Administrative Assistant Apprentice - Harris Federation : Job Details

Our academy is a member of the Harris Federation, a group of 54 primary and secondary academies in and around London educating some 38,000 young people. The Harris Federation Teaching School Alliance enables us not only to train and develop teachers and leaders in our own academies, but also to do so for other schools.

Each academy is led and run by its Principal and other senior leaders: we are deliberately a federation rather than a chain. What unites us is a culture that ensures the children and teenagers in our schools get an excellent education within a happy, caring and supportive environment.

As a result of this, the vast majority of Harris academies so far to have been inspected by Ofsted have been rated either ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ with the vast majority being Outstanding. Many of these academies replaced schools previously considered to have been failing.

The Harris Federation has been recognised as a top performer by education researchers at the Department for Education, Sutton Trust and Education Policy Institute as well as Watchsted and PwC.

We are a not-for-profit charity created by Lord Harris of Peckham. He and his family take an active interest in every Harris academy, supporting us financially and with their time.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Presenting the professional and welcoming face of the Academy to all visitors, staff and students, including telephone callers
• Ensuring all visitors are signed in to the academy in accordance with safeguarding procedures
• Responding to queries from parents/carers and the general public with exemplary professionalism, ensuring that any messages or complaints are immediately dealt with, forwarded to the appropriate member of staff or escalated as required
• Ensuring the overall appearance of the reception area is tidy, professional and presentable at all times
• General administrative duties such as typing, photocopying, filing, collation and distribution of post
• Contributing to the maintenance of academy information databases and filing systems relating to pupils, ensuring confidentiality is observed at all times and records are accurate and up to date
• Assisting academy staff in all aspects of academy life, including contacting parents and pupils where necessary
• Providing general support as required, including preparation of documentation, and administrative duties relating to specific areas such as academy calendar maintenance, extra-curricular activities, school trips, school meal arrangements

We would like to hear from you if you have:

• Qualifications to GCSE level or equivalent
• Competency in the use of Microsoft Office packages
• Proficiency in the use of computers and databases
• Previous experience in an administrative or front office/reception role
• Demonstrable customer service experience
• Good level of interpersonal and communication skills, with a good standard of written and spoken English
• Excellent organisational and time management skills
• Commitment to delivering excellent level of professional customer service
• Ability to remain calm and deal with challenging callers or visitors in an appropriate manner
• High level of attention to detail and accuracy of work

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

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 includesour 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 aboutour benefitson our website.