Job Summary

St Clement’s Primary School is looking for a motivated and efficient secretary to join our team.  The successful candidate will support the leadership team in the effective management and function of the school and have the ability to build positive relationships with pupils, families and the wider community. Proven proficiency in Microsoft Office, book-keeping and accounting experience is preferential.

Job Purpose

• To provide a warm welcome to all visitors, staff, parents and pupils of the school.
• To work alongside the School Business Manager to provide a comprehensive administrative and secretarial service to the Headteacher, staff, parents and visitors.
• To support the School Business Manager in order to ensure the efficient and effective management of the School Office.
• To ensure that all financial accounts are accurately maintained using the financial standards and guidelines within the Government of Jersey.

Main Duties and Responsibilities 1 of 2

The successful candidate will be able to:

• Respond appropriately to all visitors/ parents/ children and staff members, either face to face, on the telephone, by email etc.
• Monitor and maintain the school’s attendance register and liaise with the Education Welfare Officer and Designated Safeguarding Leads, when appropriate.
• Provide a comprehensive, confidential administrative and secretarial service to the school, including diary management.
• Populate internal Government of Jersey system Connect Finance for staff purchase cards, liaising with purchase card holders, inputting costs and codes, reviewing mandatory receipts and submitting for authorisation by Headteacher.
• Access Connect Finance and Connect Ariba for live financial information and complete monthly reconciliations against purchase orders/ invoices.
• Create Suppliers on Connect Ariba and process received invoices, ensuring prompt payment.
• Maintain all school funds, providing monthly balances reconciled to statements.  Make payments where necessary, following guidance from the Business Manager.
• Maintain the information systems and the school’s databases on a daily basis (monitoring attendance, holidays, sickness, lateness etc.). Input pupil data onto internal CYPES systems including SIMS.
• Updating the paper Contact Book for access by staff.
• Create letters in response to holiday/absence requests.
• Print off weekly reports detailing pupils who are having hot food and distribute copies to class teachers.
• Provide reports relevant to requests from the Headteacher or Senior Leadership Team.
• Follow the School’s Health and Safety procedures for record keeping with regards to fire and evacuation.

Main Duties and Responsibilities 2 of 2

• Maintain the School’s records archive according to the CYPES retention schedules.
• Liaise with other relevant agencies (Children and Families Hub, Family Nursing, Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), Multi-Lingual Learner (MLL) Service, Speech & Language Service etc.)
• Coordinate visits and whole school screening e.g: pupil dental screening.
• Plan and arrange appointments for parent / teacher meetings, both face to face and online.
• Verify DBS and check ID (training will be provided).  Ensure visitors have appropriate DBS certificates when entering the school. 
• Obtain quotes for school equipment and stationey etc.
• Assist the Headteacher, Senior Leadership Team, Business Manager and staff with administrative tasks as directed.
• In the absence of a First-aider care for and attend to ill or injured pupils and, if necessary, contact parents.
• Ensure Accident Forms are completed, submitting the online Notifiable Accident form where necessary.
• Assist the Business Manager to administer medication to pupils if needed.  Ensure medication forms are provided should medication need to be administered during the school day, keeping a record of what has been administered.
• Monitor the second hand uniform offering and ensure lost property is either returned to pupils or parents, or gifted on by means of second hand uniform store.
• Be responsible for creating / maintaining user logins and passwords where applicable.
• When required, log calls to the IT Helpdesk on behalf of colleagues.

Communication and Relationship Skills

The successful candidate will:

• Possess excellent communication skills, both face to face and on the telephone in a calm and confident manner.
• Be able to deal with all situations / events in a calm and personable manner efficiently, sensitively, respecting confidentiality and using discretion.
• Possess good organisational skills to assist with the smooth running of the School Office, by communicating to all through email, letters, telephone and face to face.
• Demonstrate excellent communication skills with the Headteacher, Senior Leadership Team, School Business Manager and staff, including an understanding of all matters financial with reference to the school budget and school funds.
• Have an awareness of safeguarding / data protection issues when welcoming guests, signing in visitors/ contractors, questioning unknown visitors and reviewing DBS checks/IDs.
• Display collaborative skills when working with the caretaker about maintenance needs, Health & Safety concerns, tradesmen, ordering, deliveries and pickups.
• Be an experienced collaborator when working with staff and parents concerning planned school fundraisers / school events.
• Display high levels of confidentiality regarding all Safeguarding / Child Protection / Data Protection / FOI issues and information.

Qualification Requirements

The successful candidate will:

Essential

• Be educated to at least GCSE level (minimum of 5 GCSE grades 4-9 or equivalent).  English and Maths are essential.
• Have significant administrative, organisational and financial skills. They will be able to prioritise workload, work independently and manage their time effectively and efficiently.
• Be able to demonstrate high level IT skills – working knowledge of the Microsoft Office package including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, Publisher and Outlook.
• Possess excellent communication skills, being confident and personable.

