Job Description

Job title: School Secretary

Reporting to: School Business Manager

Start Date: September 2022

Hours: 10.30 am -6.30pm, Monday to Friday, HH Term Time +2 Weeks (37 weeks)

Salary: £17,000

Benefits: Meals are provided free of charge; gym membership; In-house training;

Purpose of the Job:

Holmwood House School is looking for an administrator to join its busy front office team. The ideal candidate will be friendly, approachable and will have a 'can do' attitude. You will provide effective, frontline support to the whole school and will be expected to act as the main receptionist for the school.

Duties will include:

• Answering the telephone and ensuring messages are taken accurately and passed on quickly.
• Answering and dealing with queries from parents and helping children and staff with queries throughout the day.
• Signing pupils and visitors in or out as necessary.
• Type and distribute correspondence, notices and minutes for staff.
• Work in the school's management information system (iSams) to monitor morning and afternoon registration on a daily basis, liaising with form tutors and following up unexplained absences with parents, entering diary dates, pupil messages, etc.
• First Aid training to be undertaken in order to provide cover for the School Nurse.
• Administration of the school's Breakfast and Biscuit (After School) Clubs.
• Coordinating the Afterschool activities schedule
• A range of other tasks as required.

This job description should be seen as indicative of the type of responsibilities included within the role and not as a comprehensive list.

Person Specification:

• Excellent IT skills
• Experience of working in a busy front office would be advantageous but training will also be given
• Unbeatable customer service skills and a confident telephone manner
• Neat and tidy worker with excellent attention to detail
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Honest, trustworthy and dependable
• Punctual, personable, proactive and good at prioritising
• Tactful, diplomatic and discrete
• Must have a good sense of humour!

The school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Any job offer would be conditional upon suitable references and DBS disclosure. The School's Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy can be found by clicking here.

How to Apply

If you would like to apply for the position of School Secretary you will need to complete the school's online application form which can be found on the school website. The information you provide will be used as the first stage of the selection process to decide whether or not you will be shortlisted for an interview. It is very important that you complete your application as accurately and fully as possible, including all the information you think is relevant.

Completing an application form

Please read through all information provided before completing your application form;
We require information about all applicants to be presented in a consistent format: Please do not submit a CV;
Complete all sections; do not leave any blanks. Enter N/A if not applicable and provide as much information as possible;
Continue on a separate sheet if you require more space to complete any section.

References

All offers of employment are subject to the receipt of a minimum of two satisfactory references. One of your references must be from a current or most recent employer. Neither referee should be a relative or someone you know as a friend.

Shortlisted applicants are advised that references may be taken up prior to interview. Unless you ask us not to, we will assume it is acceptable to contact your referees at any time.

Holmwood House School is an equal opportunities employer. A copy of the School's equal opportunities policy is available on request.

Submitting an application

Applications should be submitted via the school's online application form

Application forms received electronically will be required to be signed by the candidate if they are selected for an interview.

Please be aware that if you have not heard from us within 21 days, unfortunately your application has been unsuccessful. Due to the response to advertised vacancies, we provide feedback only to those applicants who are interviewed.

The application forms of unsuccessful candidates will be held confidentially by the School and destroyed after three months.

Interviews

We will contact shortlisted candidates with further information about the exact format of the interview process but candidates should expect to be interviewed by several members of staff and may be required to undertake some form of practical assessment.

If you are invited to attend an interview you will be required to provide the following:

Evidence of eligibility to work. For all posts, we are legally obliged to confirm that the appointee is eligible to work in the UK before they start working with us.

Original documents confirming any educational and professional qualifications referred to in your application form.

Conditional offer of appointment

Your employment with the school will be subject to the school being satisfied with the following:

• the enhanced disclosure received from the Disclosure and Barring Service;
• that you are not barred from working with children;
• information about whether you have ever been the subject of a direction under section 142 of the Education Act 2002 which renders you unable or unsuitable to work at the School;
• verification of your medical fitness;
• verification of qualifications and identity;
• confirmation of your right to work in the United Kingdom;
• the two references received; and
• such other pre-employment checks as the School is required to complete in accordance with its statutory or regulatory obligations including such other overseas checks as necessary
• Completion of child protection training

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)

As the school meets the requirements in respect of exempted questions under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, any offer of employment will be subject to an enhanced disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) before the appointment is confirmed.

Candidates attending an interview are required to provide three forms of ID from the list below.

• Passport
• UK driving licence
• A UK Birth or adoption certificate
• EU photo identity card
• A utility bill, bank / building society or credit card statement that is less than three months old and which shows your name and current home address This must be an original document and cannot be printed from the internet.

Please note that originals of the above are necessary. Photocopies or certified copies are not sufficient. In the event that you are unsuccessful please be assured that photocopies of documents taken by the school will be destroyed immediately.

A full list can be found on the DBS website: https://www.gov.uk/disclosure-barring-service-check/documents-the-applicant-must-provide-

Holmwood House is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Where a candidate is found to be on the DBS Children's Barred List, or the DBS disclosure shows he / she has been disqualified from working with children by a Court; or found to have provided false information in, or in support of, his / her application; or the subject of serious expressions of concerns as to his / her suitability to work with children the facts will be reported to the Police and / or the DfES Children's Safeguarding Operation Unit.

If you have any queries about your application or the recruitment process, please contact Liz Shiret, School Business Manager, on 01206 574305 or email ls@holmwood.house

Information about the School

Holmwood House is an independent co-educational school with thriving Nursery, Early Years, Pre-Prep and Prep departments. The school is set in beautiful grounds a few minutes from the centre of Colchester, giving over 400 boys and girls, up to age 13, access to a huge range of academic, sporting, creative and scientific facilities.