PREP SCHOOL HEAD’S PA AND SCHOOL SECRETARY
THE SCHOOL
Fettes Prep School is situated in a 100-acre wooded campus in the Stockbridge area of Edinburgh which is close to the city centre. We have 210 pupils aged 7-13 and we share this beautiful campus with Fettes College, which was founded in 1870 and is one of the UK’s leading co-educational boarding and day schools.
The Prep School is able to make use of the College facilities, including the Chapel, Westwoods Sports Centre and the extensive sports pitches but also enjoys the benefit of our own dedicated staff, curriculum and buildings. Approximately 25% of our Prep pupils board and we have two boarding houses - Arran for the boys and Iona for the girls. The Teaching Staff consists of the Headmaster (a member of the Independent Association of Preparatory Schools) and 30 members of the Common Room.
There is a pervading sense of community amongst staff, pupils and parents alike and everything that we do at the Prep School shows the commitment we have to the happiness of our children. Ninety five per cent of our pupils move onto the College where the Fettes family journey continues. The College has 590 students (13-18 years) of whom 75% are boarders. There is also strong Old Fettesian Association (with over 5,000 Old Fettesians worldwide).
Fettes College has a strong tradition of academic, sporting and cultural excellence underpinned by outstanding pastoral care. The school opened its doors in 1870 and became fully co-educational in 1980. The academic staff in the College consists of the Head and 90 full-time members of the Common Room.
As well as our teaching staff, we employ over 220 Operational Staff across the many departments, including Estates, Security, Housekeeping, Finance, Admissions and Marketing. The Prep School therefore benefits from significant levels of operational support from being part of the wider organisation.
THE AIMS OF THE SCHOOL
Fettes Prep School aims to nurture the individual while fostering a happy, wellordered and caring community with strong family values at its core. To this end, we will do our utmost to ensure our students:
• Receive the highest possible quality of education within a boarding environment.
• Feel safe, valued, have a sense of personal worth, are thoughtful and considerate of the needs of others, possessing a willingness to take on responsibility.
• Develop their self-confidence, integrity, emotional resilience, loyalty, good manners and humour, leadership skills and teamwork.
• Value a sense of community and service, and develop a clear sense of right and wrong, equipping them for life beyond Fettes.
• Are provided with equal opportunities regardless of gender and identity, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity or religion.
• Are encouraged to stretch and challenge themselves in everything they undertake.
The Vision and Context
Fettes College’s vision and strategy (Fettes Moving Forward: A place to live. A place to learn. A place to grow.) are founded on the four key strands of learning, wellbeing, our community and our people, each of which is integral to the ongoing success and growth of the school. There are many parts to all these strands, including the design of a curriculum for the future, further broadening our engagement in and with the local community and, of course, our steadfast belief in promoting a full boarding ethos but crucial to each in some way is the improvement and/or development of facilities to allow the vision to be fully realised.
This is therefore an extraordinarily exciting time for the whole Fettes community and the Prep School will be playing its part in realising the vision with exciting plans already being made.
THE ROLE
Fettes Prep School seeks an enthusiastic and highly organised individual who is encouragedto play a pivotal role in the day to day life of the school. The person appointed to this multi-faceted role will work closely with the Headmaster as well as provide general secretarial support for the school.
Reporting to the Headmaster of the Preparatory School, you will provide administrative and secretarial support, acting as contact for all parent and pupil queries. The role is located within the Prep School. The hours are 8:30 am to 5:30 pm with an hour for lunch, Monday to Friday. It may be that, at specific times, the Headmaster will ask the applicant to work out with these hours; however, plenty of notice will be given.
The role covers all term time and a week prior to and after the Summer Term. In addition,there is an expectation that the role will include some additional days at the start and endof Spring and Autumn term to, for example, finalise beginning and end of term arrangements, collate and distribute pupil reports, produce up to date School lists, create pupil labels and order supplies (approximately 38 weeks working per year).
Key Aspects of the Job – PA to the Headmaster
• Correspondence and Electronic Diary for Headmaster; making daily decisions regarding meetings, schedules and prioritising; acting as a gate keeper between Headmaster and both parents and staff;
• Coordinating diaries for Taster Days and prospective parent/pupil visits in conjunction with the College Admissions department, the Headmaster and the Prep School Director of Studies;
• Coordination of the Entrance Exams Day in conjunction with the Admissions department, the Headmaster and the Prep School Director of Studies;
• Attendance at the Prep School Open Day and Open Morning;
• Provide administrative support to the Deputy Headmaster as required;
• Booking courses / conferences / travel for the Headmaster and, on occasion, staff. Ensuring all credit card transactions are documented and recorded each month.
