Head of Examinations
Information for prospective staff
Information about the role
Purpose of post
To take responsibility for the efficient communication, administration and running of public examinations, CEM assessments and internal examinations in accordance with School policies and procedures, examination board requirements and Joint Council for Qualifications regulations, helping to maintain the integrity of the assessment process To look ahead and ensure the school plans effectively for future development in these areas and to manage (directly and indirectly) the staff involved in enacting the relevant policies and procedures.
Lead on liaison with appropriate regulatory bodies and develop and implement policies and procedures which ensure that the School retains its status as an examination centre, advising the Deputy Head Academic, Senior Leadership Team and other stakeholders as necessary.
The scope of work for the Examinations Office includes:
• External exams and internal exams from Year 9 upwards
• NEA process and procedures
• Being the Designated Senior Contact for the School
• CEM assessments
• Management of the examinations team
Regulatory Requirements
1. Working autonomously (liaising with the Deputy Head Academic and/or Heads of Department where necessary) to ensure the relevant systems, procedures, policies and documents comply with examination board (examination board)/JCQ requirements. Co-operate with the JCQ inspectorate.
2. Lead the inspection and implement any recommendations made by them, ensuring that the Headmaster and Deputy Head Academic are briefed on examination board/JCQ (Ofqual) policy changes
3. Ensure the Examinations Office is maintained in an appropriate manner, according to regulatory and procedural requirements by developing clear administrative systems and policies. Implement regulatory change as necessary to ensure the status of the School as an examination centre is maintained.
4. Being the Senior Designated Contact for the school, both in term time and during the holidays.
5. Manage the invigilation team and administrative staff according to regulatory requirements.
6. Allocate invigilator workload as required by the school’s need.
8. With the Head of Centre, annually confirm the information required by the National Centre Number Register and inform of any changes to centre status
9. Support the Head of Centre in managing Conflicts of Interest
10. Consider upcoming developments to the examination environment and take the lead on ensuring those developments are included in the school’s plans, including a move to online examinations.
Communication and Liaison
11. Liaise with Examination Boards regarding all aspects of policy relating to examination regulations attending, when appropriate and in liaison with Deputy Head Academic, in-service training provided by examination boards and other bodies.
12. Be the School’s principal link with examination boards, following up and resolving queries from HODs and SLT regarding examination-related issues, disseminating, to relevant staff, parents and students, literature regarding examinations or syllabuses, sent by examination boards.
13. Ensure parents, students and staff know what they need to know about the external and internal examinations, making good use of the School’s website and SchoolBase.
Management of Examinations
14. Manage all aspects of the administration of Public Examinations, including entries, rooming, staffing (including cover), receipt of question papers/storage, examination charges, the conduct of examinations and dissemination of results in accordance with examination board requirements, school policies and JCQ guidelines.
15. Design training programmes and conduct training for invigilators, staff and pupils on regulations and conduct during examinations and other assessments
16. Ensure that systems to be used for submission of examination entries and for the receipt, recording and issuing of examinations papers, results and certificates are compliant with examination board requirements and regulations and are working effectively and reviewed on a regular basis. Ensure that no financial penalties are levied on the School for late entries and control/chase credits, as necessary.
17. Resolve all clashes in timetables (and overnight supervision) and make appropriate provisions for pupil isolation in consultation with the Boards, Heads of Section and pupils’ parents as appropriate.
18. Advise on and oversee special arrangements and/or access arrangements for qualifying students, in accordance with Board and JCQ. Recruit and train personnel who assist in access arrangements (e.g. scribes) and invigilation.
19. Through taking an ethical approach and working proactively to avoid malpractice among students and staff, supports the Head of Centre in taking all reasonable steps to prevent the occurrence of any malpractice/maladministration before, during the course of and after examinations have taken place. Investigate any issues of alleged malpractice or student misconduct and determine the appropriate course of action in line with regulations and school policy.
20. Liaise with Heads of Section, the SENCo, pupils and parents as appropriate on “special consideration” applications and SEN students in accordance with examination board/JCQ requirements, being responsible for submitting applications as necessary.
21. Liaise with medical staff, parents, pupils, teaching staff and SLT to ensure pastoral care of pupils over the examination period is supportive and helps to facilitate the students’ full potential whilst still complying with examination board and regulatory requirements.
22. Lead the post-results service process, ensuring timely process of all reviews and appeals.
23. Lead on communication with the examination boards over issues arising from reviews of marking and appeals, resolving issues as necessary and advising SLT on the relevant rules and regulations
24. To manage the internal examination process for U5 and U6 mocks and the U4, L5 and L6 internal examinations.
25. To manage CEM testing for the relevant year groups (MIDYIS, YELLIS and ALIS). Uploading the examination results to the CEM website.
26. Manage the department budgets (examination fees and equipment).
27. Manage the administrative support for the Examinations Office in liaison with the Office Manager.
28. Liaise with the ICT Department regarding such elements of the examinations as require specialised ICT input, including but not limited to data upload and transfer, device configuration and student device usage issues.
