PA to Executive Principal

About Us

Working across two Harris Federation Sixth Forms (both rated “Outstanding” by Ofsted) will give you a unique perspective into sixth form education. HWSF is selective on both ability and disadvantage and places first go to academically able students from disadvantaged backgrounds. It is a wonderful school with an ethos of “learning is amazing”, where staff truly care about the progress their students make over their two years. At HCL6F, our motto is “come as you are, we will teach you to fly” which encapsulates the exciting adventure that students undertake. A love of learning and a commitment to the transformational power of education is at its core.

For further info on each academy, please explores the links below:

• Harris Clapham Sixth Form – Our Academies
• Harris Westminster Sixth Form – Our Academies

We want the best people to join our community and we are committed to a diverse and inclusive student and staff body. If you are passionate about making a difference and feel you have the right experience and expertise, we encourage you to apply to join us.

Summary

We are looking for a PA to the Executive Principal to join us across two academy sites – Harris Westminster Sixth Form (HWSF) and Harris Clapham Sixth Form (HCL6F). James Handscombe OBE has been working at Harris Federation for over 10 years and founded HWSF in 2014 before also taking on responsibility for HCL6F in 2022.

HWSF is one of the top sixth forms in the country, with the aim to deliver high quality education and outstanding outcomes to students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. HCL6F enables the young people of South London to make the step from childhood to adulthood successful by offering an excellent academic and general vocational education so that they are ready for the next stage of employment or higher education. This post is an excellent opportunity for who wish to develop their administrative and organisational skills across two educational environments, and to make a real difference to the lives of young people across London.

Please note that that this is a year-round post (not term-time only) and that working on occasional half-Saturdays will be required at HWSF (no more than eight Saturdays per year). This post also requires onsite working 5 days a week, spending half the week at HWSF (nearest tubes: Westminster, St James’s Park, Victoria) and half at HCL6F (nearest tubes: Clapham Common, Clapham North).

We expect applications for this job to be competitive so recommend getting an application in early, as we will interview as soon as suitable applications are received.

Main Areas of Responsibility

Your responsibilities will include:

• Keeping the Executive Principal’s (EP) diary and be responsible for entering all appointments and assisting the EP to manage their time efficiently and effectively.
• Providing a daily diary and documentation for meetings and maintain an overview of approaching deadlines.
• Taking all telephone calls for the EP in the first instance, dealing with queries and passing calls on if absolutely necessary.
• Organising meetings and passing on messages between the EP and staff, students, parents/carers and other external agencies.
• Maintaining the EP’s paper and electronic filing system.
• Completing such clerical duties, telephone calls and secretarial tasks as may be reasonably expected in the course of the duties of the appointment.
• Preparing or proof-reading any documentation required by the EP.
• Acting as Clerk to the Governing Body at HWSF.

Qualifications & Experience

We would like to hear from you if you have:

• Qualifications at C or above in GCSE English and Mathematics(or equivalent)
• Qualifications to A level (or equivalent).
• Good numeracy/literacy skills
• Recent and relevant experience of clerical/admin/finance work
• Understanding of the importance of confidentiality
• Knowledge of safeguarding procedures for young people
• Understanding of the importance of students achieving their full potential
• Excellent ICT skills, specifically Word and Excel, and a willingness to undertake training when required
• Good keyboard skills
• The ability to relate well to children and adults
• The ability to work constructively as part of a team, understanding of school roles and responsibilities and your own position within these
• The ability to take initiative, manage own workload and work independently; as well as the ability to work as part of a team
• Good communication (oral and written), organisation and time-keeping skills
• Excellent organisational and administration skills, with attention to detail
• The ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines

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

Rewards & Benefits

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, a Performance and 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.

Equal Opportunities

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.

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.