applicants
PA to the Headteacher
at The Kingsway School Manchester in Manchester (Published at 16-10-2023)
Contract type: Permanent, Full Time - 37 hours per week, Full year.
Location: Based at The Kingsway School (two sites)
Required from: Immediate Start
Salary: NJC Scale 6 point 22 (£29,439) per annum
Closing date: Friday 20 October at 12 noon
Interview date: To be confirmed
Job Purpose:
To deliver a professional, comprehensive and discreet secretarial, organisational and administrative service to the Headteacher, Operations Manager and Senior Leadership Team, providing highly efficient and effective support in relation to all matters, enabling the School to deliver high quality teaching and learning.
Key Accountabilities/Primary Responsibilities:
Duties that may be carried out in this role include, but are not limited to:
1. Support to the Headteacher, Senior Leadership Team & Operations Manager
- Represent the School & Headteacher’s Office in a positive & professional manner on all occasions, managing & screening the Headteacher’s emails, post and telephone calls and ensuring that appropriate timely action is taken.
- Work with the Headteacher & Senior Leadership Team to manage their electronic diaries to ensure that their time is used as efficiently and effectively as possible: identifying and resolving any potential conflicts to enable them to meet their commitments
- Anticipate the requirements of the Headteacher & Senior Leadership Team, including making accommodation and travel arrangements, briefing them and providing relevant timely information prior to meetings & events
- Undertake the preparation and production of complex reports for the Headteacher & Senior Leadership Team, which could contain distressing or upsetting content and ensuring that all such correspondence is processed accurately including HT Report to Governors and PEXs.
- Manage and coordinate key tasks delegated by the Headteacher and ensure deadlines are met by staff e.g., Subject Leader Reports, coordinating Governor Body meetings including preparing agendas, distributing materials, minute taking, administration support, updating GIAS, updating governance structure and attendance documents
- Assist the Headteacher & Senior Leadership Team in providing information for Governors Reports, minutes, preparing speeches, routine parent letters, messages via the appropriate parent communication channels, staff and student references
- Organise events and meetings as directed by the Headteacher & Senior Leadership Team ensuring that venue and hospitality arrangements are in place, and that all relevant delegate information is prepared and circulated in a timely manner.
- Prepare documents as directed including reports, agendas and correspondence for signature; sourcing, organising and analysing information as required and utilising appropriate formats.
- Take accurate minutes at briefings, meetings and hearings, ensuring that they are circulated to the appropriate parties in a timely manner.
- Act as liaison between the Headteacher & Senior Leadership Team and staff to ensure that matters are dealt with promptly including gathering, collating and disseminating information, responding to questions and ensuring that actions are carried out and followed up.
- Ensure that communications are filtered and work is prioritised appropriately, bringing matters to the attention of the Headteacher, Operations Manager & Senior Leadership Team accordingly.
- Ensure that both hard copy and electronic filing systems, including email are kept updated, maintained and compliant with the Data Protection Act 2018.
2. Complaints
- Manage the Schools Complaints process in conjunction with the Headteacher & Senior Leadership Team in a timely and effective way, taking initial details & directing to the necessary member of the Senior Leadership Team and responding as necessary in alignment with Trust policies, maintaining a tracker.
3. HR
Staffing:
- Keep the Single Central Record up to date in compliance with Ofsted requirements, Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance & all other relevant statutory regulation. This to include having delegated responsibility of overseeing the maintenance of the SCR with specific responsibility for maintaining staff, volunteer and governance records.
- Place adverts, maintain application & shortlisting records as well as ensuring the shortlisting panel has all of the applications within a short time following the closing date
- Liaise with the Headteacher and Senior Leadership team, Operations Manager as appropriate regarding any contractual changes to the terms & conditions of employment including flexible working hours’ request, notifying HR & Payroll accordingly.
- Prepare offer letters and ensure all relevant forms are completed in respect of new staff/leavers
- Co-ordinate & arrange inductions for all new staff.
