Admissions Administrator

The Portsmouth Grammar School is a leading co-educational school located in the historic heart of Portsmouth. 

We are very much a family school known for excellent teaching, superb pastoral care and wide-ranging co-curricular opportunities and offer an education across the age range. Our Pre-School for 2½ to 4-year-olds, the Infants and Junior departments for children aged 4 to 11 and a Senior School for students aged 11 to 18, are all dedicated to helping children thrive and to reach their potential.  

The Admissions Administrator is responsible for providing comprehensive and confidential administrative and organisational support to the Admissions Office.

The Admissions Administrator will work with staff across the school from Pre-School to Sixth Form as well as with prospective families in all year groups. The successful candidate will be professional and friendly and able to demonstrate good interpersonal skills which are critical for effective communication and the provision of an excellent service.

Strong organisation skills are also essential to be able to prioritise tasks and work well within a small team. The successful candidate will be self-motivated and able to work flexibly and under pressure at busy times. A high level of proficiency in MS Office and experience of working with databases is essential. 

Previous experience of a similar role within education, legal or professional services organisations would be an advantage. 

This is a full-time, year round role, to include attendance at all Professional Development Days (INSET) in the school calendar. The hours of work will be 37.5 per week, Monday – Friday 9am to 5pm, with an unpaid 30 minutes for lunch. There will be an occasional requirement for work outside of normal hours, including some Saturdays for Open Morning and prospective pupil interviews and assessments which take place in January.

The start date will be in June 2021 and can be discussed further at interview.

Duties will include those outlined below and any other tasks that may reasonably be required to help the smooth operation of the Admissions Office. The duties of the role are reviewed regularly according to the needs of the school and may be subject to change from time to time.

Key Responsibilities

To ensure the admissions process for prospective parents is effectively administered, retaining at all times the strongest focus on customer care.

To ensure the admissions database is accurate and up to date.

To support the organisation of School Tours as requested by prospective parents.

To assist with the administration of bursary and scholarship applications ensuring that key dates are met to enable a smooth admissions process.

To support with administration relating to the 11+, 13+ and 16+ admissions cycle.

To manage the admissions email inbox to ensure all incoming enquiries are dealt with in a timely manner.

To support events associated with the marketing and promotion of the school including but not exclusively Open Morning, Open Afternoons and Entrance Assessments.

To generate admissions data for reporting to senior management and the Governing Body.

To be the primary point of contact for the Admissions team during school holiday periods.

To attend all safeguarding training as required by the school.

As part of the Admissions team, to  act as ‘front of house’ at key times and to engage positively with prospective parents and pupils.

To assist and support the provision of Taster days offered to internal pupils and external candidates.  

To support Outreach and Partnership events in an admissions capacity, as well as being ‘front of house’ at key times to engage positively with prospective parents and pupils.

Person Specification

Highly proficient IT skills including MS Office Word and Excel.

Experience of working with database packages.

Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.

Ability to develop positive relationships with prospective families, staff and outside agencies.

Ability to maintain confidentiality at all times and work with discretion when dealing with sensitive and confidential information.

Highly organised and able to work under pressure at busy times.

Confident handling of enquiries by telephone, email and in person.

Supportive of the aims and ethos of PGS.

Contract of Employment:

All conditions of employment are detailed in a separate contract issued by the Bursary.

The Portsmouth Grammar School prides itself on being a caring employer and all staff are encouraged to discuss any aspects of their terms and conditions of employment initially with their line manager and, as necessary, with the Bursar who signs all contracts of employment on behalf of the Governing Body. 

Benefits:

 The school is a strong supporter of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and support staff wishing to undertake appropriate professional training can apply for financial support towards any associated costs.

 Key financial benefits of employment at PGS include a generous salary structure and leave allowance.  The annual salary for this role will be offered within a range £21,284 to £22,870 per annum, depending upon the skills and experience of the successful candidate. The annual leave allowance of 25 days per annum will increase by one day per year to a maximum of 30 days per annum. The leave year operates from 1st September to 31st August.

Annual leave should be agreed in advance to support the operational needs of the Admissions cycle throughout the year, including school holiday periods. 

A two course lunch is provided to all staff during term time.

 The school will auto-enrol eligible support staff into the NEST pension scheme and also offers an alternative pension scheme with Scottish Widows whereby if the employee contributes 6.5% of salary the school will contribute 8.5%.  We also have a non-contributory death-in-service policy. 

 The school is an approved operator of the ‘salary sacrifice’ Cycle to Work Scheme. Additional benefits include free use of the school’s Sports facilities which include a well-equipped Fitness Centre.   

The school is always looking for innovative ways to improve the working conditions and remuneration of its employees and welcomes suggestions from all staff.

How to apply:

PGS is committed to safeguarding children and the successful applicant will be subject to an Enhanced Disclosure DBS check. 

Further information is available on the website at www.pgs.org.uk under the ‘About Us’ section and any queries regarding the vacancy should be emailed to HR@pgs.org.uk. 

An electronic application would be preferable, submitted to HR@pgs.org.uk.  All applicants should complete a support staff application form, with a full curriculum vitae and a covering letter addressed to the Head, Dr Anne Cotton. Please include email addresses whenever available.  All applications should be accompanied by the names, addresses, email and telephone numbers of two referees.

The closing date for receipt of applications is noon, 18th May 2021 and early applications are encouraged.  Interviews are scheduled to take place on 26th May 2021.