Office Manager - recruitment pack

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Office Manager and Music Secretary

Full time

Leaders maintain a school culture that actively promotes inclusion and mutual respect highly successfully. This is a significant strength of the school.

ISI Inspection - 2025

Extensive individual support enables pupils to...develop a breadth of knowledge and enthusiasm for scholarship. This is a significant strength of the school.

ISI Inspection - 2025

HEAD’S WELCOME

Welcome to RGS Prep.

Step through the front door and you will be met with a warm welcome, the sight of inquisitive, energetic and courteous boys and the feeling that anything is possible. Our Six Values of Collaboration, Courage, Inclusivity, Integrity, Respect and Scholarship are at the core of all that we do. We nurture these Values through small class sizes, individualised academic and pastoral support and most importantly, the passion of our staff.

Staff at RGS Prep join us from a range of backgrounds and bring with them a wide variety of beliefs and interests. We actively encourage staff to share these through our lessons, assemblies, workshops, 'Inspire' days and extra-curricular provision.

If you are offered a position here, you would be joining a close-knit and collaborative team.

I look forward to receiving your application.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title: Office Manager and Music Secretary

Responsible to: Head's PA

Responsible for: Three members of staff

Job Purpose

The purpose of this role is to ensure the smooth running of the school offices, acting as line manager for the front office roles in the Prep and Pre-Prep offices, namely: Office Secretary and Clubs Co-ordinator; First Aid Lead/Receptionist and Pre-Prep Receptionist. The person in this role also provides secretarial support to the Director of Music.

Office Manager Duties

• Provide a warm and friendly welcome to parents and visitors, ensure they are signed in/out, and accompanied, in compliance with the school’s Safeguarding Policy

• Answer telephone calls, pass on messages, find and provide answers to questions

• Manage the office email inbox if the Office Secretary is unavailable. Forward parent messages to relevant members of staff and reply as required

• Line manage the office staff and have an awareness of their roles

• Provide first aid to pupils and staff when the first aid lead is not available

• Administration of 3rd party concussion management database run by the medical consultancy Return2Play

• Provide secretarial support to teaching staff as required

• Provide administrative support to school trip leaders, organise trip phones, parent letters and consent forms

• Organise Parents’ Evenings, including timetabling, liaising with parents and staff and organising catering

• Liaise with the Parents’ Association and Estates Manager regarding Parents’ Association events

Music Secretary Duties

• Compile Visiting Music Teacher (VMT) music lesson frameworks (including rooming), for the school’s 16 VMTs

• Support the Director of Music (DoM) by managing requests to start instrument lessons, notice lists and waiting lists

• Organise music exams including making entries & timetables together in conjunction with DoM and accompanists

• Create music department comms to parents, including House Music and Concert entry letters with response forms.

• Manage the instrument inventory and hire scheme

• Prepare parent bills for: instrument hire, music exams, music clubs, Return2Play medical membership and any other ad hoc activities requiring additional billing

• Liaise with Cathedral staff to add chorister duties to school calendar, order chorister teas and taxis according to their schedule

• Any other duties reasonably requested by the DoM, members of SMT, the Head and the Head's PA.

Person Specification

Essential

Qualifications

Experience Office based work.

Knowledge & Understanding

The importance of how to behave and work in a Front Office.

The importance of confidentiality.

Creating a warm and welcoming environment for boys, parents and staff.

Skills Excellent computer skills, competent in all Microsoft Office applications.

Be quick to learn the school’s IT Platforms:

 SharePoint

 SchoolBase

 SchoolPost

 SOCS

 SchoolCloud

 SignIn App

 MySchoolPortal

 Return2Play

 Evolve

Easy and friendly manner on the phone. Ability to troubleshoot and problem solve.

Personal Characteristics

Team player

Proactive Self-motivated

Approachable Committed Empathetic Organised Discrete Patient Resourceful

Desirable

Evidence of continual professional development.

Working in a school environment.

The importance of music and understanding of orchestral instruments.

First Aid trained.

Competency in timetabling.

WORKING AT RGS PREP

Your career at RGS Prep begins with a warm welcome and comprehensive induction. You will be introduced to colleagues, key people within the school and fellow new starters from across the departments.

