Receptionist/Administrator - Ferndown Upper School

Dorset Council; Ferndown; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Part time

Job summary

A local government authority in Ferndown is seeking a Receptionist/Administrator to act as the first point of contact for parents, visitors, and staff. The ideal candidate will have excellent interpersonal skills and experience with Microsoft Office. This part-time role requires a calm and professional demeanor in a demanding school environment. Competitive salary at Dorset Grade 5, SCP 5-6, with various benefits offered.

Benefits

CPD opportunities

Personalized induction

Local Government Pension Scheme

Access to health and wellbeing support

Private Healthcare Plan

Qualifications

• High degree of interpersonal, organization and communication skills.
• Knowledge and experience of Microsoft Office programs.
• Ability to work accurately under own initiative.
• Must be able to multi-task and work under pressure.

Responsibilities

• Receive telephone calls and welcome visitors.
• Process incoming and outgoing mail.
• Undertake general office duties.
• Provide administrative support to all areas of the school.

Skills

Good telephone manner

Interpersonal skills

Organization

Communication

Microsoft Office

Ability to multi-task

Teamwork

Job description

Overview

RECEPTIONIST/ADMINISTRATOR

Job Ref: XS8.8d

Dorset Grade 5 SCP 5-6 £13.26 - £13.47 per hour

Working pattern: Monday, Wednesday and Friday – 22 hours per week. Monday and Wednesday 8am to 4pm and Friday 8am to 3.30pm. Term time only plus staff training days.

We are looking to recruit a Receptionist/Administrator to start as soon as possible.

You will be the first point of contact for parents, visitors and staff. The ideal applicant will enjoy working in a demanding role and above all, have the ability to remain calm, professional and resilient in a busy and challenging environment.

Responsibilities and Duties

• To receive telephone calls and welcome visitors and take appropriate action.
• To be responsible for processing incoming and outgoing mail.
• To undertake general office duties, use of Bromcom, collating and generating reports, facilitating on-call requests and assisting in the absence of colleagues.
• To provide administrative support to all areas of the school.

Knowledge and Skills

• Good telephone manner with a calm and friendly disposition.
• The post requires a high degree of interpersonal, organisation and communication including initiative, flexibility, diplomacy and discretion together with a professional approach.
• Knowledge and experience of Microsoft Office programs with relevant experience of office work.
• Able to work accurately, under own initiative for short periods of time and to work in an organised and flexible manner.
• Be able to multi-task, prioritise and work under pressure.
• Ability to work as part of a team.

What Ferndown Can Offer You

• CPD opportunities and training and development programmes.
• Personalised induction, supported by a mentor.
• Eligibility to join the Local Government Pension Scheme.
• Access to health and wellbeing support.
• Private Healthcare Plan including 24/7 access to a GP by phone, gym discounts, cashback for optical, dental and other appointment expenses for employees and their children.
• Access to staff benefits and discounts portal through Dorset Council.

For more details, please contact [email protected]

To apply, please click on ‘Apply Now’ here at the Dorset Jobs website.

Alternatively, please log on to our website www.fernup.dorset.sch.uk and click on Job Vacancies.

Important Dates

Closing date: midnight Wednesday 15th October 2025

Interviews: week commencing 20th October 2025

Further Information

This school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be required to have an Enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service check (formerly CRB) in line with the Governments safer recruitment guidelines.

Ferndown Upper School values the diversity of our workforce and welcome applications from all sections of the community.

The pro rata salary shown is based on the number of hours and weeks worked and includes appropriate paid annual leave and bank holiday entitlements.

The salary quoted is the annual salary for the position at the time of advert. The salary will be paid in equal monthly instalments and will be adjusted at the start of employment and again if leaving part way through the school year to ensure the correct salary is received for the work completed in an academic year.

This role is UK based and your Right to Work will need to be established as part of the appointment process.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974. The amendments to the ROA 1974 (Exceptions Order 1975, (2013 and 2020) provide that when applying for certain jobs and activities, certain spent convictions and cautions are ‘protected’, so they do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account. The MOJ’s guidance on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the Exceptions Order 1975, provides information about which convictions must be declared during job applications and related exceptions and further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS filtering guide.

Ferndown Upper School will conduct online searches of shortlisted candidates. This check will be part of a safeguarding check, and the search will purely be based on whether an individual is suitable to work with children. As care must be taken to avoid unconscious bias and any risk of discrimination, a person who will not be on the appointment panel will conduct the searches and will only share information if and when findings are relevant and of concern.

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