PA to Principal

About Us

Harris Academy Chobham is always on the lookout for inspirational and influential staff. Most of all, we are on the lookout for potential colleagues who like our students and want to help them succeed. We understand that if staff are to give their best to our students over a sustained period of time, then the school needs to provide them with the best deal possible. In order to help our staff have the best possible experience and achieve a proper work- life balance, we have put into place a range of measures to benefit both our teaching and students services colleagues. These include:

• An extra week of holiday for all Harris Academy Chobham staff. This takes the form of a two-week half term in October. We work fewer days than most other schools.
• Outstanding professional development both at Harris Academy Chobham and through the wider Harris Federation
• Excellent promotion opportunities
• A constant dialogue about workload and how to manage it most effectively. We have regular workload audits, and frequent campaigns to tackle unnecessary work and identify quick wins
• Rapid and effective support with any student behavioural issues arising
• A high-quality staff induction programme
• Marking protocols devised by departments themselves
• Clear communications and manageable deadlines. We only ask staff to do what is necessary and avoid complication and confusion.
• Learning walks rather than formal lesson observations. These are not graded
• Nursery on site
• Flexible and part time working encouraged whenever possible
• Additional time for leadership responsibilities
• High levels of administrative support for all teachers

Other benefits of working at Harris Academy Chobham:

• World-class facilities for learning, leisure and sport. A school which is genuinely at the heart of its local community
• The advantages of working for the country's most successful major Academy group. These include amazing consultant support and a range of high-quality central services.
• Generous Harris rewards and benefits package, including £2000 annually for Mainscale/Upper teachers.

We regard staff wellness as being central to the school's purpose and to its success.  We have several initiatives which we think give Harris Academy Chobham staff one of the best wellness packages to be found anywhere, including:  

• Access to the Calm mindfulness app 
• Staff fitness suite and multiple team sports opportunities 
• Staff social events 
• Staff discounts at shops and restaurants in the local area 
• Access to the Harris Federation's staff counselling service , Dedicated Wellness Hub 
• Healix Healthcare package 

The complete Wellness Strategy can be read on our website.

Main Areas of Responsibility

Your responsibilities will include:

• Presenting the professional and welcoming face of the academy to all visitors, staff and students, including telephone callers, and organising refreshments as appropriate
• Managing the Principal’s diary for all appointments and meetings
• Being the first line of contact between the Principal and any phone calls, requests from staff or visitors, ensuring only appropriate contact is made
• Managing communications from the Principal to employees, ensuring information is shared in a timely manner
• Liaising with Federation admin teams and PAs across the Federation as appropriate.
• Proofreading documentation on behalf of the Principal and making necessary amendments
• Tracking delegated tasks where required and monitoring progress, chasing any documentation or responses not received and keeping the Principal informed as appropriate
• Typing up, disseminating and filing all agendas and minutes for meetings involving the Principal
• Maintaining the Principal’s filing systems
• Liaising with Governors to ensure paperwork for meetings has been circulated, completing ad hoc reports for Governors' meetings, dealing with Governors' enquiries and collecting/forwarding relevant correspondence
• Supporting staff on HR procedures and policies, arranging meetings and maintaining the necessary records
• Completing the monthly payroll
• Collating and filing performance appraisal documentation
• Managing the recruitment and appointments process for new staff, including advertising for staff, processing job applications, requesting references, arranging interviews and initiating all necessary pre-employment checks
• Completing documentation for contracts and bank details for payroll and HR
• Maintaining accurate and up to date staff sickness records and preparing reports
• Organising and maintaining confidential staff files
• Taking responsibility for accuracy of the Academies Single Central Record
• Supporting the Finance business manager in negotiating, managing and monitoring contracts and tenders
• Managing and maintaining administrative systems and procedures to ensure that they operate efficiently
• Overseeing and implementing financial processes
• Work with the Principal and Harris Federation Financial team in the preparation, general supervision and maintenance of the academy budget
• Supporting the finance officer with maintenance of the Academy Fund and all associated banking services

Qualifications & Experience

We would like to hear from you if you have:

• Appropriate degree or equivalent level of education
• Training in the use of a variety of ICT packages
• Knowledge of personal assistant roles and responsibilities
• Training in typing and formatting of a variety of documents including spreadsheets
• At least two years' experience working in school or other educational establishment
• Experience work in an inner city school or with inner city students
• Experience of managing staff in relation to the PA role
• Some experience of human resources e.g. recruitment and/or monitoring attendance
• Experience of working to targets and deadlines
• Experience of managing meetings including preparation and circulation of papers, minutes and ensuring information is circulated as required
• Experience of managing diaries at a high level, including communication with a range of audiences.
• Experience of managing high profile events
• Experience of developing policies, processes and procedures

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

Professional Development & 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.