Opportunities to get involved in wider school activities are many and varied; sporting fixtures, theatre productions and residential trips to name just a few. Then there are the social groups set up by and for colleagues ranging from badminton to bingo and one-off events such as theatre trips. However you choose to get involved, you are guaranteed to find yourself among like-minded individuals.

We are proactively committed to creating a diverse staff body, which reflects the community that we teach. At RGS Prep we value diversity and inclusion; we want to attract the best people for the roles available. This is regardless of age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, disability, socioeconomic status or religious beliefs.

Hannah Creal

Year 2 teacher & KS1 Coordinator, joined 2020

What do you love about your department?

We are a real team and everyone is willing to help each other and get involved with new ideas.

If you could choose any other career, what would it be? Running my own delicatessen, coffee and wine shop!

Penny Peters

Prep Office Manager and Music Secretary, joined 2016

What do you love about your department?

The supportive nature of all colleagues, everyone is happy to muck in.

What would be the title of your autobiography? Leave it with me, I'm sure we can make this work!

2015

What's the best thing about working at the RGS?

Every day is different. I never know what enjoyment or challenges the school day will throw at me.

Which staff social groups are you involved in? Most of them, I love a social.

In addition to joining a successful and sociable staff body you will also receive the following benefits:

Working Pattern

Remuneration

Annual Leave

Full time (08:00 – 17:00 term time; 08:30 – 15:30 school holidays)

£35,000 - £37,000

28 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Pension All support staff are automatically enrolled into the company pension scheme. The level of contribution by the individual is 5% the School will contribute 10%.

Healthcare

Fee reduction

Commuting Loan

Dining

Employee Assistance Programme

Private medical cover is available for all staff. This is paid for by the School, but is a taxable benefit so there is an indirect cost to the individual.

Fee reduction for son(s) of staff is available (after a qualifying period).

Interest-free loans are available for rail season ticket holders.

Lunch and refreshments are provided during term time.

A free, confidential counselling & wellbeing support service that can support you, your partner or spouse, and dependent children over 16 still living at home.

ABOUT RGS PREP

RGS Prep is a kind, inclusive, tolerant community where diverse opportunity, personal development, high achievement and collaborative partnership define who we are.

RGS Prep is a long-established IAPS school for approximately 330 boys, which has occupied the same site in a quiet, leafy residential area of Guildford since 1930. It is well known for its excellent academic and pastoral strengths, alongside outstanding music departments and strong sport and extra-curricular opportunities for all boys.

Aims & Ethos

RGS Prep's academic reputation is justly well-known but what sets it apart is its warm and purposeful atmosphere. Pupils are offered a happy, caring and stimulating environment where they can progress to their full potential. An excellent all-round education based on skilled teaching in small classes is at the heart of RGS Prep's approach to learning which strives to provide the widest possible range of experiences.

RGS Prep guides each boy on his journey and gives him the skills and understanding of how to learn, not just what to learn. Visitors to RGS Prep are struck not only by the cheerful, purposeful atmosphere of the school but also by the diversity of its activities.

The school also aims to develop those qualities that cannot be measured by academic assessment. The development of each boy’s interpersonal skills, team spirit, strong self-awareness and leadership potential is achieved through a broad range of extracurricular activities which also foster curiosity, creativity and individuality.

Curriculum

In the Early Years at RGS Prep, we follow the statutory framework provided by the Department for Education for Early Years providers. The Nursery and Reception (Shell) classes, work on a two-year rolling programme of topics to ensure a wide range of content and smooth transition from Nursery to Shell.

As well as following the seven areas of learning, the boys enjoy a variety of specialist lessons including Music, French, PE and Outdoor Learning. They also have access to iPads and a digital screen within the classroom to ensure ICT is part of their learning from an early age. How the boys learn is tantamount to their success, hence, they enjoy collecting credits when they display learning habits such as responsible risk-taking, persistence, independence and accuracy.

Boys are supported by a teacher and teaching assistant in each class to ensure that their learning can be tailored to their needs and interests. The Learning Support department can also offer advice and extra lessons as appropriate. The boys enjoy a variety of trips and visits from specialist providers throughout the year, helping to broaden the curriculum and enhance their social skills.