- Arrange ‘welcome meetings’ throughout the academic year for the Headteacher, Senior Leadership Team to meet all new staff,
- Arrange the timely receipt of SLT appraisal meetings
- Support HR with the annual workforce census data collection
- Act as a single point of HR contact for the staff body and to work with the Trust HR to ensure matters are dealt with swiftly and confidentially
- Support Attendance & Absence Management including:
- Maintain in Every HR accurate absence records
- Oversee the timely arrangement of Return to Work interviews by the Headteacher & Senior Leadership Team in line with the Trusts Absence Policy, ensuring quality of report, keeping the Headteacher appraised of compliance.
- Compile monthly reports to the Trust’s Payroll providers with all variations to salary and record sickness absences on the Trust’s payroll provider’s iTrent system.
4. Communication & Events
- Liaise with parents, staff, Governors and external agencies including the Local Authority on behalf of the Headteacher & Senior Leadership Team as appropriate
- Liaise with the Marketing Department on promotional matters relating to the School
- Assist the Headteacher, Operations Manager & Senior Leadership Team in arranging Strategic Planning Days and staff training sessions for staff to ensure that they are aware of associated procedures and regulations
- Develop and implement administrative processes, procedures and systems which maintain compliance with School/Trust policies and procedures and statutory requirements, including but not limited to those in respect of safeguarding and data protection.
- Undertake the preparation and distribution of agendas, paperwork and minute taking for meetings as required including Senior Leadership meetings and Staff meetings
- Undertake the administration of paperwork and preparation for investigations and casework e.g. Disciplinary, capability.
- Liaison with professional bodies, outside agencies, other schools/universities and organisations and attend to queries as required by the Headteacher & Senior Leadership Team
- Communicate complex and sensitive information to staff and all stakeholders
- Provide a point of contact for parents/carers and all stakeholders to speak with the Headteacher
Responsible for the production of minutes for staff meetings and briefings and taking minutes in special circumstances to ensure full records are kept of all such meetings
5. Other Responsibilities
- Undertake project work as directed
In addition, the post holder will undertake any other miscellaneous work, deemed suitable by management of the school.
The PA to the Headteacher will be required to be flexible and work outside of normal School working hours to support wider school events, such as Open Days.
Professional Development
- Maintain personal professional development to ensure that the knowledge and skills required to fulfil the role of PA to the Headteacher are kept up to date, including attending any training course relevant to the post to ensure continuing personal and professional development.
- Be a professional role model, and understand and promote the aims and the values of the Trust
Safeguarding and Promoting the Welfare of Children and Young People
- The PA to the Headteacher is required to adhere to the statutory guidance ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ and follow all of the Trust’s policies and procedures in relation to safeguarding at all times.
- The PA to the Headteacher must take appropriate action in the event that they have concerns, or are made aware of the concerns of others, regarding the safety, or wellbeing of children or young people.
Data Protection & Confidentiality
- The PA to the Headteacher is expected to comply with the provisions of GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, and follow all of the Trust’s information governance policies and procedures at all times.
- Any information the jobholder has access to, or is responsible for, must be managed appropriately and any requirements for confidentiality and security observed. Information must not be disclosed to any person, or Authority without observing the correct procedure for disclosure as set out in the Trust’s Data Protection Policy. Nothing shall prevent the jobholder from disclosing information that they are entitled to disclose under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 as amended, provided that the disclosure is made in accordance with the provisions of that Act/s.
Equality and Diversity
- The PA to the Headteacher is required to treat all people they come into contact with, with dignity and respect, and is entitled to expect this in return.
- The Trust are committed to fulfilling their Equality Duty obligations, including valuing equality and diversity and we expect all employees to share this commitment.
Health and Safety
- The PA to the Headteacher has a duty to take care of their own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by their actions at work.
The PA to the Headteacher must cooperate with the Trust as their employer, and co-workers to help everyone meet their legal requirements and follow the Trust’s health and safety policies and procedures at all times.
Job Types: Permanent, Full-time
Salary: £29,439.00 per year
Benefits:
- Additional leave
- Health & wellbeing programme
- On-site parking
- Sick pay
Schedule:
- Monday to Friday
Ability to commute/relocate:
- Cheadle: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)
Work Location: In person
Application deadline: 20/10/2023