Personal Assistant to the Head (Full Time - Full Year)

St Paul's Cathedral School are pleased to be appointing a permanent Head's PA from September 2025.

• To provide administrative and clerical support to the Head, and Deputy Head, enabling the efficient running of the school
• To ensure that the confidentiality of the Head’s/Deputy Heads’ work is uncompromised, showing discretion and sensitivity in all tasks, calls, correspondence and personal contacts
• To ensure that all communication from the Head’s/Deputy Heads’ offices is presented in a professional manner, avoiding errors which would reflect poorly on the school
• To ensure that the Head and Deputies are alerted and briefed on priority and emergency matters arising in a timely manner
• To ensure a high standard of hospitality for all visitors to the Head/Deputy Heads – including meeting and greeting and touring/arranging tours where necessary

• To support the Head in maintaining and developing excellent relationships across the staff body and with Governors and volunteers
• To support the Head in maintaining and developing excellent relationships with parents and carers
• To ensure excellent liaison with Cathedral administrators, enabling seamless integration of the Head’s Executive Leadership Team commitments with the Head’s school diary, ensuring that rota information is included in the Head’s diary, identifying any clashes and taking necessary action
• To prepare and present documentation to be signed and other relevant documentation to the Head in a timely manner and distribute accordingly
• To prepare and present first drafts of communications/reports on behalf of the Head and distribute accordingly
• To manage and control the Head’s schedule of work appointments and diary including all meetings, presentations, external commitments, protected administration time, visitors, speech and presentation preparation time
• Proactively to manage any necessary changes, negotiating rescheduling as appropriate and keeping all parties informed of such changes
• To provide administrative and clerical support to the Head: to include typing letters in response to correspondence received, exemplary proof-reading and other checking, prior to the submission of any communication carrying the name and/or office of the Head
• To protect the Head’s time to enable work to be achieved without unnecessary interruption
• To deputise for the Head at meetings when required, after appropriate briefing
• To deal with all mail addressed to the Head (with the exception of correspondence marked personal or for sole attention of Head)
• To act as the principal contact between the school and Local Authority (LA), Governors and external bodies such as sending and receiving schools, Department for Education (DfE), Independent Schools Inspection service etc on behalf of the Head
• To liaise with the Chair of Governors, Dean and Chapter, Chorister Trust and Guild on behalf of the Head as required
• To be responsible for researching information and preparing such information as necessary including briefing papers, notes of meetings and ensuring that these are readily available to the Head prior to attendance at meetings and appropriately stored.
• To liaise with external bodies in connection with the Head’s work such as the Society of Heads, Boarding Schools Association and IAPS.
• To support the Head in the production and filing of the key school documents including school policies, handbooks, Action Plan, School Development Plan
• To maintain and develop the Head’s paper and electronic filing system, ensuring that all filing is up to date and archived as necessary
• To assist with the organisation of staff interviews where necessary
• To book attendance at meetings or conferences, create itineraries as necessary and make any associated travel, accommodation and hospitality arrangements, in advance, for the Head and Deputies
• To maintain awareness of the Head’s Appraisal Objectives and schedule tasks and review points accordingly
• To maintain awareness of Action Points for the Head from any governance committees, ensuring tasks are scheduled, actioned and reviewed to agreed dates
• To maintain the school’s complaints record.

Specific Responsibilities with regard to the work of the Deputy Heads and School Secretary:

• To support the Deputy Head with the population, management and publication of the Red Diary (school calendar)
• To undertake the administration of safeguarding for new pupils, including communicating with sending schools
• To support the Deputy Head in her responsibility to provide onward safeguarding information to receiving schools
• To oversee the register of pupils on roll
• To oversee the management of pupil attendance registration.
• To oversee the notification of the LA of leaving pupils’ dates and destinations, consistent with statutory requirements
• To oversee (or delegate within the Office Team) the administration of DH Academic communication with parents including curriculum guides and parent handbooks
• To oversee support required by the Deputy Head Academic with the arrangement of meetings and events
• To act as first point of contact for the PTA and support the Chair in diary planning and event liaison

• To line manage the School Secretary and Receptionist, including conducting induction, appraisal and performance review, supported by the Deputy Bursar and identifying and arranging any necessary training
• To cover/arrange cover for other Office Team members in planned leave or emergency absence
• To maintain the Leave Calendar for the Office Team, liaising with the Deputy Bursar, to ensure that appropriate office support is in place for the safe operation and proper administration of the school in and out of term time
• To take responsibility for Health and Safety for the Office Team
• To administer Holiday Clubs
• To provide cover for the Reception on weeks when Holiday Clubs are in operation or ensure that cover is provided

For a full job description and person specification please see document attached.