Office Administrator - Whaddon C of E School

Buckinghamshire Council; Milton Keynes; Remote; GBP 21,000 - 26,000; Full time

Job summary

Whaddon C of E School in Milton Keynes area is seeking an Office Administrator to support the Headteacher, staff and families. You will manage reception, calls, emails, safeguarding sign-ins and pupil records, and assist with SIMS and census tasks. The role may expand to bursar duties for the right candidate.

41 weeks in-school pattern, permanent contract, 08:15–16:00. Strong organisation, initiative and a friendly approach are essential to fit our ethos and to support learning and community

Qualifications

• Experience working in a school office environment.
• Experience with administrative tasks and records management.
• Good reading, writing and numeracy skills.
• Ability to prioritise and work with initiative.

Responsibilities

• Support the Headteacher and school team on a daily basis.
• Manage reception, visitors, contracts and safeguarding sign-ins.
• Handle inbound/outbound phone calls and emails; voicemail retrieval.
• Maintain pupil/parent records and SIMS data; census preparation.
• Assist with reports, attendance data, and appointments for parents’ evenings.

Skills

Office administration

School office experience

Communication

Teamwork

Tools

SIMS.net

Job description

Office Administrator - Whaddon C of E School

Location: Whaddon

This is an opportunity for someone with the right ethos for education, pastoral care, and professional skills to be an integral part of our small school team.

Our aim is to be a school which provides an outstanding and meaningful education, a setting that is involved in our local community, a place where we can live our Christian vision; which is the foundation for all of our decisions and all that we do for our community - enabling all associated with our school to flourish.

Our school is based in the heart of Whaddon Village, on the border of Milton Keynes. Our school is very small and we strive to maximise on the carefully crafted relationships with our children and provide a relevant, inspirational and high quality, curriculum, which is appropriate for all our learners, enhances life-skills and a passion for learning for life! We pride ourselves on our inclusive ethos and welcome everyone; irrespective of their ability, ethnicity, social background or faith.

The school opened as a first school, in 1811 and we have since grown to a primary school with mixed age classes up to year 6, since September 2023.

We are recruiting for an Office Administrator to join our school. We need an Administrator who will demonstrate initiative, common sense and have a sense of humour. The role is to support, our Headteacher, Class Teachers, Parents, Governors and external suppliers.

The role of the Administrator will be reviewed each year, in line with the needs of the growing school.

Contract: Permanent

Hours: 08:15 – 16:00

About us

Our aim is to be a school which provides an outstanding and meaningful education, a setting that is involved in our local community, a place where we can live our Christian vision; which is the foundation for all of our decisions and all that we do for our community - enabling all associated with our school to flourish.

Our school is based in the heart of Whaddon Village, on the border of Milton Keynes. Our school is very small and we strive to maximise on the carefully crafted relationships with our children and provide a relevant, inspirational and high quality, curriculum, which is appropriate for all our learners, enhances life-skills and a passion for learning for life! We pride ourselves on our inclusive ethos and welcome everyone; irrespective of their ability, ethnicity, social background or faith.

The school opened as a first school, in 1811 and we have since grown to a primary school with mixed age classes up to year 6, since September 2023.

This role is a pivotal role in our small school and will require the successful candidate to work closely with the Headteacher and school team (including children and parents) on a daily basis. As well as being a team player, you will need common sense, initiative and a sense of humour.

As an Office Administrator, you will be required to work alongside the Headteacher in order to support the administrative function and smooth running of the school. This will include, but is not limited to providing a key point of safeguarding in our school with regards to visitors and contractors on site and the signing in and safeguarding processes involved, maintaining a welcoming reception point for staff, pupils and visitors, handling in bound and out bound phone calls and voicemail retrieval, and liaising with the external agencies that help our children access what they need to flourish and other admin duties: emails, photocopying, SIMS report running, organising lunches and completing the Census throughout the school year.

There will be requirements to support teaching staff in compiling reports and completing attendance reports throughout the school year and support with the efficient and timely appointments for parents’ evenings.

There is scope for the role to expand to include the bursar role, for the right candidate, with experience of finance, running financial reports for governors, budget setting and monitoring with the Headteacher, handling purchase orders, invoices and reconciliation of invoices and credit card, and monthly Nursery reporting and invoicing, and a willingness to undertake training for the Bucks systems and processes for FMS etc. We are seeking a person who is willing to secure the best value for money to ensure a well-balanced budget and is familiar with securing grants, to enable the maintenance and safety of the site.

The Office Administrator will be required to deal with a range of tasks, including SIMS maintenance of pupil and parent records, inputting registration codes, organising admissions paperwork and new starter set up, CTF import and export, statutory Assessment data export to the Local Authority and DfE, maintaining and promoting class groups, HR/recruitment related paperwork, Single Central Record maintenance with the Headteacher/DSL, accepting deliveries and receipt of goods, managing school mail and other correspondence, as well as performing general office duties such as typing, photocopying and filing. The role will also include some support with the online portal to our S4A portal to help children attending our before and after school support clubs, as well as supporting the planning of school visits and trips with class teachers.

In order to undertake this role, you will ideally have had experience working in an office and have knowledge of school systems such as SIMS.net, but training will be provided if necessary. You will be able to communicate effectively with colleagues, suppliers and stakeholders, within an education environment.

Our operational hours are 08.15 – 16:00 and the combined office Administrator and Bursar role will be worked over 41 weeks, 5 days Inset attendance.

About you

• Good basic standard of reading, writing and oral English
• Good basic standard of numeracy
• Experience of working in a school office environment
• Experience of administration
• Working collaboratively – as part of a team
• Good oral and verbal communication skills
• Good organisational skills
• Ability to prioritise, to act on own initiative and “see things through”
• Ability to work constructively as part of a team
• Ability to work under pressure
• Understanding the importance of health and safety and responsibilities for it
• Ability to follow instruction manuals
• Willingness to train for the latest software updates and changes
• Management of email files and use of software to improve systems and procedures
• Commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children
• Friendly and professional manner
• Ability to relate well to wide range of adults and children
• Ability to work collaboratively and without supervision
• Willingness to contribute positively to the school’s ethos and values
• Pride in the appearance of the office environment
• Able to promote the school’s Christian vision
• Willingness to work outside normal hours, if required
• High levels of motivation, integrity, confidentiality and loyalty
• Training in Business Administration/Finance
• Experience of working within an educational environment
• Experience of dealing with people of all ages and backgrounds

Please see attached Recruitment pack for further information.

Other information

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expect all staff to share this commitment. All posts are subject to an enhanced DBS check and receipt of two satisfactory references.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent convictions and conditional cautions
• All spent convictions and adult cautions that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020).

For further information on filtering please refer to Nacro guidance and the guidance issued by the Ministry of Justice (see, in particular, the section titled ‘Exceptions Order’).
It is an offence to apply for the role if you are barred from engaging in regulated activity relevant to children. All shortlisted applicants will be required to complete self-disclosure form and return prior to interview.