HR Administrator

About the role

About the role

The HR administrator at Townsend Church of England School will play a crucial role in co-ordinating human resources functions and ensuring compliance with policies and regulations.

We are looking to recruit a highly organised person with great communication skills and excellent attention to detail. This is a customer focused role to provide effective support across the HR function with particular focus on recruitment, employee records and operational administration. You will also be required to support in other admin functions to support whole school objectives.

Reporting to the School Business Manager, you will support in the provision of a high quality, efficient HR service for the School. The ideal candidate will have HR experience with knowledge of schools HR preferred. However, a flexible and adaptable approach is required with willingness to learn. You must be highly proficient in Word, Excel and Outlook with some experience working with employee databases and producing reports. This is ideally a full time post, though applications for part time or flexible working may be considered.

HR Administration

1. To be responsible for all administrative procedures required in connection with changes to employment terms and conditions and resignation of staff, ensuring the appropriate policies are followed.
2. To be responsible for ensuring that all aspects of recruitment are carried out in accordance with good practice, including: support drafting job descriptions and placing advertisement, organising interviews and liaising with candidates, taking up references, paperwork for successful candidates including all pre-employment checks and appointment letters.
3. To ensure recruitment literature is kept up to date, in liaison with the School Business Manager
4. To assist with internal staff interviews when needed
5. To minute meetings relevant to HR issues
6. Under the direction of the School Business Manager to maintain HR files in line with GDPR requirements
7. To manage an efficient system ensuring contract review dates are met e.g. salary increments, temporary responsibilities, and fixed term contracts
8. To be responsible for the recording and monitoring of staff absences in conjunction with the Data Manager and School Business Manager
9. To ensure staff complete and submit appropriate paperwork for any absences
10. To record, monitor and oversee annual leave taken by support staff
11. To liaise with IT Department regarding starters and leavers
12. To check that appraisals and probations have been completed in line with specified deadline
13. In conjunction with the member of staff responsible for the Induction Programme, to organise the induction and training of all new staff and volunteers
14. To maintain the Single Central Register and ensure the information is accurate and up to date and complies with current statutory guidance.
15. To support in the review of employment policies and processes
16. Supporting the annual cycle of probation and appraisal processes, escalating any concerns to the School Business Manager
17. Supporting the preparation of routine metrics and the annual staff Workforce Census

Payroll administration

1. To ensure payroll input documents submitted by employees are complete and ready for input
2. To assist staff with payroll queries.
3. To liaise with employees regarding access to their online payslips.
4. To process, record and reconcile hours worked by the Cleaning Team each month in conjunction with the Site Manager
5. To process all additional hours claims for both Teaching and Support staff
6. To process all absences in accordance with organisational requirements
7. To process all staff mileage claims

Individuals in this role may also undertake some or all of the following:

1. Assist with more complex HR related issues
2. Undertake administrative duties, such as reception, filing, and document preparation when required

About our School

Townsend is a relatively small and very friendly school with a great atmosphere, circa 800 on roll, including a Sixth Form. Townsend is rated Good by Ofsted (January 2024) in all areas and outstanding in our SIAMS inspection report.

Townsend Church of England School is situated on a large, green site between St Albans and Harpenden, and welcomes applicants from families of all faiths and of no faith. Children who attend Townsend live in St Albans and Harpenden, as well as other towns in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, including Welwyn Garden City, Hemel Hempstead and Luton.

Townsend believes that educating the whole child is key to a successful education. The Bible-based vision of Love Your Neighbour underpins all we do. Students are taught to respect and care for themselves and each other, and Townsend’s supportive environment encourages them to make the most out of their journey through secondary school.

Although this is a Church School you do not have to adhere to the Christian faith to work here, but you must be in sympathy with our work and be able to support the aspects that give us our distinctive character as a Church of England School.

Our Headteacher, Mr Anthony Flack is excited by the opportunity to make Townsend, ‘The first choice secondary school for all’.

Friendly and welcoming, Townsend impresses with its calm learning environment and caring staff. Our new School Prospectus is linked here: https://townsendschoolprospectus.co.uk/

We reserve the right to move to shortlisting and interviews when we have viable applications.

If you would like additional information or to discuss this vacancy - please email the school (recruitment@townsend.herts.sch.uk) for the attention of Mr Flack (Headteacher), or Mrs Llewellyn (Senior Deputy Headteacher), and we can either email a reply or telephone you if you leave a contact number.

To apply for this vacancy, please send a cover letter and an application form to Mr Flack, Headteacher, Townsend CofE School, High Oaks, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL3 6DR or email to recruitment@townsend.herts.sch.uk

Townsend CofE School is committed to the safeguarding of all students and all staff appointed are subject to the usual teaching vetting and compliance checks that include DBS checks, two satisfactory references, confirmation of identity, qualifications, and barred list checks.

Following the shortlisting stage, and before making a final decision, the School will collect and process information publicly available about you by conducting a brief online search using an internet search engine. We do this to ensure that the school acts in accordance with its obligations set out in Keeping Children Safe in Education.