Personal Assistant to Headteacher

Airedale Academy, Castleford, West Yorkshire, WF10 3JU

21 days remaining to apply

• Closing date

  6 August 2026 at 8am

• Date listed

  16 July 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: £27,915.00 - £30,377.00 Annually (Actual) Grade 7 SCP 19-23 Term Time + 5 Days

Personal Assistant to Headteacher job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic, highly organised and motivated individual to join Airedale Academy in a key role supporting the Headteacher. Working at the heart of the school, the successful candidate will provide high-quality administrative and organisational support, helping to ensure the effective day-to-day leadership and management of the Academy. This is an excellent opportunity for a professional, proactive individual who thrives in a fast-paced environment and is committed to making a positive difference to the school community.

You will:

• Provide the Headteacher and Senior Leadership Team with high quality executive secretarial, administrative and personal support.
• Manage the Headteacher’s diary, arranging meetings, events, appointments, organising venues, arranging hospitality, distribute documents, making minutes and undertaking follow-up action as necessary.
• Act as first point of contact and, in the absence of the Headteacher or Senior Leadership Team, exercise a high degree of initiative, integrity and sensitivity, making appropriate judgements and decisions in order to deal effectively with matters as they arise, particularly matters of a personal or political nature.
• Be the first point of contact for all internal and external calls to the Headteacher; dealing with routine and non-routine enquiries as appropriate, including the need to deal often with complex and sensitive matters.
• Administer and maintain up to date records of academy exclusions, including sending exclusion letters, logging exclusions and clerking exclusion meetings.
• Provide an efficient, professional and confidential service for all administrative tasks required by the Headteacher.

You will be/have:

• 5 G.C.S.E’s at Grade C (or above) including G.C.S.E Maths and English (or equivalent).
• Experience in a senior assistant role, including managing busy diaries and dealing with sensitive and highly confidential communications for senior staff.
• Experience of committee servicing, relationship and event management, drafting of reports and researching information/data for senior staff.
• Ability to build and form good relationships with pupils, colleagues and external agencies.
• Excellent customer service skills.

As a valued colleague within our Trust, you can expect:

• Unwavering support and a culture of collaboration: you will benefit from exceptional support from our executive leaders, leadership teams and dedicated Trust specialists across key areas including curriculum development, safeguarding, inclusion, governance, HR, finance, estates, IT and compliance. At Castleford Trust collaboration is at the heart of everything we do - your success is our shared success.
• Wellbeing and Community: from Day 1 your wellbeing matters to us. You will have access to our Employee Assistance Programme for you and your family members. Throughout our local community you will be able to join local fitness and swimming facilities at a discounted rate, and each year be able to take advantage of our onsite health checks. We regularly review and update our services to meet the needs of colleagues at all stages in their life and careers.
• Working together to achieve excellence for all: all the academies within the Trust have a strong moral purpose and seek to have a positive impact on the communities that they serve and to support families to overcome any social disadvantage. We are deeply committed to our values of Care, Aspire and Succeed and have very high expectations and aspirations for pupils and colleagues alike.

Closing date for Applications: Providing suitable interest, the closing date for applications is 8.00 am on Thursday 6th August 2026 with interviews taking place w/c 17th August 2026.

References: References will be taken up shortly after shortlisting and prior to interview using the contact details you supply on your application.

Equal Opportunities: Castleford Trust is committed to equality of opportunity for all staff and applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnership. Castleford Trust welcomes applications from anyone who meets the criteria for the role.

Safeguarding and DBS Clearance: Castleford Trust are committed to promoting safeguarding and the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff to share this commitment. Therefore, all appointments are subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks and an enhanced DBS check.

All completed application forms should be submitted through the My New Term Portal https://mynewterm.com/candidate-registration

Further information about the job

The candidate will be required to undergo a full enhanced DBS check and must be eligible to work in the UK.

Visas cannot be sponsored.

If you're interested in teaching or training to teach in England as an international citizen, we can help you understand your next steps.

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.

About Airedale Academy

• Organisation type: Academy, ages 11 to 18
• Education phase: Secondary school
• Size: 1008 pupils enrolled
• Age range: 11 to 18
• Ofsted report: View Ofsted report
• Website: Airedale Academy website
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/airedale-academy

Welcome to Airedale Academy, where ambition meets opportunity and every learner is empowered to thrive. Our vision is working together to achieve excellence for all. It is the heartbeat of our school, shaping everything from classroom learning to corridor conversations.

At the core of our culture are the values Care, Aspire, Succeed. These guide every decision we make and every relationship we build, helping our pupils grow not only as successful students but as confident, resilient, and thoughtful individuals ready to shape their futures.

We are more than a school, we are a community. A place where achievements are celebrated, memories are made, and doors to new possibilities are opened. Every member of Team Airedale plays a vital role in creating a safe, inspiring, and inclusive environment where all pupils can flourish.

Whether you're a prospective parent, a future student, or a visitor exploring what makes us unique - we invite you to discover the vibrant, caring, and ambitious spirit of Airedale Academy.

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