College Administrator & Pupil Support Assistant

Overall Purpose

The College Administration and Pupil Support (CAPS) team’s role is to ensure the smooth running of College facilities and to support in all aspects of pupils’ wellbeing during the school day.  The importance of the CAPS team’s role cannot be easily quantified but it is key to the management of the College and more importantly the welfare of the pupils. The CAPS team are  required to support the Pastoral Lead (U6th) in all matters relating to pupils, College events and to ensure that the facilities are maintained to a satisfactory standard in both cleanliness and repair. Their duties include administrative tasks, including morning and afternoon registration.  As part of this role the CAPS team will be required to liaise with other members of the Bursarial support staff including the Housekeeping Manager. Furthermore, the CAPS team are required to deal with minor ailments and liaise with parents regarding health matters as necessary, and to be supportive and understanding of a range of day to day needs. 

Duties

KEY FUNCTION 1: Welfare

This is an important aspect of the CAPS’s role and they should be aware of any personal difficulties being experienced by the pupils including unhappiness, health issues, domestic problems etc. and be able to offer appropriate levels of care and pastoral support.  In addition, she/he should be prepared to run errands (within reason) when the need arises.  The CAPS will have daily communication with the Pastoral Lead (U6th), the Assistant Head College, tutors and regular communication with parents and Health Centre staff as necessary.                                                                     

General responsibilities – Pupil Support

Pupil support and safeguarding – Support the welfare of all pupils, ensuring that they are engaging purposefully with the range of activities on offer, including extra-curricular and independent study

Communication – Deal with parental, departmental and other queries and pass on messages and key information, via telephone and email, most particularly concerning pupil welfare.

Supervision of the College Hub – ensuring that facilities are used appropriately, kept in good order and standards of pupil behaviour and appearance are maintained. Liaise with Housekeeping staff as required.

Morning and Afternoon Registration – Ensure both registrations are completed in line with school policy for day pupils. Liaise with parents about day pupils “off-games” and ensure the information is updated on ISAMs.

Medical – Keep the medicine cupboard replenished.  Maintain medicine records of all medication given to Upper Sixth Day pupils, using ISAMs where appropriate.  Liaise with the Health Centre on a daily basis and pass on a daily report to the Pastoral Lead (U6th Day), consulting on urgent matters.  Take pupils to the Health Centre when necessary, but within the constraints of Day pupils, as parents should be arranging care and medical support through their own means. 

Provision of pupil refreshments– Ensure that stocks of foodstuff are adequately maintained, ordering “House” issues from catering and make use of Blue Runner for packed lunch requests etc. as required.

• Allergens: Liaise with Health Centre and Catering to ensure you familiarise on any pupil within your responsibility that have any dietary intolerances including allergens. (Refer to Pupil Medical List, issued from health Centre)
• Food Safety/Handling: If directly involved in extracurricular activities involving pupils producing meals for consumption, then CAPS must ensure there is a member of staff with a Food Safety Level 2 (Inc Allergen Awareness) completed prior to commencing the activity. Refer and adhere to ‘Food Safety and Hospitality in the Houses’ Policy and seek any advice from Catering Management Team.

School Policy and Rules – Keep a copy in the College Admin’s room and assist Pastoral Lead (U6th Day) in the observance of the policy.

KEY FUNCTION II: College Administration

The College is an exciting and significant development for Canford School and as such, it is important that the College Administration team is supportive of initiatives that both enhance Canford’s Sixth Form provision, and promote the College offering both within the community and beyond. It is therefore anticipated that the CAPS team will work closely with both Admissions and Marketing in the organisation of activities in support of pupil recruitment, as well as working with the Assistant Head College to ensure that internal events and activities are appropriately resourced and run smoothly, to the benefit of the pupil body.

General responsibilities - Administration

Management of College Facilities – including oversight of bookings for College spaces, reporting maintenance and repairs, and working closely with the Housekeeping department to ensure facilities are clean and in good order.

Public relations - Assist in the recruitment of pupils to the school by a) contributing to initiatives designed to support admissions into the Sixth Form in particular, as well as the School in general; b) showing prospective parents round the Hub and discussing pastoral and educational matters with them; c) demonstrating enthusiasm for the College model and the opportunity it provides to prepare pupils for the transition to life beyond school.

Event planning – support with the organisation of both internal and external functions, maintaining an oversight of activities taking place in the College in conjunction with the Assistant Head College.

Catering – where required for college functions and events

• Assist the Assistant Head College in communicating catering requirements for the College to the Catering Team and to serve and support where required.
• Use Blue Runner system to ensure that all College events are recorded and catered for centrally.

Ad Hoc Evenings and Weekends - The College Administration and Pupil Support team will be expected to work occasional evening and weekends for College events

Beginnings and ends of Term

In consultation with the Pastoral Lead (U6th Day), the CAPS team is expected to work as required for a few days at the start and end of each term.  In particular, they should ensure that they have spoken to the Housekeeping Manager and briefed her on any outstanding matters affecting the College facilities.

Start of Term

• Check the facilities spotlessly clean and report any deficiencies to the Housekeeping Manager
• Label Study Suites and lockers, creating an accurate list of the pupils using each space
• Welcome pupils and parents.

End of Term

• Ensure that all pupils clear their workspaces and communal areas of all personal possessions and clothing.
• After end of term:
  • Ensure pupils clear the College of any belongings left behind and that electrical items in kitchens are stored
  • Supervise the initial cleaning of the House and check with the Housekeeping Manager that domestic staff know what to do during the holidays e.g. carpets shampooed, curtains washed.
  • Check house for any maintenance repairs such as curtains, furniture etc and report to the Director of Estates.

Exeats and Half-terms

• There may be a requirement to remain in the College until the last pupil has been collected.
• Ensure that the house is reasonable tidy and secure.

Health and Safety

• Have an involvement and awareness of health and safety issues within the House which may have an affect on staff and/or pupils.
• Keep records of reported accidents and near misses.
• Ensure Fire Safety is adhered to in the House and support the Pastoral Lead (U6th) with fire practices.

Knowledge / Experience

• Educated to A’level standard or equivalent  (D)
• Administration qualification or equivalent  (D)
• Excellent administration skills  (E)
• Secretarial and/or administrative experience  (E)
• High degree of computer literacy, including MS Office and use of databases  (E)
• High standard of written English  (E)
• Experience in the education sector  (D)
• Experience of working with young people (D)
• Excellent written and oral expression  (E)
• Good telephone and office manner with the ability to deal with enquiries in a professional manner  (E)
• Ability to organise and manage a busy workload  (E)
• Ability to prioritise effectively and manage conflicting demands  (E)
• Professional approach and ability to communicate effectively with pupils, staff and members of the public  (E)
• Works well under pressure  (E)
• Professional discretion  (E)
• Organised, able to manage time effectively  (E)
• Keen eye for detail  (E)
• Proactive approach  (E)
• Flexible and adaptable  (E)
• A happy demeanour and good sense of humour  (E)
• Flexible approach to work  (E)
• Lives locally  (D)

Canford School is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion in all areas of our Community and encourages applications from all suitably qualified candidates.

Canford School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.

The successful applicant will be required to undergo child protection screening.