Desirable

• Have knowledge of CYPES financial / internal systems and procedures including SIMS (ideally including InTouch), My View, Connect People, Connect Finance, Connect Ariba and My States.
• Have a qualification in administration procedures (e.g: Level 2 certificate).
• Have experience of bookkeeping / accounting.
• Have a minimum of 3 years’ experience in the industry in a similar role.
• Possess a First Aid qualification.

Analytical and Judgement Skills

The successful candidate will be able to:

• Respond appropriately to children, parents, visitors and staff, taking into account school policies and procedures, using appropriate levels of empathy.
• Decide from instruction or experience what is appropriate or relevant in a particular situation.
• Monitor budget / school funds and inform Headteacher / relevant staff on a regular basis of current situations for spending / usage.
• Confident with prioritising workload.

Human Resources

The successful candidate will be able to:

• Ensure staff emergency contact details are kept updated.
• Support the Business Manager with Human Resources / payroll queries.
• Verify staff DBS information and work alongside the Designated Safeguarding Leads to ensure staff DBS certificates are up to date.

Planning and Organisational Skills 1 of 2

The successful candidate will be able to:

• Make adjustments to the School Diary in consultation with the Headteacher and Senior Leadership Team.
• Plan for administrative support in the office when required (e.g: when out on training).
• Follow school fire / evacuation procedures.
• Update the school diary on Outlook when appropriate.
• Assist the Business Manager to maintain the diary regarding the hire of school premises e.g the hall and 3G pitch etc.
• Inform CYPES of forthcoming changes to personnel / children.
• Maintain CYPES financial procedures when ordering / invoicing and maintain financial records. Complete monthly reconciliations of purchase cards, console transactions, and school funds.
• Maintain SIMS on a daily basis for attendance, pupil records, contact information etc.

Planning and Organisational Skills 2 of 2

• Forward plan for new pupils in September for Nursery and Reception, as well as for new starters and leavers during the year. Collate paperwork for whole school data and permissions.
• Maintain school records according to the CYPES retention schedule, updating the school filing cabinets to ensure necessary information has been archived.
• Assist the Business Manager to organise invoicing for pupils attending Wrap Around Childcare – planning ahead for changes to numbers where applicable and maintaining a waiting list where necessary.
• Diary planning for purchasing / collating orders ensuring appropriate business code allocation.
• Book First Aid Training for staff where appropriate, ensuring certifications are renewed when necessary and the training matrix is updated. 

Physical Skills

The successful candidate will be able to:

• Receive deliveries, lift and deliver light stock to storerooms / classrooms.
• Follow Health and Safety regulations when using their computer workstation during the working day e.g: they will sit appropriately at their computer workstation.
• Regularly deliver messages or items around the school at appropriate times.

Responsibility for children, parents and visitors

The successful candidate will be able to:

• Deal with all visitors/ parents/ children and staff members appropriately at all times, face to face, on the telephone, by email etc.
• Be sensitive to all situations with children, parents, visitors and staff.
• Handle day to day post / emails and forward them on appropriately.
• Plan ahead and inform Headteacher/ teachers and staff of forthcoming events i.e. school nurse visits etc.
• Ensure visiting practitioners are catered for, providing suitable space for them to carry out their activities (e.g: whole school screening / music service etc.).
• Provide information regarding hiring facilities (i.e. school hall etc.), signposting individuals to the Business Manager.
• Liaising with the Designated Safeguarding Lead to ensure there is a suitable stock of first aid items, and regularly monitor and manage a spreadsheet detailing medication held in school, ensuring expiry dates are updated.

Policy and Service Development

The successful candidate will be able to:

• Assist with the administration regarding the School Improvement Plan.
• Review parents’ information / handbooks on a regular basis to inform of any changes to policy and procedure.
• Assist with the creation of new pupil starter packs and folders.
• Advise / update colleagues on CYPES policy and procedure changes.
• Suggest changes to office procedures in order to improve efficiency.
• Comply with all Government of Jersey / CYPES / School policy and procedure.
• Create in-house policy and procedures for the School.

Financial and Physical Resources

The successful candidate will be able to:

• Assist the Business Manager to maintain financial records for the school budget and school funds.
• Ensure school accounts are ready for audit, alongside the School Business Manager.
• Obtain quotes for school equipment and stationary etc.
• Monitor costs to budget spend.
• Monitor spend on school fund / nursery fund / travel fund / purchase card.  Set up new staff with purchase cards when needed.
• Ensure timesheets and other additional costs are signed off.
• Maintain and order stock supplies and stationery as required.
• Maintain stationery budget where applicable.
• Organise the collection of monies for fund raising, including banking of funds raised.
• Ensure safe use of equipment, supervising and instructing other users e.g: photocopier.
• Be a key holder for the school premises.

Information regarding Interview Dates

Interviews for this post will be taking place on 6 March 2025.  Applicants need to ensure they are able to attend this date.  Should applicants be interested in visiting the school prior to submitting an application, please contact admin@stclement.sch.je or r.heaven@stclement.sch.je to arrange to meet with the Headteacher.