- Job title: School Office Manager - PA to a Senior Deputy Head
- Job Type: Permanent, Full Time, Monday to Friday (8am-5pm)
- Salary: £45,000 per annum (up to £52,200 if full pension flex benefit is utilised)
- Department: Senior School Office
- Reporting to: The Senior Deputy Head
- Location: Highgate Senior School
- Start: 26th August 2025
- Closing Date: 24 June 2025 at 12:00 pm
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We are seeking a highly organised and proactive Office Manager to oversee the daily operations of our senior school office and manage a team of administrative and reception staff.
- To line manage the Senior School Office Team including Administrators, Receptionists and Pupil Supervisors
- To oversee processes for all Senior School administration
- To provide cover for Senior School Office Administrators and Receptionists as and when necessary
- To provide one-to-one secretarial/administrative support to the Senior Deputy Head
- To provide administrative support to the Highgate School Parents Association (HSPA)
THE DEPARTMENTThe School Office at Highgate provides administrative support to the Senior Team, teaching staff and academic departments, and deals with queries from parents and carers, pupils, staff, Governors and the general public. The attitude of the administrative staff sets the tone of customer service for the school, as often this is the first port of call for queries, an approachable, calm and helpful attitude is essential at all times.
Administration mirrors the arrangements for pastoral care in the School: The Lower School (Years 7 and 8); the Middle School (Years 9, 10 and 11); and the Sixth Form (Years 12 and 13); it involves regular communication with parents and carers, contact with pupils, teachers and support staff as well as administration generated by the day-to-day running of the School.
Pupils visit the School Office with queries and also to return consent forms for trips, letters for teaching staff, homework etc. Pupils also sign in and out of the School via the Office or Reception if they arrive late or leave early for appointments.
"I really enjoy working in an environment which is focused on education and wellbeing. And the kids are great!"
- New member of support staff
Job Description
MAIN RESPONSIBILITIESLine Management and Leadership- Provide day to day line management and leadership for the Senior School Office Administrators ensuring smooth daily operations
- Manage the professional development of all team members; hold appraisals, identify opportunities for development and ensure that the necessary skill and competency levels are in place, developed or acquired
- Liaise with HR regarding any people management processes and concerns
- Have an overview of the school office systems and daily tasks and assist administrators as required during times of heavy workload or absence
- Innovate administrative processes to ensure maximum efficiency
- Conduct regular team meetings to discuss continuous improvement of working practices and any on-going issues
- Assist in recruitment, onboarding, and training of administrative staff while ensuring compliance with school policies and regulations
- Maintain strict confidentiality regarding pupil and staff records, ensuring compliance with data protection policies
- Ensure the office environment is well-organised, welcoming, safe, and conducive to productivity
PA to Senior Deputy Head- Provide proactive and efficient PA support to the Senior Deputy Head daily
- Manage calendar and arrange regular and ad-hoc meetings including venue booking, catering, production of Agendas and Minutes as required
- Safely store, or dispose of, documentation
- Produce correspondence
- Collate information and items to be included for insertion on the Parent Portal or Venn
- Assist with documentation for policy review
- Assist with any recruitment activities as required
- Assist with / provide information and documentation for various ad-hoc projects
- Carrying out any other projects or research as required
HSPA- Assisting HSPA Reps responsible for ad-hoc events by publicising events/send out mailings to parents/carers (second hand uniform sales/year group social evenings/events
- Updating information for HSPA projects
General- Take telephone calls and messages, dealing with general enquiries, re-directing and prioritising as necessary
- Update pupil/parent records on SIMs
- Assist sick pupils and refer to the School Nurse when necessary
- Maintain stationery supplies and orders
- Assist with general office mailings
- Provide cover for the members of the School Office team during sickness, holidays and other absence
- Carry out any such other duties within the post holder's capabilities as may be reasonably requested from time to time
These duties and responsibilities are intended as a guide. They are not exhaustive: the PA to the Senior Deputy Head will be expected to undertake any reasonable task or responsibility as required by the Senior Deputy Head or the Bursar.Person Specification
- Criteria
- How will these be tested or verified?
- Qualifications and Experience
- Essential:
- At least 3 years continual experience of secretarial or administrative duties
Desirable:
- Experience of working in the education sector
- Knowledge/Skills
- Essential:
- A high level of computer literacy, working with Microsoft Office packages and being proficient and accurate in word processing, mail merge and spreadsheet programs, particularly Microsoft Word and Excel
- General database experience
- Attention to detail with proof reading skills
- The ability to work effectively under pressure
- The ability to reschedule and reprioritise as necessary
- The ability to prioritise tasks and to be able to show initiative in dealing with day-to-day situations
- The ability to maintain in strictest confidence any information received concerning School matters
- Previous line management experience
- An exemplary attendance record in their present and previous employment
- Please note: Where applicable, candidates will be required to demonstrate a high level of IT skills at interview
Desirable:
- Knowledge of child protection and safeguarding policies
- Knowledge of HR policies and processes
- Personal Attributes
- Essential:
- Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate effectively with pupils, parents and staff and the wider school community. This requires an open, friendly approach together with a good telephone manner
- Patience, flexibility and a sense of humour
- A willingness to undertake training in order to acquire a mastery of appropriate IT skills
- Ability to work well as a member of a team
- The ability to remain diplomatic and composed under pressure
- Ability to understand and adapt to the culture of an independent day school
BenefitsLocation | Highgate Village, adjacent to Hampstead Heath, with quaint shops and easy connections across London.