29. Complete and return all exam census data for external organisations (e.g. ISC,).
Other Points
30. Actively seek to implement and comply with the School’s Safeguarding policies and procedures and to demonstrate a commitment to the safety and welfare of children.
31. All employees are required actively to seek to implement the City of London’s Occupational Health and Safety Policy in relation to the duties of their post, and at all times give due regard to the health and safety of both themselves and others when carrying out their duties.
32. Reporting all accidents to the Chief Operating Officer via the School’s Accident Report Form procedure.
33. Actively seek to implement the City of London’s Equal Opportunity Policy and the objective to promote equality of opportunity in relation to the duties of the post.
34. To undertake any other duties that may reasonably be requested by the Headmaster appropriate to the grade.
Revision of Job Description
According to the development and requirement of the school, job descriptions may need to be reviewed and updated periodically after consultation with the job holder.
Person Specification
Please find below the qualifications, experience and technical skills required to undertake this post. Each criterion will be assessed at application (A), interview (I) or test (T) as indicated below.
Professional Qualifications / Relevant Education & Training:
• Educated to degree standard or equivalent (A)
• GCSE or equivalent in Mathematics and English (A)
• Up to date detailed knowledge of school examinations systems, examination boards and Joint Council for Qualifications regulations and all other relevant guidance and legislation (A)
• Intermediate level of IT proficiency (Word, Excel, Outlook, Access) including proficiency in the use of databases (A, I)
Experience Required, including Budget Holding Experience (if appropriate):
• Ability to manage the administration of internal and external examinations in accordance with all relevant regulatory requirements (A, I)
• Significant experience in an administrative role in a secondary school environment using the application of knowledge of regulatory requirements, processes and procedures and invigilation in the conduct of public examinations. (A, I)
• Proven experience of working in a highly pressured school examinations environment working under own initiative and managing own workload with little supervision to ensure compliance with regulations. (A, I)
• Ability to devise and deliver all necessary training to invigilators, staff and pupils on examination and invigilation practice (A, I).
• Proven experience of making key decisions in relation to the running of examinations under pressure (A, I)
• Experience of time management and priority planning to ensure examinations run smoothly and to all regulatory and procedural requirements (A, I)
• Experience of people management (A, I)
• Experience of managing a budget (A)
• Experience of working with children and a demonstrable commitment to the safety and welfare of children (A, I)
Technical Skills:
• Ability to review and develop administrative systems and procedures in respect of examinations which comply with regulatory/legislative requirements (A, I, T)
• Excellent communication skills – both oral and written with an ability to build relationships with key stakeholders, both internally and externally, deliver high quality training and deliver verbal briefings to SLT as required (A, I, T)
• Excellent written communications skills with the ability to write and contribute to reports, strategies and procedural documentation (A, I, T)
• Proven ability to deal with sensitive and emotive situations in respect of staff, pupils and parents empathetically and effectively (A, I, T)
• Strong analytical skills to understand regulations and to identify and investigate potential malpractice amongst students and staff and determine the appropriate course of action (A, I)
• An understanding of special arrangements and/or access arrangements to assist with applications and to ensure appropriate provision is made for relevant pupils during the examination season in accordance with regulations (A, I, T)
• Ability to meet targets over a sustained period of time without compromising on the quality or accuracy of the work produced. (A, I)
• Demonstrated understanding of equality of opportunity and how to apply this in relation to the duties of the post.(A, I)
Other Relevant Information eg. working hours or desirables (only if applicable):
• The work of the Examinations Office fluctuates significantly across the year with much longer hours required during the public examinations season. It is expected that this will be off-set by shorter working hours during quieter times. It is expected that the post holder will manage their time accordingly.
Note to Applicants:
The qualifications, experience and technical skills will be used in the decision-making process for recruitment. Please give examples of how you have exhibited these behaviours in your previous role(s). It is essential you address the criterion marked as (A) on your application form in the section for supporting information. Be as specific as possible, we cannot guess or make assumptions, but will assess your application solely on the information provided. Try to provide evidence, by examples, where possible, of skills, knowledge and experience contained in this person specification.
How to Apply
Applicants should send a completed application form to the Headmaster via CLFSRecruitment@cityoflondon.gov.uk, by 9am on Thursday 5th December. (Shortlisted candidates will be notified on Friday 6th December)
Interviews will take place at the school on Wednesday 11th December. Candidates are asked to note that Freemen’s retains the right to interview and appoint at any time during the application process.
Freemen’s acknowledges receipt of all applications, if you have not received confirmation of the safe receipt of your application within two working days please call the School or email CLFSRecruitment@ cityoflondon.gov.uk to check on its status.
The successful candidate must be able to satisfy the City of London’s health requirements and a confidential medical assessment by the City of London’s Medical Officer is required.
The City of London Freemen’s School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all employees to share this commitment.
The successful applicant must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service (Enhanced Disclosure).