Receptionist

We are looking for a Receptionist to join our friendly office team at Paddock Wood Primary, to be the welcoming face of the academy. This is a very busy role and duties will vary day-to-day, but our successful candidate will ultimately undertake specific areas of responsibility, as allocated by the Office Manager, including supporting senior staff. The role would suit someone that is looking to get back into work and ongoing training can be offered, including in First Aid and IT. Ideally, our successful candidate will be personable, with excellent organisation skills and confident with dealing with members of staff and pupils. Basic IT skills is essential for this role.

This is a permanent, part time opportunity offering an actual salary of £8,740 (£19,788 full time equivalent) based on 19.5 hours per week (8.30am-3.30pm Wednesday - Friday), Term Time only. We would like the successful candidate to join us from February 2023.​

​​​​​​​Click here to view the current benefits package, and be mindful that the list is always g rowing.

Working at our school: Paddock Wood Primary Academy is a comparatively large school (22 classes/600+ pupils), set in the town of Paddock Wood in the Kent countryside. It is a thriving and engaging three-form entry school in the heart of West Kent. Our ethos encapsulates high standards and expectations, excellent learning and teaching, and the positive wellbeing of our pupils and colleagues. We have a strong and committed teaching team which is widely respected and supported by our academy community. Our teachers vary in experience from Newly Qualified to 30+ years, and each brings something valuable to share, and a passion to learn. Our staff team totals 67 (32 teachers, 18 teaching assistants and 17 others) and we have a lot to offer new colleagues, in terms of sharing experience and opportunities, and professional development and training.

We directly employ our own SEN department, comprising Numbers Count and Reading Recovery teachers, specialist Teaching Assistants, and our highly-skilled Inclusion Manager. Our wide curriculum is supported by specialist teachers of music, French, PE, computing and outdoor education. Some features that help us stand out from other schools are that all of our pupils learn French, learn other subjects in French and leave us conversant in the language, pupils leave us with a strong understanding and appreciation of music and sporting skills and that we embed independence, stamina and considered risk into children’s learning, for example through EYFS and KS1 team games and initiative exercises, Year 3 outdoor/forest skills, Y4 mountain biking, Year 5 caving and kayaking, and Year 6 skiing/snow-boarding. We have our own school minibuses and we very frequently take children out into the local area and into central London, as well as taking Year 5 pupils to the Brecon Beacons and Year 6 pupils to Paris. We have a strong regard for extra-curricular learning and a healthy catalogue of sporting and other successes and awards.

Our school is very well regarded, and as well as serving our local community we have a number of pupils (and staff!) who travel some distance to be with us every day. Our academy benefits from significant parent and community support, but we are not complacent - we are committed, hard-working and welcoming. Our children are delightful; calm, focused and very eager to learn.

Being part of Leigh Academies Trust: As of 1st September 2021, our Trust comprises 31 geographically organised academies (15 secondaries, 14 primaries and 2 special) educating 20,000 students, and employing over 2,500 talented staff. The Trust is establishing four ‘clusters’ of academies: North West Kent; Central Kent; South East London; Medway. In addition, the Trust is responsible for one of the region’s biggest initial teaching training organisations, a large teaching school hub and is an accredited apprenticeship provider. Click here to view our future plans in our Vision 2025 document.

As part of Leigh Academies Trust you will have ample opportunity to collaborate with your peers both within the academy and across the whole Trust. This is an important part of our vision as we know through experience that we perform better when we work together. You are supported to undertake regular self-development to continue your professional development and hopefully progress further within the organisation.

Click here to view the range of benefits available to all LAT staff.  

Our commitment to safeguarding: Leigh Academies Trust and all of our academies are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our pupils, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We adopt a fair, robust and consistent recruitment process across all academies and business units. All offers of employment are subject to an Enhanced DBS check, references, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check. 

Our commitment to equality and diversity: As a Trust we are passionate about diversity and recognise that as individuals, we all bring something unique to the role regardless of any protected characteristics which is why we treat all of our people equally, without compromise. We are committed to providing equality and fairness throughout our recruitment and employment practices and not to discriminate on any grounds.

Based on the quality and quantity of applications received, Leigh Academies Trust reserves the right to close this vacancy sooner than the specified closing date. Applicants will be notified of this where possible. Therefore, early applications are encouraged.​​​​​​​