HR Manager

The School

Established in 1991, Newton Prep is a thriving school for children, aged 3-13. The School is unashamedly ambitious for its pupils who have access to outstanding facilities. We want them to achieve their academic potential whilst also engaging in sport, art, music and drama. In the School, there are currently 530 pupils from Nursery to Year 8.

We want the children to involve themselves in the total life of the School, which includes after school clubs and activities and a wide range of trips. We celebrate the diversity of our pupils; we want our children to develop a strong sense of community, learning how to make a positive contribution to the community of Newton Prep and the world around them. The ethos and philosophy is one that is based on mutual respect and kindness shown to others.

Our Vision is to provide the children in our care with a first-rate education in the knowledge that time is precious and irreversible. The education we provide has a strong academic base and an imaginatively broad curriculum giving a rich learning experience for all children including provision for children with a range of abilities, including those with high aptitudes in specific subjects. Moreover, the Newton education has a lasting impact as children progress through their school years and throughout their lives, developing both intelligence and character. Our atmosphere is full of happiness and enthusiasm with a sense of purpose and achievement as both pupils and staff aim high. Good governance bolsters these aspirations. We focus on developing ambition in the children so that they move on to the most appropriate senior school. Newton Prep is a model for best practice in all aspects of prep education.

Fundamentally, we want Newton Prep children to enjoy their precious childhood years.

Location

Newton Prep is positioned in the heart of central London’s newest vibrant and dynamic development. The area stretching from Nine Elms to Battersea is home to a bustling new ‘town’. The iconic Battersea Power Station, now rebuilt, has transformed this part of the capital. With the opening of the Northern Line tube extension, the school enjoys exceptional connectivity, we are within fiveminutes’ reach of three different stations, served by four bus routes and even accessible by river!

Summary of the Role

We are looking to recruit an enthusiastic and proactive HR Manager to work at Newton Prep. Our staff are our greatest resource, and our HR Manager will hold a key role. Our atmosphere is full of happiness and enthusiasm with a sense of purpose and achievement as both pupils and staff aim high. We are seeking someone who mirrors this approach and is a model for best practice, as we look forward to a new chapter in the School’s life. The theme is continuity and development – to build on the School’s culture and many achievements to date, not least of all its most recent ISI report issued following inspection in January 2025. Applications are invited from candidates who are CIPD qualified (Level 5 or 7 or equivalent), with excellent communication and organisational skills. You will need a proven track record in your previous roles and will need to show dedication and commitment to develop in this role.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone to broaden their experience in human resources, manage an HR Assistant and work alongside other teams including the Governing Body, the Head, the Bursar, the Finance Team, the Communications Team as well as other leaders and staff within the School. The successful candidate will benefit from excellent facilities and resources combined with a competitive salary. The successful candidate will be subject to child protection screening, including a DBS check and barred list check.

The main duties of the HR Manager include:

Employee relations:

• Lead on all Employee Relations cases working closely with the Head, Bursar, Deputy Heads and line managers; including but not limited to investigations, disciplinary, grievances, capability, redundancies, restructures and dismissals.
• Follow up on sickness absence triggers, including referrals to occupational health when required, advising and working closely with line managers and occupational health where applicable. Ensure compliance with UK Employment law and best practice in Human Resources
• Manage and advise employees and managers on leave of absence, family leave and other leave requests in line with School policies and procedures

Employment law, regulatory compliance, contracts and policy:

• Ensure the School’s compliance with all aspects of employment law applicable to Schools incorporated as a limited company, The Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014, the school’s status as a UKVI sponsor in relation to employees, other regulations, DfE requirements, insurance requirements and best practice
• Manage the school’s Single Central Register, including conducting at least termly audits with the Bursar to ensure that it is up to date and accurate so that we are ever ready for any inspection
• Comply with all aspects of safer recruitment and Keeping Children Safe in Education
• Organise safer recruitment training for the School on a cyclical basis
• Lead annual reviews and updates of the School’s suite of employment contracts and HR policies Keep up to date with future employment regulation and law applicable to the School, and prepare for changes in ways that mitigate risk
• Update policies and procedures in line with employment law changes, submitting proposed changes to the Governing Body via the Bursar Liaise with the School’s legal advisors on staff related issues together with the Governing Body

