Administrative Assistant (Gap Year Student)

Package Description

Required for: as soon as possible

Location: Vincent Square - Westminster Under School

Contract: full-time (term-time only), fixed term for one academic year

Salary: £19,971 (actual) equating to an FTE of £26,667.93 per annum.

The deadline for applications is 09:00 on Friday 11th October 2024. Interviews will follow shortly after the closing date.

Job Introduction

Westminster Under School is seeking a talented and enthusiastic Gap Year Student to work at the School for the academic year until the end of term in the first week of July 2025 (term-time only). Consideration will also be given to applicants who wish to work at least two out of the three school terms. 

Gap Students assist in all areas of the day-to-day running of the School, examples of which are outlined below and are essential in its smooth running. The successful applicant will report principally to the School Receptionist and be encouraged to take a full and active role in the curricular and extra-curricular activities which take place within the School. 

Main Responsibilities

Typical, non-exhaustive, roles performed in this role are: 

• Assist with pupil registration, including ensuring all pupils are accounted for and parents are contacted if pupils are not in school. 

• Supervision of pupils during break and lunch times, engaging with them in a mature and positive way. 

• Provide approximately six hours of games coaching/art/drama/music support per week across the School – particular strengths can usually be accommodated. 

• Manage lost property on a daily and weekly basis. 

• Assist with taking pupils to the Sports Centre for after-school ‘Extras’, including the local swimming pool and away matches, as well as for other extra-curricular activities. 

• General assistance with the day-to-day running of the School, including assisting with the running of the Reception area. 

• Provide administrative support for the Senior Management Team, teaching and Admin and Support staff, including photocopying and other support as necessary, such as refreshing display boards and resources for lessons. 

• Involvement with extra-curricular activities, such as concerts and plays, at particular times of year. 

• Assist and supervise pupils taking part in school trips as and when they take place, paying particular attention to the behaviour and safety of pupils. 

• Provide low-level medical care for injuries and illness (training will be provided). 

• Any other support reasonably requested by the Senior Management Team. 

The role may be particularly beneficial for someone who is considering a career in education or teaching, though this is not essential.  

Competence in the main Office software (Word, Excel, Outlook and similar) is a strong advantage.  

Hours of work

Monday to Friday, term-time only (including all INSET training days). The exact daily hours of the role can vary but will be approximately eight hours between the hours of 8 am and 6 pm with a 30-minute lunch break. 

Salary 

£19,971 (actual) equating to an FTE of £26,667.93 per annum.

Voluntary additional activities, e.g., taking part in residential school trips, may be paid at a different, pre-agreed rate. 

Lunch is provided at no additional cost each day.  

The Ideal Candidate

Please refer to the below (attached) person specification.

Equal Opportunities

We are an equal opportunities employer. We therefore encourage candidates to apply irrespective of age, disability, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion and belief, gender identity, sex or sexual orientation.

Safeguarding and Child Protection

Westminster Under School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service.

About The School

Working at Westminster Under School

Westminster Under School is a busy, purposeful and vibrant place to be and an excellent workplace. The community is made up of 292 pupils, 43 teaching staff and 50 support staff.

Westminster Under School is a friendly and welcoming place to work. There is a real sense of community here and staff members quickly become part of the rhythm of life, both inside and outside the classroom. Social events are regular and varied, with plenty of opportunity to socialise outside working hours. Support staff as much as teaching staff are encouraged to embrace the School’s day-to-day activities, whether that be attending a concert or a sports fixture.

At Westminster we will always select the best candidate for every position. We do know, however, that we can only truly choose the best person on every occasion if a broad and diverse pool of candidates see the job advertised and are encouraged to apply.

As such, we continue to work on how our job roles are encountered, and particularly welcome applications from groups who have traditionally been underrepresented here.

Westminster Under School is for everyone, regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or any other protected characteristic. We hope you are encouraged to apply.

The School

Westminster Under School is a great environment for happy and purposeful pupils, and for all the staff who support them. Our aim is to produce well-rounded individuals with a love of learning and an enthusiasm for life, and who relish coming into School each day. All members of staff play an important role in ensuring that day-to-day processes at the School run smoothly, and in turn helping each and every pupil to enjoy and benefit from all that the School has to offer.

The Under School is a day school with approximately 292 pupils aged between 7 and 13. The School was founded in 1943 in the precincts of Westminster School in Little Dean’s Yard, just behind Westminster Abbey. The 17 boys with whom it began rapidly became 60 in  number and by 1950 there were 80 boys in the Under School. The boys had to compete for space with the senior school pupils who had returned from evacuation at the end of the war, but in 1951 the Under School acquired its own premises in Eccleston Square. Numbers of pupils continued to rise during the 1960s and 1970s and in 1981 the School moved once again to its present site overlooking the Westminster playing fields in Vincent Square. A stone’s throw from the same Square is the striking Art Deco Sports Hall, which is used by both Westminster Under and Westminster Great School pupils.

To this day, the Under School enjoys a strong and important bond with Westminster Great School. Both schools foster a deep sense of the importance of independent thought and the ethos of a liberal education, giving them a unique shared identity. It is usual for Under School pupils to be offered a place at the Great School, and the vast majority accept their offers, continuing on until they leave the School in Year 13.