Key Aspects of the Job – Preparatory School Secretary
• Prep School reception duties. For current parents you will be the first person they speak to on the telephone or face to face at the beginning and end of each school day. For prospective parents, you will be key to their visits to the school;
• Through telephone, email, School Post communication system and in person, provide parents with support and information on all aspects of school life;
• Production of a weekly bulletin for all Prep parents and Prep School governors;
• Regular communication with parents, both on an individual basis as well as whole school communications and liaise with the Senior School Office to ensure consistency across both schools;
• Providing parents with information about the website and daily routines in the Prep School;
• Organise and attend current parents’ coffee mornings – one in Autumn Term and one in Spring Term;
• Collate and distribute pupil reports, produce up to date School lists, create pupil labels and order supplies;
• Printing of reports and orders, filing and archiving;
• End of term mailing and sending out pupils’ reports at the end of each term;
• Annual Parents’ Social Evening organisation;
• Provide a point of contact between the Senior and Prep Schools;
• Provide support to the Prep School Director of Music in creating twice per term Concert programmes and Autumn, Spring and Summer Concert programmes;
• Trip Organisation and administration - Rome Trip, Ski Trip, Music Tours etc.;
• The weekly coordination of sports reports to be sent to the Sports Administrator for website publication;
• Organise Biennial photography rotations in Prep Assembly Hall and on Gallery Corridor;
• Administrative support to the Prep School Senior Management Team, as well as Prep staff; for example, assisting the Director of Studies with arrangements for Parents’ Evenings (this involves working beyond 5:30pm on those days);
• Update the school database regarding daily absences, sign out times or notes on pupils and ensure these are circulated appropriately;
• Administering the staff recruitment process; assisting new staff members to complete a PVG disclosure, drafting offer letters, drafting contracts, completing new starter information in line with the College Recruitment Policy and liaising with the Bursar on HR issues;
• Assist with the Sign-Out procedure;
• Provide admin support to the Child Protection Co-ordinator;
• Distribute and collect mail from the Senior School;
• Ordering stationery and supplies for staff.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Experience
•
Excellent organisational and planning skills with strong attention to detail;
• Ability to work independently but also to work well with colleagues;
• Motivated and can take the initiative to manage tasks;
• First rate business writing skills and good inter-personal skills;
• IT literate across a broad range of common Microsoft applications specifically Outlook, Word and Excel and, ideally, experience and confidence in the use of databases.
Personal Qualities
• Approachable and open manner for daily interaction with Pupils, Parents and Staff;
• Enthusiastic and willing to involve oneself in the life of the school;
• Confidentiality, discretion, diplomacy and integrity;
• Smart and professional in presentation.
BENEFITS
The remuneration package will be competitive and will, to an extent, depend on the experience of the successful candidate.
In addition to being part of a great team you will be entitled to a range of benefits that include:
• Free parking within the campus grounds. The campus is easily accessed by car and bus; there is a bus stop located outside the campus serving several routes across the city and to rail stations.
• Membership of Westwoods gym and health club which offers a range of excellent fitness and leisure facilities including a 25m swimming pool.
• Free lunchtime meals.
• Death in service cover.
• Excellent Employee Assistance Programme (EAP).
• You will be opted into the Fettes College Non-Teaching Staff Pension Scheme after 3 months service.
APPLICATION PROCESS
The closing date is 12 noon on Friday, 27th January 2023, with interviews being held within a fortnight of the closing date.
If you would like further information prior to applying for this role Mr Charlie Minogue, Headmaster of the Prep School is available for a zoom call or phone call by arrangement (cgo.minogue@fettes.com).
All applicants are asked to provide, as well as a CV, a covering letter setting out how you meet the person specification and what you feel you can bring to this role and apply via our page on the TES website – www.TES.com.
An offer of employment will be subject to two satisfactory references being obtained from your referees and a clean report being obtained on you from the Disclosure Scotland PVG Scheme in view of the contact you will have with children during your normal duties.
New staff at Fettes join a friendly and supportive team with a vibrant mixture of age and experience. We value every member of staff’s contribution to the life of the school. We are committed to equality of opportunity for all staff and applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships.
We are keen to welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds into our staff body. If you would like a friendly conversation with an employee who identifies as an ethnic minority, please feel free to contact Sara Medel Jiménez (s.medeljimenez@fettes.com) who will be happy to share her experience of Fettes.