Admin Assistant (Receptionist) at Ferndown Middle School

We are looking to appoint an experienced Administrative Assistant to join our busy school office. This is a demanding post and will require someone who is well organised and able to work under pressure. Flexibility is essential as it may be necessary to work additional hours at busy times of the year.This is a permanent contract, 39 weeks per year, 34.75 hours per week, with a 30 minute unpaid lunch break.Your Hours Of Work Will Be As FollowsMonday: 8:15am to 4:30pmTuesday: 8:15am to 4:30pmWednesday: 8:15am to 2:30pmThursday: 8:15am to 2:30pmFriday: 8:15am to 4:30pmThe Main Responsibilities And Duties Includegreeting visitors professionally - welcoming parents, pupils, contractors, and other visitors to the schoolmanaging phone calls - answering queries, taking messages, and directing calls to appropriate staffresponding to requests - handling enquiries from children, parents, and staff efficiently and courteouslymaintain accurate manual and electronic records on behalf of the schoolsupporting the Attendance Officer with the administration of attendance across our school and updating pupil data.provide efficient and effective general administrative support to ensure the smooth operation of the school office, providing reports and letters as requiredsend and respond to school communicationsdeal with situations of a sensitive and confidential natureThe successful applicant must be able to work as part of a team to support the learning and welfare of pupils in school.We Are Looking For People Whohave a good telephone manner and excellent people skillshave clerical and data processing experiencebe able to deal with situations in a calm mannerthe ability to thrive in a fast-paced working environment prone to regular interruptionsThe School Will Offer All Successful Applicantsa thriving, successful schoola school committed to your continuing professional developmentthe support and expertise of our experienced and established teamtraining will be provided as appropriatefree access to the Employee Assistance Programmeeligibility to join the Local Government Pension SchemeCycle to Work SchemeFurther InformationVisits to the schoolVisits to the school are encouraged. Please contact the school office to arrange an appointment with Mrs Shield. To gain a greater understanding of our school values, curriculum offer and premises, please visit our school website.The application processApplications must be made on the school’s My New Term site.Please ensure a full work history is completed, including any gaps in employment and two referees are given. Please note Ferndown Middle School does not accept CVs in place of an application form. Incomplete application forms will not be shortlisted.Please refer to the job description and person specification attached.SafeguardingThe Castleman Academy Trust 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 demonstrate that they meet the essential elements of the person specification and will be subject to pre-employment checks, including an Enhanced DBS Check, Child Barred List check, satisfactory references and a health check and, where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed for all applicants.Online search on shortlisted applicantsAn online check will also be conducted on all shortlisted applicants. This check will form 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 search and will only share information if and when findings are relevant and of concern.Right to WorkThis role is UK based and your Right to Work will need to be established as part of the appointment processThis 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 Ministry of Justice 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 via https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-guidance-on-the-rehabilitation-of-offenders-act-1974 .QueriesIf you have any queries on any aspect of the application process or need additional information, please contact Michele Shield on 01202 876556 or email [email protected]About UsFerndown Middle School is part of the Southern Education Trust (SET) – a Trust which prides itself on putting children first always and puts its values of Respect, Independence, Creativity and Inclusion at the heart of everything we do.It is the staff in our academies who make our schools vibrant places of learning – who do all they can to make sure our children become confident individuals, successful learners and responsible citizens. Our staff want to make a real difference to the lives of the children they work with and are learners themselves who relish professional development opportunities.You will be working with other forward thinkers, who see possibilities and are optimistic. You will have the support of like-minded colleagues and together we will ensure everyone has a great work life balance. Being part of the Southern Education Trust means there are a whole host of opportunities for you to develop and flourish.Ferndown Middle School is situated in Ferndown, adjacent to Ferndown First and Ferndown Upper Schools. The school has up to 600 pupils, covering the age range 9 to 13 years old (year groups 5 to 8).