Receptionist/Administrator

Are you a conscientious and hard-working individual?  Do you work with a high level of professionalism in everything that you do?  Are you keen to join a highly successful and inspirational academy? Milestone Academy has an exciting opportunity to appoint a Receptionist/Administrator to join us in December 2019.  Our successful candidate will be the first point of contact for many members of the school and external stakeholders.  Applicants should be professional, personable and committed to providing an excellent service on behalf of the school and wider Trust, and above all else our appointed candidate will have a positive work ethic and can-do attitude.  If you're as excited by this opportunity as we are, we'd love to hear from you!

Key duties: 

• This is a very busy role and duties will vary day-to-day, but our successful candidate’s responsibilities will ultimately be to; 
• Present a professional, welcoming service, greeting all visitors and Milestone Academy staff
• Ensure the reception area is manned at all times
• Maintain security by issuing visitors’ badges
• Answer, screen and forward incoming telephone calls answering queries where possible and redirecting appropriately
• Ensure that confidential details are kept away from visitors and staff
• Take delivery of incoming mail and distribute to relevant members of staff/pigeon holes in a timely manner
• Sort and attach appropriate postage to outgoing mail and prepare for collection by Royal Mail
• Book meeting rooms 
• Administration of Staff External Courses and maintaining the tracking system
• Liaise effectively with all site staff including cleaning and catering personnel to ensure the academy offices and common areas of the school building are maintained to a high standard
• Assist the office team with various administrative duties including photocopying, scanning, shredding and filing, and distribution of correspondence and marketing mailshots
• Ensure that there is adequate stock of academy information in reception including newsletters and prospectuses
• Monitor office supplies and place orders where necessary
• Update the academy website including newsletters and announcements
• Produce the termly parent newsletter

Person specification:

• Excellent organisational and planning skills with outstanding attention to detail
• Demonstrate a high level of initiative
• Computer literacy in usual office applications
• Committed and enthusiastic
• Excellent attendance and time-keeping record

Help our students reach their full potential:  Milestone Academy is a large special school for pupils with Profound, Severe and Complex needs, and is part of Leigh Academies Trust.  We currently have 333 pupils on roll aged between the ages of 2 and 19.  The majority of our pupils are based at the main school site in New Ash Green, with other cohorts of pupils attending one of our satellite provisions based at other mainstream Leigh Academies Trust schools – Dartford Primary Academy, The Leigh Academy and Wilmington Academy – allowing us to share best practice in every way possible.  Milestone Academy has been judged as Outstanding by Ofsted at our last two inspections. Click here to view our website and learn more about Milestone Academy.  

Being part of Leigh Academies Trust: As of September 2019, our Trust is comprised of 25 geographically organised academies (11 secondaries, 13 primaries and 1 special) educating over 15,000 students, and employing over 2,500 talented staff.  We also have three further academies in development phase, due to open between September 2020-2021.  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 providers and a large teaching school.

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 organization.

We strive to offer a range of benefits that all employees can take advantage of which we regularly review and add to - click here to view what you’d receive as a member of staff with Leigh Academies Trust. 

Diversity at our core: As a Trust, we are passionate about diversity and recognise that as individuals we all bring something unique to the role regardless of age, gender, race, beliefs or disabilities which is why we treat all of our people equally, without compromise.

The academy is committed to safeguarding children, and successful candidates will be subject to an Enhanced DBS check.  Our commitment to safeguarding is underpinned by robust processes and checks which are in place across the Trust.