Head's PA/School Secretary

TES FE News; Ascot; On-site; GBP 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

A prestigious boys' boarding prep school in Ascot is seeking a Head's PA/School Secretary to provide confidential support to the Headmaster. Responsibilities include managing communications, scheduling, and maintaining school records. Successful candidates will demonstrate strong organisational skills, effective communication abilities, and a commitment to confidentiality. The role offers weekdays from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm with negotiable salary and extensive holidays.

Qualifications

• Ability to maintain confidentiality and discretion.
• Enjoy taking responsibility and working as part of a team.
• Effective communication with parents and compassion when dealing with children.
• Good level of competency in ICT.

Responsibilities

• Provide full confidential PA support to Headmaster.
• Answer incoming phone calls and reply to emails from parents.
• Minute-taking at meetings and creating term calendars.

Skills

Confidentiality

Communication

Organisation

Teamwork

Initiative

ICT Competency

Job description

Job Overview

HEAD’S PA/SCHOOL SECRETARY — Required for January 2026. The role is in a happy, friendly boys’ boarding prep school. The post is Monday to Friday. Salary is according to qualifications and experience. Applications should be made by Wednesday 8th October 2026.

Job Description – Head’s PA/ School Secretary – January 2026

• To provide full confidential PA support to Headmaster
• Filtering of all phone calls for Headmaster
• Receiving and welcoming visitors to the Headmaster
• Point of contact for parent queries
• Booking appointments
• Minute taking of weekly staff meetings and distribution of minutes
• Organisation of meetings
• Extraction of information from school database
• Recording of pupil absence
• Create the term calendars
• Organise preaching slots
• Coach bookings
• General assistance for teaching staff

Daily Tasks

• Diary – Check Headmaster’s diary for meetings and take out relevant files
• Register – Update iSAMS / Register – boys in and/or absent. Collect paper registers from the day before and file for audit/inspection. Contact parents if a boy cannot be accounted for. Place a list of boys out in the Dining Room before lunch and before supper
• Post – Post must be franked and taken to the post office each day
• Phone – Answer all incoming phone calls and reply to any voicemail
• Email – Answer all incoming email from parents within 24 hours. Answer all general enquiries coming in via the main school email address
• Front Door – Answer main school door, ensure visitors sign in/out correctly and issue badges. Greet parents who are meeting the Headmaster, arrange refreshments and settle in Drawing Room
• Clarion Call – Check communications are approved by Headmaster then send to parents via email using ClarionCall. Circulate to Staff and Peris to keep all updated
• Lists – Create and place a list of boys who are out ill/extra-curricular in the dining-room before lunch and supper

Weekly Tasks

• Monday's Staff Meeting – take minutes at the staff meeting, type up, and send to Headmaster for checking. Once approved, publish full set of staff meeting minutes
• Ensure preachers have made contact with their reading and hymn choice
• Create paper registers for the week ahead for whole school and distribute

Monthly Tasks

• Register – On the 1st working day of each month, create a Monthly Attendance Report, for the previous month using iSAMS
• Keep a soft copy in folder and hard copy of Monthly Report, latter to be kept with the daily registers
• At the end of every half term and term, create a Lower, Middle and Senior School attendance report and circulate to the appropriate staff

Ongoing and Start/End of Term Tasks

• Reports – Inform parents when reports are uploaded onto the Parent Portal
• Events – Check the term diary for any events that require an invitation (e.g., Staff lunches, Drinks Parties, Speech Day, etc.), and send out invitations
• Website – At the beginning of each term update the staff section on the website
• Preachers – Contact potential preachers for the next term
• Filing – Headmaster’s filing
• Coaches – Book coaches as and when required
• Printing – Liaise with printing company to create proofs of Remembrance, Christingle, Carol and Leaver’s Service as well as Speech Day programme. Also Christmas cards and event invites and post these out
• Exams – Responsible for collating the completed CE and Kings Scholarship Exam papers. Scanning and posting via recorded mail must happen each day
• Full Staff Meeting – Sunday before term starts, be present at and take minutes of the full staff meeting
• Term Calendar – At the beginning of term produce a template of the next term’s calendar. Keep the soft copy template updated as and when staff make additions. Attend the evening Calendar Meeting (last week of every term) for all entries to be approved. When calendar is ready for printing – create a PDF and send to printing company. Approve calendar proof during the holidays and agree delivery date for the start of term
• iSAMS – Create new registration periods in iSAMS before the start of term. Work with Registrar to ensure all boys are allocated to the correct year, form, House, Tutor and boarding status before term starts
• SOCS – Upload the next Term’s calendar to SOCS before the start of term
• Daily Papers – Pre-order newspaper requirements for the following term
• General – Emails/Letters for GAP places sent to relevant staff for consideration. Set up table/drawing room for Governors’ meeting. Management of leaver’s and new joiner’s files. Stationery/Supplies: Keep a stock of personalised stationery for the Headmaster and his wife. Keep a stock of Papplewick Envelopes and Headed paper. Keep a stock of all stationery; general, franking machine, visitor labels and badges, Papplewick branded and personalised stationery

Working Hours and Holidays

• During term time, Monday to Friday from 8.00am to 4.30pm
• After the end of term, term time hours for up to a week, as necessary
• Before the start of term, term time hours for three days, as necessary
• Minimum of fourteen and a half weeks’ holiday per year
• Salary is negotiable

Qualities Required

• An ability to understand the importance of confidentiality and discretion
• An ability to enjoy taking responsibility
• An ability to work as part of a team
• An ability to show initiative
• An ability to communicate with parents effectively
• An ability to be compassionate when dealing with boys
• A well-developed sense of humour
• An understanding that, at its heart, prep school life should be fun
• A good level of competency in the use of ICT
• A willingness to promote and safeguard the welfare of all the boys

Papplewick is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children. Applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to this post which involves regulated activity, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service. A copy of Papplewick’s Safeguarding Policy may be found at: https://www.papplewick.org.uk/parent-info/school-policies.html Papplewick School is also committed to equality and diversity and the value that greater diversity brings to our school community.