Receptionist and Administrative Assistant

Harris Federation; Greater London; On-site; GBP 23,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

Harris Academy Clapham in London is hiring a professional Receptionist and Administrative Assistant to be the welcoming first point of contact for visitors, staff and students. You will support across Harris Academy Clapham and Harris Clapham Sixth Form, handling front desk duties and a range of administrative tasks.

The role requires strong organisation, excellent communication and a commitment to safeguarding and professional service.

Qualifications

• GCSE level or equivalent qualification.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office packages.
• Experience using computers and databases.
• Previous experience in an administrative or front-office/reception role.
• Demonstrable customer service experience.
• Good English written and spoken communication.
• Excellent organisational and time-management skills.
• Commitment to delivering high-quality customer service.
• Ability to stay calm with challenging callers or visitors.
• High attention to detail and accuracy.

Responsibilities

• Presenting the professional and welcoming face of the Academy to all visitors, staff and students, including telephone callers
• Ensuring all visitors are signed in to the academy in accordance with safeguarding procedures
• Responding to queries from parents/carers and the general public with exemplary professionalism, ensuring that messages are forwarded or escalated as required
• Ensuring the overall appearance of the reception area is tidy, professional and presentable at all times
• General administrative duties such as typing, photocopying, filing, collation and distribution of post
• Contributing to the maintenance of academy information databases and filing systems relating to pupils, ensuring confidentiality is observed at all times and records are accurate and up to date
• Assisting academy staff in all aspects of academy life, including contacting parents and pupils where necessary
• Providing general support as required, including preparation of documentation and administrative duties relating to specific areas such as academy calendar maintenance, extra-curricular activities, school trips, school meal arrangements

Skills

Customer service

Interpersonal communication

English proficiency

Organisational skills

Time management

Calm under pressure

Education

GCSE level or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Office

Databases

Job description

We are seeking a professional, organised and welcoming Receptionist and Administrative Assistant to join the team at Harris Academy Clapham. As the first point of contact for visitors, staff, students and external stakeholders, you will play a key role in creating a positive and professional experience for everyone who enters the academy.

This is a cross-site role, and the successful candidate will work across both Harris Academy Clapham and Harris Clapham Sixth Form, supporting the administrative functions of both sites.

About Us

The vision of Harris Academy Clapham is a simple one. From our opening in September 2020, our academy is a place where ‘everything is possible'.

The Clapham curriculum is designed to meet the needs, aspirations and abilities of every one of our students. Our aim is to improve their life chances and enable them to make a positive contribution to the city and world in which they live.

At Harris Clapham, the curriculum is delivered through high-quality teaching. This is codified in our research-informed approach to pedagogy, which we call the Clapham Way. The following principles apply in our curriculum:

• Subject specific knowledge and skills come first
• Embedding and building on the basics – ensuring that every student acquires the vocabulary, literacy and numeracy skills to enable them to fully participate in society
• The curriculum must be rigorous and relevant by engaging with the best of what has been thought and said and acknowledging that knowledge is fluid and can be contested
• The curriculum must prepare for life in modern Britain and beyond, and enable Clapham students to understand their rights and fulfil their responsibilities under the Equality Act.

Through the Clapham academic, enrichment and pastoral curriculum we expect our students to develop powerful knowledge and the following values and character attributes that will enable them to achieve our vision that ‘Everything is Possible'.

• Learning to work hard and relish challenge.
• Learning to never give up.
• Learning to take sensible risks.
• Learning to always strive for the best for themselves and each other.

Integrity and honesty

• Always acting with kindness.
• Treating others the way they would like to be treated.

Self-belief with a global view

• Growing to have the agency to achieve their ambitions for themselves and the wider world.

Our staff are supported in their work and in developing their future careers via:

• A centralised behaviour system, with each year group supported by non-teaching pastoral leaders
• A programme of instructional coaching, supported by the Step Lab platform
• Access to a wide range of National Professional Qualifications delivered by the Institute of Teaching
• Federation subject consultant support
• Harris Federation professional development training days and networking support.

Main Areas of Responsibility

Your responsibilities will include:

• Presenting the professional and welcoming face of the Academy to all visitors, staff and students, including telephone callers
• Ensuring all visitors are signed in to the academy in accordance with safeguarding procedures
• Responding to queries from parents/carers and the general public with exemplary professionalism, ensuring that any messages or complaints are immediately dealt with, forwarded to the appropriate member of staff or escalated as required
• Ensuring the overall appearance of the reception area is tidy, professional and presentable at all times
• General administrative duties such as typing, photocopying, filing, collation and distribution of post
• Contributing to the maintenance of academy information databases and filing systems relating to pupils, ensuring confidentiality is observed at all times and records are accurate and up to date
• Assisting academy staff in all aspects of academy life, including contacting parents and pupils where necessary
• Providing general support as required, including preparation of documentation, and administrative duties relating to specific areas such as academy calendar maintenance, extra-curricular activities, school trips, school meal arrangements

Qualifications & Experience

We would like to hear from you if you have:

• Qualifications to GCSE level or equivalent
• Competency in the use of Microsoft Office packages
• Proficiency in the use of computers and databases
• Previous experience in an administrative or front office/reception role
• Demonstrable customer service experience
• Good level of interpersonal and communication skills, with a good standard of written and spoken English
• Excellent organisational and time management skills
• Commitment to delivering excellent level of professional customer service
• Ability to remain calm and deal with challenging callers or visitors in an appropriate manner
• High level of attention to detail and accuracy of work

For a full job description and person specification, please download the Job Pack.

Next Steps

If you have any questions about this opportunity, please send us an email, or call to arrange a conversation.

Before applying, please download the Job Pack for full details on the job responsibilities and person specification. This will be helpful for you when completing your application, and throughout the recruitment process.

We encourage you to apply as soon as possible as we may interview and offer to a candidate before the closing date. Please note that we only accept applications submitted before the closing date via our careers website.

Our people are at the heart of our success. We have developed a strong culture of collaboration and best practice, with professional development and career planning at its centre. We invest in our staff with support, coaching, mentoring, and a wide range of top-quality training programmes delivered at every level.

In addition to the opportunities for career development and progression, we also offer a competitive rewards and benefits package which includes our Harris Allowance for teachers on MPS/UPS, an Annual Loyalty Bonus, Pension Scheme with generous employer contributions, a Wellbeing Cash Plan and many other benefits. Learn more about our benefits on our website.

Safeguarding Notice

The Harris Federation and all our academies are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, references, an online search, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed.

The Harris Federation is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates.

We value the diversity of our staff and students, and everyone at the Harris Federation is equally valued and respected. We aim to be an inclusive employer that reflects the communities we serve. We are committed to providing a fair, equitable and mutually supportive learning and working environment.