In Years 1 and 2, the curriculum offers a broad content of study, using the National Curriculum (KS1) as a basic framework. The combination of group work activities and high individual attention, promotes appropriate learning for all children across the various levels of ability. Specialist teaching takes place in PE, music, drama and French. The curriculum is planned to smooth the transition into KS2.

Facilities

Close links to the RGS senior school has encouraged academic standards to be pushed higher and the school has invested in new facilities. Since the millennium, RGS Prep has continued to evolve to meet the needs of a rapidly changing world and has more than twice as many teachers as 30 years ago. Digital technology and interactive whiteboards are in place throughout the school. A new state-of-the-art Sports Hall was opened in 2016, a dedicated rehearsal space for RGS Guildford Cathedral choristers in 2022 and a Pre-Prep Library in 2023. Throughout the last 10 years, new outside spaces have been created and refurbished in both the Prep and Pre-Prep departments including an adventure playground, outdoor classrooms and permanent cricket nets.

“ Staff in early years support children's social development well. ISI Inspection - 2025
“ “
Leadership opportunities begin in the Prep school, such as sitting on the equality, diversity and inclusion council."

ISI Inspection - 2025

WHY WORK IN GUILDFORD?

Guildford is a vibrant and exciting place in which to live. Rich in history, it is a welcoming town with a flourishing and varied cultural life. Entertainment is diverse with a number of lively and nationally renowned venues including G Live, the Yvonne Arnaud theatre and the eclectic Electric Theatre. There are outstanding sport and leisure facilities which include the state-of-the-art training venues and sports complexes of Surrey Sports Park and Guildford Spectrum. Guildford offers one of the south east’s best shopping experiences with the iconic High Street combining exclusive and popular national chains as well as a number of independent retailers. Dining options cater for every taste and budget with local traditional and gastro pubs in nearby Surrey villages drawing customers from a wide area.

Educationally, Guildford is thriving. RGS Guildford is regularly ranked in the top ten single-sex schools in the country. RGS also enjoys close links with other girls’ schools, Guildford High School, Tormead School and St Catherine’s, Bramley. The University of Surrey was awarded ‘University of the Year for Graduate Employment’ by The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2022.

Guildford has the advantage of being very accessible and enjoys excellent transport links. London is just over a 30-mile drive via the A3 and well served by trains (just 29 minutes to Clapham Junction and 39 minutes to London Waterloo). International airports London Gatwick and London Heathrow are only 30 minutes from the town.

Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty are close by; the Surrey Hills and North Downs are on the school's doorstep and provide opportunities to enjoy the stunning countryside; the south coast is approximately one hour by car.

William Cobbett “
The town of Guildford, which I, who have seen so many, many towns, think is the prettiest, and…most happylooking, that I ever saw in my life.

GUILDFORD

The setting:

The Surrey Hills

North Downs

South Downs

Picturesque villages

The south coast

Travel by rail:

Clapham Junction 29 minutes, London Waterloo 39 minutes

Portsmouth Harbour 60 minutes

Gatwick Airport 45 minutes

Travel by road:

London 32 miles via the A3, Heathrow 22 miles; Gatwick 34 miles via A3 and M25 Portsmouth 44 miles; Brighton 59 miles

North Downs

The
Guildford Castle

SAFEGUARDING

OF CHILDREN & SECURITY OF DISCLOSURE INFORMATION

The Royal Grammar School, Guildford meets the requirements in respect of exempted questions under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. All applicants who are offered employment will be subject to an enhanced criminal record check from the DBS before the appointment is confirmed. This will include details of cautions, reprimands or final warnings, as well as convictions. It is of fundamental importance to The Royal Grammar School to ensure, so far as possible, that those who take up appointments do not pose a risk to the children in its care.

Further details will be sent to applicants invited to interview which will expand on the above.

APPLICATIONS

We are proactively committed to creating a diverse staff body, which reflects the community that we teach. At RGS we value diversity and inclusion; we want to attract the best people for the roles available. This is regardless of age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, disability, socioeconomic status or religious beliefs.

Please note: applications will be considered on receipt and we reserve the right to close applications early.

TO SEE MORE FROM RGS PREP…

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