Office Administrator
Chichester Free School, Chichester, West Sussex, PO20 1NP13 days remaining to apply
Job start date
1 September 2025
Closing date
8 July 2025 at 8am
Date listed
25 June 2025
Job details
Job role
- Administration, HR, data and finance
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Working pattern
- Part time: Hours: 25 hours per week, term time plus one week and two Inset Days
Contract type
- Permanent
Pay scale
- Grade C (SCP 3 - 4): Approximate starting salary (subject to national pay increase): £24,027 (FTE) £12,965 (actual)
What skills and experience we're looking for
We are seeking an exceptional candidate with the energy, passion and creativity to work as an Office Administrator as part of the Admin Team in our thriving All-Through school. We are ideally looking for someone who can work five hours a day throughout the week, but this is flexible, as are the exact working times each day. This is predominantly a term time only position, although attendance at two Inset Days is required. An additional week of work during the school holidays is also needed, in order to ensure the successful on -boarding of any newly appointed staff for the start of term, but during the holidays these hours can be worked flexibly and from home where appropriate.
CFS is a vibrant, collaborative and forward-thinking school for 4-16 year olds, where the personal development of our pupils is just as important as the academic curriculum. Our values of ‘nurture, challenge and inspire’ influence everything we do as a school, and genuinely permeate all areas of school life. If you are a strong practitioner who shares our values and ideals, we strongly encourage you to find out more about CFS via a visit to the school or through our school website www.chichesterfreeschool.org.uk.
Ideally, the successful candidate will have previous school experience, and will be committed to embracing the unique and special environment and opportunities of working in an All-Through school.
CFS follows national pay scales and the starting point within the range listed will be agreed on appointment with the successful candidate.
The Role
The Office Administrator provides comprehensive administrative support across various functions, including recruitment management, staff attendance and record management, and finance administration. This role ensures efficient communication between the school and its stakeholders, contributing to the smooth and effective operation of the school’s day-to-day activities.
Key Responsibilities:
- Recruitment: Being the in-house lead for recruitment, including posting adverts, monitoring applications and organising of interviews. Supporting the central People Team with the on boarding of new staff, including overseeing the gathering and completion pre-employment checks.
- Staff Attendance and Records Management: Support the Trust’s People Team in maintaining staff attendance, managing leave requests, and ensuring compliance with absence documentation.
- Finance Administration: Supporting the Finance team with processing income and expenditure, for example posting invoices, capturing and processing parent payments. Processing orders and monitoring goods received.
- General Administrative Support: Provide general administrative support, including filing, photocopying, and managing documentation. Maintain accurate staff records in compliance with GDPR, and input into the Single Central Register. Ensure activities follow safeguarding and confidentiality protocols. General administrative support to the leadership team as needed. Whilst we have dedicated Reception Administrators, the Office Administrator will be expected to also cover Reception on occasion.
The Team
The successful candidate would become part of our large, passionate and highly skilled Admin Team, some of whom have been at CFS since it first opened. Each member of the team has clearly defined responsibilities that they lead on, such as Marketing, Admissions, SIMS management and Finance, but they also work collectively and flexibility to ensure the smooth running of the school. The Admin Team are highly valued by all stakeholders at CFS, and you would be joining a happy, productive and supportive environment.
Further information, including a Person Specification, is included in our job pack.
Early applications are encouraged, and we reserve the right to interview and appoint prior to the deadline.
What the school offers its staff
CFS is now entering its second decade and is fully established in our state-of-the-art facilities on the Carmelite Convent Site in the south of Chichester. Our PAN is 60 in Primary, and 120 in Secondary; in almost all year groups we are oversubscribed with waiting lists. Due to demand, we have a bulge intake of Year 7 who started in September 2023, with over 150 pupils currently on roll in this year group, with a similar sized cohort joining Secondary in September 2025.
The School joined Sussex Learning Trust in September 2023 – a move that we personally initiated through the desire to collaborate with a like-minded family of schools. The Trust is currently small and based in Haywards Heath; CFS are well placed to launch a new Western Region of the Trust, which is really exciting.
As a Free School, we are the same as any other academy; we are both held and hold ourselves to the same exacting and rigorous standards as all state-funded schools. We follow the national curriculum, and are proud of our ambitious, inclusive and varied curriculum offer. Our pupils engage with SATs and GCSE assessments. In May 2024 we received a very strong fully graded Ofsted Inspection – we were graded at least a strong Good in all areas and Outstanding in Personal Development. As a school we are now striving for excellence in all areas, and to achieve above average outcomes in both phases.
CFS is open to pupils of all abilities. We take part in the West Sussex County Council (WSCC) admissions process. As a school we benefit from longer holidays, specifically at October half term, Christmas and during the summer.
Commitment to safeguarding
CFS is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. In accordance with our Child Protection Policy we are unable to process applications without a fully completed application form. The post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. All convictions, cautions and bind-overs, including those regarded as ‘spent’ must be declared when applying. The applicant may post such a declaration in an envelope marked ‘Private & confidential for the Principal’. The successful applicant must obtain List 99 clearance and DBS clearance at enhanced level.
Applying for the job
Please download the application form using the link below, and once completed send to people@chichesterfreeschool.org.uk
CVs are not accepted.
Upload additional documents
If you need these documents in an accessible format, please contact the school.
About Chichester Free School
- School type
- Free School, ages 4 to 19
- Education phase
- Through
- School size
- 1063 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 4 to 19
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- School website
- Chichester Free School website
- Email address
- people@chichesterfreeschool.org.uk
- Phone number
- 01243 792690
CFS is now entering its second decade and is fully established in our state-of-the-art facilities on the Carmelite Convent Site on the Hunston Road in the south of Chichester. Our PAN is 60 in Primary, and 120 in Secondary; in almost all year groups we are oversubscribed with waiting lists. Due to demand, we have a bulge intake of Year 7 who started in September 2023, with 150 pupils currently on roll.
The School joined Sussex Learning Trust last September – a move that we personally initiated through the desire to collaborate with a like-minded family of schools. The Trust is currently small and based in Haywards Heath; CFS are well placed to launch a new Chichester Hub of the Trust, which is really exciting.
As a Free School, we are the same as any other academy; we are both held and hold ourselves to the same exacting and rigorous standards as all state-funded schools. We follow the national curriculum, and are proud of our ambitious, inclusive and varied curriculum offer. Our pupils engage with SATs and GCSE assessments. Since 2013, CFS has achieved two ‘Good’ Ofsted Inspections. As a school we are now striving for excellence in all areas, and to achieve above average outcomes in both phases.
CFS is open to pupils of all abilities. We do not have a catchment area, thus ensuring the School is fair and inclusive. We take part in the West Sussex County Council (WSCC) admissions process. As a school we benefit from longer holidays, specifically at October half term, Christmas and during the summer.
School location
Similar jobs nearby
Get a job alert when similar jobs are listed
Find more school jobs in West Sussex