Executive Assistant
Colne Community School, Colchester, Essex, CO7 0QL12 days remaining to apply
Start date details
December 2026
Closing date
18 October 2026 at 11:59pm
Date listed
6 October 2026
Job details
Job role
- Administration, HR, data and finance
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Working pattern
- Full time
Contract type
- Permanent
Full time equivalent salary
- £41,177.00 - £45,529.00 Annually (Actual)
Executive Assistant job summary
Are you a compassionate and dedicated individual who believes in putting students first? Do you want to be part of an inclusive and nurturing community where everyone is empowered to succeed?
At The Colne, we are committed to providing a safe and secure environment where students feel supported every step of the way, allowing them to grow into well-rounded individuals. By working closely with families and building positive relationships, we strive to immerse all our students in a culture that is inclusive and aspirational, helping them to dream big and reach their full potential.
A fantastic opportunity has arisen at Colne Community School to be part of an innovative and forward thinking school. The successful candidate will play a crucial role in the operational side of the school and will engage alongside the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) in the strategic development of the school.
We are looking to appoint an enthusiastic and innovative Executive Assistant to provide outstanding support to both the Head of School and the Executive Headteacher. The successful candidate will also act as joint Clerk to the Local Governance Committee (LGC) and line manage the HR Link and administrative teams.
The role will require a high level of confidentiality, flexibility and use of initiative to provide a smooth and effective delivery, often within tight timescales.
The successful candidate will be supported to shape and develop the Executive Assistant role over time and a suitable working pattern will be discussed with candidates at interview.
Our school is a community in which we believe everyone, students and staff alike, should have the opportunity to be nourished and grow. Therefore, we are seeking to recruit a proactive and reliable member of staff to enrich the skills and experience already present in our Pastoral and Attendance teams. We aim to foster an inclusive culture where everyone is able to learn from each other. The ideal candidate will be enthusiastic, confident and diligent.
Colne Community School is a member of the Sigma Trust. The Sigma Trust’s mission is to be ‘Greater Than The Sum Of Its Parts’ and this is certainly a message that the Colne invests in too. We work closely with other schools within the Trust to improve standards and ensure that we are creating the best environment for our students to learn and our staff to develop.
Our ARK values of Aspiration, Resilience and Kindness describe the ethos that flows through our school. We expect all members of staff to feed into our values and lead by example to our students. We believe that every member of staff has the potential to impact on student experience and therefore we encourage our staff, both teaching and support, to immerse themselves in our school culture.
Applications from outstanding professionals who believe they can contribute to our school community are greatly welcomed. If you are willing to invest in us, we will invest in you which we believe makes the experience at the Colne especially exciting.
This role is 37 hours per week, 52 weeks per year (full time, working pattern to be discussed at interview)
A Day in the Life:
You'll be responsible for bringing your passion and expertise to the following areas:
To provide confidential secretarial and administrative support to the Head of School/Executive Headteacher as required.
To supervise the provision of P&C services for all staff, liaising with SLT, Sigma P&C and the Head of School/Executive Headteacher.
To have oversight of the administrative team, including the line management of the Office Manager, Finance Assistant and other non-teaching roles as required.
To provide administrative support/advice to the local governance committee, including preparing agendas, minutes, associated paperwork and reports for different types of meetings.
(The full details can be found in the attached Job Outline and Person Specification).
What We're Looking For:
You are the perfect fit for our team if you have:
Good general education up to A-Level or equivalent
Excellent organisational and time management skills
Resilience and determination coupled with the ability to support and show empathy
Why Choose The Sigma Trust?
We believe in investing in our staff and fostering a culture of collaboration. We offer a competitive salary and a comprehensive package designed to support your professional and personal life.
Why work for The Sigma Trust, The Colne Community School?
We can offer you:
A Competitive Salary
Robust school CPD training programme that enables you to flourish
Opportunities to work with colleagues across the Trust to share resources, ideas and build collaborative relationships
Free tea and coffee available in all team rooms and communal staff room.
Sociable and friendly staff.
Staff weekly wellbeing opportunities.
Staff social events.
Employee benefits include:
Excellent pension scheme
A Health Cash Plan
Employee Assistance Programme providing free and confidential advice
Cycle to Work scheme
Eye care plan
Annual free flu vaccination
Eligible for Blue Light Card
Commitment to Safeguarding & Diversity
The Sigma Trust is committed to safeguarding and protecting the children and young people that we work with. As such, all posts are subject to safer recruitment processes, including the disclosure of criminal records, online checks and other vetting checks. We ensure that we have a range of policies in place which promote safeguarding and safer working practice across our schools.
The Sigma Trust is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunities regardless of any protected characteristics. This is embedded in our vision ‘To Be Greater Than The Sum Of Its Parts’, where we believe we are strong and more successful working together, creating a workplace which celebrates diversity.
To Apply:
Ready to take the next step? Find out more about the role and apply by Midnight Sunday 18th October 2026.
Shortlisting will take place week commencing Monday 19th October 2026.
Interviews will take place w/c 19th October 2026
Nb: Please note that only fully completed application forms will be accepted and we reserve the right to close this advert early should we receive an overwhelming response. Candidates may be invited to interview prior to the closing date, so an early application is advised.
We are unable to provide sponsorship for this position, so please ensure you have the right to work in the UK before you apply.
We are managing all current recruitment directly and kindly request that agencies do not contact us regarding open positions.
Further information about the job
Commitment to safeguarding
Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff, volunteers and trustees to share this commitment.
Our recruitment process follows the keeping children safe in education guidance.
Offers of employment may be subject to the following checks (where relevant):
childcare disqualification
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
medical
online and social media
prohibition from teaching
right to work
satisfactory references
suitability to work with children
You must tell us about any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.
Applying for the job
This school accepts applications through their own website, where you may also find more information about this job.
CVs will not be accepted for this application.
View advert on external website (opens in new tab)About Colne Community School
- Organisation type
- Academy, ages 11 to 16
- Education phase
- Secondary school
- Size
- 1289 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 11 to 16
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
School location
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