Pension | AVIVA workplace pension scheme offered with a generous 26% employer contribution, with the ability to flex up to 16% of this as additional non-pensionable salary, employees contribute a minimum of 5%.
Personal development | Comprehensive induction support for new staff. Focus on continued professional development for all employees.
Leisure facilities | Free access, at stipulated times, to our sports facilities, including a fitness suite and swimming pool (recently refurbished).
Lunch | A complimentary lunch.
Help with sustainable travel | Access to the Cycle to Work Scheme and a Season Ticket Loan scheme for public transport.
Family-friendly policies | Highgate appreciates that employees sometimes have family commitments so we try to be as supportive as possible, for example with enhanced maternity pay (8 weeks' full pay, then 10 weeks' half pay) and paid dependant leave.
Working at HighgateA culture of community, kindness and belongingHighgate is a caring, open-minded community, where we promote kindness, empathy and friendship. Everyone who works and studies with us deserves to feel they are part of a welcoming environment that enables them to be themselves and to thrive as individuals.
Our community extends beyond the school, through partnerships, charity work and our commitment to equality, inclusion and sustainability. All members of our school community are encouraged to look outwards and play an active role.
Following a visit from the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) in September 2024 to assess Highgate's regulatory compliance and school standards, we are pleased to share the inspection findings, which reports compliance in all five areas and a 'significant strength' in our teaching expertise.
Staff wellbeingHighgate is committed to staff wellbeing, which we promote by encouraging a strong work-life balance; trying our best to support flexible working requests; providing a nutritious complimentary lunch in the dining hall; and offering access to sporting facilities including our recently renovated swimming pool.
The Staff Wellbeing Committee, with representatives across the School, meets regularly to drive forward initiatives, and a selection of staff have been trained as Mental-Health First Aiders.
We encourage an open culture throughout our school, with regular staff surveys, action committees and opportunities to feedback. We strive for continual learning and improvement, and staff training and development is paramount. There are opportunities to participate in the wider life of our school, such as taking part in trips or societies and getting involved in partnership projects.
More details about working at Highgate can be found here:
Work with us Aims + Ethos
'A fun, collaborative and forward-thinking environment with a real sense of community'
- Philippa Studd, Junior School Principal
Charitable work and sustainabilityAs an independent school, we want to use our position as a charity effectively: to make high-quality education accessible to as many children as possible - through our bursary programme at Highgate and through our work with local state schools. We have partnerships with over 60 state schools across 7 London boroughs, and we are the principal educational sponsor for London Academy of Excellence, Tottenham - an academically-selective state sixth form in a community where such opportunities are lacking.
Alongside this, our staff and pupils undertake charitable activities throughout the year. These range from staff giving up their time to neighbourhood schools and charitable organisations, focused fundraising campaigns, to pupils undertaking community work in the local area or further afield.
As a school, we have a central role to play in educating our pupils, staff and parents about the importance of environmental sustainability. We are taking positive action to adapt our operational performance to tackle the negative effects of climate change. We encourage all our staff to reflect upon their personal and professional practices, to support our environmental agenda and to make positive changes wherever possible.
Application procedure- Closing Date: 24th June 2025
- First Interview: Friday 27th June
- Second Interview: w/c Monday 30th June
Contact: Recruitment Team are happy to answer any questions about this post.
Early Application: Applications will be considered 'as and when' received and we may close the vacancy if we appoint before the closing date.
Apply here
Inclusion We know that more diverse teams are stronger teams, and that the more inclusive we are, the more our staff and pupils will feel a sense of belonging and will thrive. To enable us to make reasonable adjustments, please let us know of any disabilities (including neuro-divergence) when you submit your application.
SafeguardingAs this role will have regular unsupervised contact with children you must, if appointed, comply with Highgate's Safeguarding Policy and Staff Code of Conduct. If in the course of carrying out the duties of the post the post holder becomes aware of any actual or potential risks to the safety and welfare of our pupils, these concerns must be reported immediately in accordance with the Safeguarding Policy. If whilst in the post, Highgate becomes aware of any safeguarding concerns to staff, pupils or the community; these will need to be followed up in line with the safeguarding policy and code of conduct which is underpinned by KCSE and other legislation. These concerns may need to be shared with other agencies. A copy of these policies will accompany all offers of employment. Training will also be provided to all staff to support Safeguarding practice.
Please read before you applyHighgate is committed to the safeguarding and welfare of children and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to this post, including checks with past employers, the Disclosure and Barring Service and overseas police check if necessary. Candidates from overseas must provide information about their past conduct, for example, by providing documents issued by overseas teaching authorities. DBS Privacy Policies
Please note that this role is 'exempt' from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore, you are required to declare any convictions, cautions, reprimands and final warnings that are not 'protected' (i.e. filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2013). Shortlisted candidates will be asked to provide details of all unspent convictions and those that would not be filtered, prior to the date of the interview. DBS Code of Practice
In accordance with the latest guidance from KCSIE, we shall be conducting online searches on any candidates who are shortlisted.