities of their choice.

Parliament Hill School reflects its complex, challenging inner London environment. We are committed to creating a school that reflects more accurately the student body that we serve, to create an inclusive working environment where each person feels welcomed, valued and can thrive. We realise that without a wide range of backgrounds, perspectives, lived experiences and ways of working we immediately limit our creative capacity.

It is our mission to continue closing the gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged students and in doing this we prioritise quality teaching, designed to ensure that disadvantaged students at Parliament Hill out-perform others nationally. We are proud of, and celebrate our rich cultural and racial diversity, with over 49 different languages spoken. We have a very strong ethos of valuing, respecting, representing and providing role models for our multi-cultural community. If you thrive in a diverse, inner city school, then this will be an exciting opportunity for you.

At Parliament Hill we recognize the opportunities and challenges of being a young woman in a changing world. We aim to build on our strong history and continue to empower our students to take advantage of every opportunity to enhance and transform their lives. We are rightly proud of Parliament Hill’s tradition of helping others in our school, our local community and around the world. All our students are encouraged to be active world citizens and to work to make a positive difference.

Professional Development

We are a centre of excellence for professional learning and development and believe that the most significant resource in ensuring success for our students is our staff.

We create opportunities for all employees to fulfil their potential and take responsibility for their careers. We want Parliament Hill School to be a place where people feel they can do the best work of their careers, to feel empowered to make decisions for the benefit of the whole school. We aim to build a truly inclusive culture where people see themselves represented, meet their career aspirations and thrive.

We believe strongly in developing the full potential of all our highly valued teachers. All professional development undertaken by staff within the school is to support student achievement and well-being.  Staff are responsible for modelling a love of learning and the continued pleasure of finding new challenges. We seek opportunities to work in partnership with other schools, universities and professionals in order to enhance the learning of staff and, therefore, accelerate students’ achievement. We have a strong track record of delivering continued professional development both in school and throughout Camden. We aim to role-model courage, kindness and trust at Parliament Hill School in every way and at all levels.

 Parliament Hill in collaboration with Torriano Primary School has formed the new North London Alliance Research School as part of the EEF’s Research Schools Network. Our innovative cross phase partnership brings together primary and secondary teachers and leaders to implement evidence based EEF approaches to raise the attainment of all pupils, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

 The Research Schools Network is a network of schools which support the use of evidence to improve teaching practice.

As one of the new EEF Research Schools , we will continue to be at the forefront of evidence-based teaching, well-being (pastoral care) and behaviour.

Research Schools like ours are selected because of their strong track record of using the best available research evidence to embed excellent teaching. It’s for this reason that we will lead training and support for other schools both locally and nationally.

https://researchschool.org.uk/news/six-schools-secure-funding-to-boost-the-quality-of-teaching-in-their-regions

HOW TO APPLY

 How to apply

 Meet Members of Staff 

Support Staff

Matilda Deja

• 1) I am the librarian at Parliament Hill School, I also run the EPQ which is the Extended Project Qualification offered to our 6^th form students across LaSWAP.
• 2) I have been at Parliament Hill for over 13 years. I joined as an English teacher and became the librarian in 2018 when our wonderful librarian retired after 35 years of service.
• 3) I couldn’t possibly pick one best part of the job when there are so many! I love book shopping, curating a space that students use with so much passion, book chats - the list is endless.
• 4) I enjoy working with students because of their honesty, constant questions and their vim! No two days are the same…
• 5) I have so much autonomy as the librarian and feel like a trusted and valued member of the school community.
  I’ve been lucky to train and work in other schools and appreciate the unique setting of our school. We are a school that genuinely encourages debate and free-thinking. We also manage to balance being an ambitious academic institution without sucking the life out of learning.
• 6) I definitely feel supported working at PHS. I have a line manager with the scope to action change and despite being the only librarian I am thoughtfully included in the CDP programme. I am encouraged to be creative and in turn promote creativity amongst the students.
• 7) Over the last 4 years I have added exciting responsibilities to my role and taken the job in the direction that plays to my strengths. I am looking forward to the next 10 years at Parli and genuinely believe I could retire here.

Kheira Laouamri

• 1) I am one of the Science Technicians at PHS.
• 2) I have been working at PHS for 4 years.
• 3) The best part of my job is sharing the excitement I have for science with students through practical experiments, this allows students to grasp different scientific concepts by carrying out investigations and having fun at the same time! It often involves all their senses and gives them the opportunity to make discoveries of their own which is truly special.
• 4) I feel very honoured to have the opportunity to contribute to the learning and growth of the next generation of women in our community. Particularly young girls that want to embark on a career in STEM and young Muslim women.  
• 5) I enjoy being able to contribute to their learning journey and being able to set a good example in terms of behaviour and work ethic.
• 6) I feel very appreciated by everyone around me at PHS. I have been able to develop in my role throughout the years and gain new skills and confidence as an individual.
• 7) There is a great support system at PHS and a strong sense of community and belonging. We are encouraged to reach out to one another and look out for one another, I feel very supported and valued at Parli.
• 8) I absolutely feel I have the scope to develop my career at PHS! I have had the opportunity to work with experienced technicians and teachers throughout the years and will continue to do so.    