Manage the employee lifecycle from attraction to exit:

• Manage recruitment, including the production of adverts, job descriptions, person specifications, shortlisting processes, interview schedules and safer recruitment processes
• Keep up to date with labour market trends and how this affects the School’s ability to recruit, including the use of AI (for example, in assisting drafting)
• Utilise recruitment campaigns and sourcing channels as required for roles advertised and work with the Communications Team to make these go live
• Design fair and inclusive assessment approaches which identify the right candidates for the roles
• Use campaign, recruitment and onboarding data and feedback to drive better people experiences and more effective recruitment approaches
• Manage onboarding and offboarding processes, reviewing and re-designing the processes where necessary and updating the School’s induction policy accordingly
• Ensure that all staff receive appropriate advice and support on conditions of service, policies and procedures, ensuring they are effectively and consistently inducted and communicated with throughout their service at the School and kept abreast of changes to school policies
• Facilitate exit interviews with all departing staff members, analyse staff turnover and exit interview data to report on potential issues and trends to the Head, Bursar and Governing Body

Workforce planning, absence management and cover:

• Assist with workforce planning across the School by assessing immediate and future capability needs and assist design career pathways to achieve future capability
• Report on and manage staff attendance, monitor all absences and analyse absence trends
• Arrange cover where necessary
• Conduct return to work interviews
• Maintain relationships with agencies and third parties used by the School to arrange cover
• Manage requests for flexible ways of working whilst balancing the School’s needs and parental expectations

Performance management:

• Assist the Head and the Bursar with appraisal processes, and manage all records in relation to the same
• Analyse performance management data to suggest improvements
• Enable managers and leaders to support others to be their best at work
• Coach, advise and build people management capability at various levels across the School
• Assist in creating professional learning culture and environment that supports continuing professional development across the School and promotes career progression in line with the School’s future capability needs

Maintain HR records & Manage HR Projects:

• Together with the HR Assistant, ensure that all personnel records are maintained in accordance with best practice and are able to meet the information needs, data protection and insurance requirements of the School. This includes all standard employment records, annual self-declarations, appraisal and training records
• Keep job descriptions up to date across the School
• Continuously review, improve and streamline HR processes
• Manage and undertake HR Projects such as DBS renewals and registration to the Update Service, Digitisation of HR records, HRIS implementation

Budgets and reward packages:

• Manage the HR budget and ensure the most effective use of spend
• Work with the Finance Office to manage changes in payroll and reward packages, pensions
• Conduct and report on resource audits as required by the Head, the Bursar and the Governing Body
• Use evidence-based practice to assist the Fees and Salaries Review Committee to conduct annual salary and benefits reviews
• Translate HR issues into answerable questions, with recommended solutions
• Use benchmarking data to provide insight about the external reward environment
• Use relevant research to assist the committee to make informed decisions
• Collectively develop and improve the quality of ideas and proposals that create a total reward offering which is risk assured
• Update the committee on reward and recognition approaches which attract, motivate and retain staff, and support the School’s value proposition

People practice:

• Assist with maintaining the culture and conditions in which the School’s staff can thrive and perform Use a range of people practices in an integrated and systemic way for the School and its culture
• Define outcomes for people practices and measure their impact and value
• Further integrate wellbeing into the School’s people practices to enable a perpetually resilient workforce that operates in a healthy environment with a shared responsibility
• Assist with equality, diversity and inclusion approaches that positively impact the School’s culture and performance
• Make use of the different technologies available across the School and more widely available to support the delivery and improvement of people practices

Culture and behaviour:

