Office Manager in Chippenham

Due to the retirement of the current post holder, Notton House Academy wishes to appoint an experienced, highly organised, flexible and friendly Office Manager to run our busy school office. The Office Manager will be responsible for overseeing the administrative and organisational processes within the school and undertaking a range of administrative and organisational duties which support the management of the school in an effective and positive manner.

We are looking for:

• A flexible team player who is positive, passionate about their job and a problem solver.
• Someone that can develop and maintain strong, positive relationships with pupils, the staff team and parents.
• Excellent organisational skills and the ability to operate successfully and calmly under pressure.
• Someone that can use their own initiative, is highly organised and can manage the busy environment of a school office.
• Great IT skills (Word/Excel/Google) and the ability to use data systems (e.g. Arbor) with a commitment to training and professional development.
• A self-motivated, creative and flexible person who respects confidentiality.
• A person with a good sense of humour.

Hours: 37 hours per week, term time only plus 5 INSET days and 10 additional days to be worked over school holiday periods.

Grade: MNSP 6 SCP 18 - 22

Salary: £31,537 - £33,999 per annum pro rata. Actual Salary: £28,384 - £30,504 (Pay Award Pending).

Start Date: Wednesday 1st July or as soon as possible after this date.

Closing Date: Friday 29th May 2026.

Interviews: Thursday 4th June 2026 (tbc).

We are sure you are excited about learning more about the wonderful educational and residential provision that we provide to vulnerable young people aged 8-19. Pupils with an EHCP (Educational and Health Care Plan) are referred to Notton House due to their specific social and emotional needs. Many of our young people have experienced adverse childhood experiences, others have a diagnosis of Autism, ADHD, and many have speech, language, and communication needs; but all of our young people require a bespoke and therapeutic programme, in order to be happy, to achieve and succeed, and to eventually lead a healthy and independent life.

Notton House is situated in leafy Wiltshire, between Chippenham and Lacock. The site itself is stunning, with huge grounds, a forest school area, poly tunnel and raised gardening beds for each class, an outdoor gym, and low level traversing wall. Inside the Grade II listed building, there are 39 bedrooms, many with en-suites, a cinema room, a fitness suite, a sensory room, and a gaming suite. The art room, food technology suite, and lower school classes, including a private sensory garden, are also situated within the ‘old’ building. Within the purpose-built and more modern education block, there are a number of classrooms, a sensory room, a science lab, a library, and a music room. Finally, there are two independent living houses for pupils who can demonstrate they are moving towards adulthood and independence, and who can be trusted to budget, cook, clean, and take care of themselves and others.

The Leadership Team and staff at Notton House are pleased that you are considering applying for the position of Office Manager. This is a great opportunity to join our forward-thinking team, to support and nurture the young people we cater for.

We are looking for an enthusiastic, imaginative, and energetic Office Manager to join our academy’s vision. We aim for our young people to be kind, stay safe, and show respect. These values underpin all that we do during the day and the evening. We hope that the successful candidate will be committed to improving the outcomes for the pupils, as well as learning new skills and acquiring knowledge themselves.

What can we offer you? We provide an extensive range of professional development courses and qualifications, and we aim for staff to become lifelong learners, just like our young people. All staff at Notton House are supportive and caring, as this role can be challenging and demanding, but there is always someone to lend a hand or share a listening ear. There are many advantages to working for us - access to a government pension scheme, sick pay scheme, cycle-to-work scheme, free eye tests and employee assistance helpline. Support staff in schools can also benefit from a range of national discount schemes available to education professionals such as the Blue Light Card offering savings on shopping, travel, and leisure.

Experience of working in a school environment is desirable, but not essential, as we firmly believe it is about the individual person and what they can bring to the role, and how they can contribute positively to changing young people’s lives. You will be joining an experienced team of professional colleagues, who are dedicated and well-trained. We encourage early applications as we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the closing date if we receive sufficient applications for the role.

To arrange a visit please contact Cath Neale, Bursar/HR Manager.

Notton House Academy and Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We particularly welcome applications from underrepresented groups including ethnicity, gender, transgender, age, disability, sexual orientation or religion.

For further information and an application pack please click "Apply on our website".