Teaching Staff

Michael Myburgh – Teacher of English/ Film and Media

1. I teach English, Film and Media Studies. I'm also a Year 9 tutor. 
2. I've been working at PHS since September 2021. 
3. I'd have to say the best part of my job is getting to interact with young people every day. They never fail to surprise me with their intelligence, passion, and desire to succeed. Their sense of humour is also spectacular and I love that a day doesn't go by where students don't make me laugh.  
4. When I started teaching, I felt single-sex schools were outdated and old-fashioned. However, many studies have been done which show that girls in all-girls' schools achieve better academically, are more confident to voice their opinions, and are more likely to embrace extra-curricular opportunities. By giving girls a stronger start in life, all-girls' schools help set up girls for success later life. For me, all-girls' schools are essential in beginning to redress systemic issues of gender-based inequity, something I am deeply passionate about and so working at an all-girls' school perfectly aligns with my personal and professional values. 
5. There are so many things I enjoy about working with students. But I'd have to say what I enjoy most is when students have a classic 'light bulb' moment. Knowing that my teaching has made a significant change in a student's thinking or understanding always makes me realise why I became a teacher.
6. PHS is a fantastic place to work. The students are motivated and engaged and staff across the school are friendly and supportive. It's also wonderful to work right next to Hampstead Heath!  There's a relaxed and calm atmosphere around the school but also an excitement and electricity - it's a place alive with the motivation of the students and staff. There's never a day where I wake up dreading to come here.
7. In both my roles as teacher and tutor I have always felt supported. I have never felt unable to ask for support and when I have asked for support it has always been given quickly. 
8. Yes, definitely! There are so many opportunities to develop in whatever direction you want your career to take. I plan to focus my career on the curriculum side of the role, rather than pastoral. I have already been able to attend several courses to help me achieve this goal. PHS is a place that wants staff to grow and will help you in your journey. 

Emily Doyle – Second-In-Charge for Art, Design & Technology + STEAM Coordinator

1. I am second in charge of Art and Design technology. I also lead on the STEAM curriculum and run the Arkwright scholarship program.  
2. I have been working at PHS now for 5 years. Although I also came to PHS as a student.  
3. The best part of the job is the students. The students are always keen to get involved in all aspects of school life and love being in the workshop creating exciting and innovative designs. Every day is a different day and the students make you smile every day. I also love having the freedom to try new teaching techniques and be able to adapt my SOL each year to introduce new and exciting opportunities for all the students.  
4. I have worked in mixed schools in the past and was a bit worried about only teaching girls. Although this has been an easy transition. It creates a safe environment and allows the girls to thrive not only academically but socially.
5. The students are very confident and are happy to give their opinions. The way Parli is allows the students to have their own voices and feel comfortable in the safe environment to share their views. 
6. I enjoy the relaxed feeling, the freedom as a teacher to try new things and the lovely staff in all areas of the school. There is a friendly atmosphere amongst colleagues and students and everyone is approachable.
7. I feel supported working at PHS.
8. You are always being offered opportunities to develop in your own career and supported in CPD.

 Why choose Parli for your next career move?

1. We provide the highest quality of learning and teaching resulting in a Progress 8 score of 0.8 in 2019 and 1.09 in 2020 (CAGs). It’s a wonderful place to work alongside experts.
2. Transport links are excellent - Gospel Oak train station is a five-minute walk while Tufnell Park tube station is 10 minutes away.
3. The school is on the edge of the magnificent Hampstead Heath which is renowned for its many recreational and sports opportunities as well as outdoor swimming facilities.
4. Camden Learning provides rich and varied professional learning which complements our in-house offer. We are recognised as a centre of excellence for professional learning.
5. Personal support is provided through coaching, mentoring and our assistance helpline.
6. We offer tax free benefits such as our cycle scheme and season ticket loans

 Recent Awards

• SSAT Framework for Educational Excellence Award for Professional Learning (2019)
• SSAT Educational Outcomes Award for being in the top 10% of non-selective schools nationally for the achievement of disadvantaged students (2019)
• Challenge Partners Area of Excellence for Well-being and Mental Health (2019)
• Four awards for our work with high potential learners: Potential Plus UK Gold Award (2018); two Above and Beyond Awards (2019); Challenge Partners Area of Excellence (2020)

In externally commissioned exit interviews, 100% of leavers would recommend Parliament Hill School as a good place to work.