• Understand the School’s Mission Statement and Key Aims, how this is brought to life in the everyday life of the School and how your team impacts this Model best practice and collaborative relationships across the School
• Challenge decisions and actions which are not in the best interests of the School by explaining the risks
• Coach managers and leaders to consider the implications of their decisions
• Encourage transparency in decision making and communicating across all those involved in people management across the School
• Create and maintain an environment where others feel safe to admit mistakes, share ideas and challenge ways of working

Work ethic:

• Network and connect with peers, other people professionals in other schools and associations to keep up to date with industry practices, benchmark and share good practice
• Develop and embed good work principles, attention to detail
• Demonstrate a proactive approach to developing your professional knowledge, skills and experience as a people professional within the independent school market
• Visibly and consistently role-model professional principles, values and professional integrity to build trust
• Take responsibility for mistakes or challenges that sit within your remit, encouraging learning and demonstrating ownership for the actions to make things right
• Be open about the limits of your own expertise and experience Demonstrate motivation and personal resilience through self-care and selfdevelopment

Your team:

• Oversee the work of the HR Assistant to ensure best practice
• Represent the HR function at relevant meetings as directed by the Head and the Bursar
• Set up and lead working groups as appropriate to develop and implement HR policies and procedures to ensure best practice as directed by the Head and the Bursar
• Work with the Finance Team and Communications Team
• Undertake HR projects and other work, as required by the Head/ Bursar and Governing Body
• Person Specification Essential:
• CIPD qualified Level 5 or 7(or equivalent)
• Excellent communication (verbal and written) and organisational skills
• Previous experience of managing and advising on Employee Relations case work
• Excellent planning, organisation and team management skills, with the ability to work collaboratively and proactively with stakeholders
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities simultaneously as a team player
• Strong IT skills including a good working knowledge of Microsoft Office, with appreciation of other technologies at use in human resources
• Committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of pupils
• Committed to best practice in human resources
• Ability to handle sensitive information with confidentiality, integrity and professionalism

Desirable:

• Experience with human resources in schools
• Previous experience working with and/or implementing HRIS
• Previous line management experience

Summary of Terms & Conditions

The following information provides guidance, without prejudice, on the expected main terms and conditions of employment.

A formal contract detailing the terms and conditions applicable to this position will be drawn up on receipt of your acceptance of your provisional offer of employment. Any offer of employment will be subject to satisfactory recruitment checks (including qualifications, references, ID, right to work, online searches and medical checks) that are satisfactory to the School as well as satisfactory DBS checks.

Employment

Full-Time, permanent (on-site).

Salary

A competitive salary will be offered, commensurate with the skills and experience of the successful candidate and reflective of the responsibilities associated with the role. Salaries are paid by BACS transfer on the last working day of each month in twelve-month equal payments.

Working hours

Normal working hours during term time are 8.30am to 5.00pm, Monday to Friday, with a one-hour lunch break, and 8.30am to 4.30pm during school holidays. However, this is a senior appointment and the post holder will be required to work such hours as are necessary (whether or not such hours are within the normal school hours) in the reasonable opinion of the Bursar in the proper performance of their duties.

Probation

This post is subject to a probationary period of six months. During this probationary period either you or the school may terminate your employment by giving not less than one month’s prior written notice. The school may, at its discretion, extend the probationary period for a further period in the event it is considered necessary.

Notice

Following the successful completion of your probationary period your notice period will be three months.

Holiday

You will be entitled to 30 days holiday (per annum). The majority your holiday should be taken during school holidays, subject to operational needs. You will be required to attend any dismissal or disciplinary hearing during school holidays on being given reasonable notice.

Pension

The school operates a Group Personal Pension Scheme. The school will automatically enrol you in its Standard Life Pension Scheme (the Scheme). If you do not wish to be a member of the Scheme you may choose to opt out. Forms are available from the Scheme’s website. The school will automatically re-enrol all staff who are not members of the Scheme on a three yearly basis. Should you wish to continue to optout you will need to repeat the opt-out process. The school will contribute an amount equal to 10% of your net salary into its Group Personal Pension Scheme subject to your