Student Receptionist and Pastoral Assistant

Cheney School, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX3 7QH

14 days remaining to apply

• Start date details

  As soon as possible

• Closing date

  25 September 2026 at 8am

• Date listed

  11 September 2026

Job details

• Job role:
  • Pastoral, health and welfare
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Working pattern: Full time
• Contract type: Permanent
• Full time equivalent salary: £22,697.23 - £24,593.46 Annually (Actual) (FTE £26,824 - £29,065)

Student Receptionist and Pastoral Assistant job summary

We are looking for an organised, warm and resilient individual to join us as our Student Receptionist and Pastoral Administrator. This is a busy, front-facing role at the heart of the school, combined with real responsibility for our students' medical records and welfare. If you have a mature, calm and professional approach, and believe that the small, consistent things you do every day can make a genuine difference to young people, we would love to hear from you.

Cheney School is thriving. There is a culture of collaboration, support and care throughout the school, leading to higher standards and greater job satisfaction every year. Our school motto is “think for yourself; act for others”; these are not just empty words, and are an essential part of the way Cheney runs. We are a large, popular and genuinely comprehensive school in Headington, Oxford, and we believe strong pastoral care is fundamental to both the wellbeing and the academic success of our students.

The successful application will need excellent written English, good numeracy, and confidence with Excel and general office software, along with accurate typing. They will be a confident communicator who is comfortable challenging students constructively rather than deferring every issue upward. Above all, we are looking for someone reliable and calm under pressure, who takes pride in being the welcoming, consistent face of Student Reception.

If you would like an informal conversation about the role before applying, please contact Louise Elias, Deputy Headteacher, at lel@cheneyschool.org or on 01865 765726.

The school reserves the right to consider and interview candidates ahead of the closing date if appropriate, and an offer may be made to an exceptional candidate in this instance.

Cheney School is part of the River Learning Trust

Education has the power to change lives, communities and society for the better. At RLT we believe that we can achieve more for our pupils, trainees, staff and communities by working together rather than alone. Schools in RLT are united by a common belief in the benefits of working together, and by our commitment to shared principles.

OUR VISION is for our schools and SCITT to improve rapidly, continuously and sustainably: to be better faster together.

OUR ‘WHY?’ is that children and young people ‘only get one go’ in school and therefore as part of RLT we aim to ensure the best possible ‘go’ for our pupils.

OUR ‘HOW?’ is through the highest support and challenge for our schools and each other, underpinned by our principles.

Our employees benefit from a wide variety of support including extensive continuing professional learning and development opportunities, wellbeing and staff networks and access to Defined Benefit Pension Schemes (TPS and LGPS) for all staff. For more information on what it is like to work for the Trust, and the benefits you could access, please see our “Working in RLT” guide.

This role includes regulated activity relevant to children.

The River Learning Trust and Cheney School are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and preventing extremism. The Trust is required to conduct a variety of checks and online searches about you as part of their recruitment process in accordance with Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance. It is an offence to apply for certain roles within schools if you are barred from engaging in regulated activity relevant to children.

For all RLT Safer Recruitment Documentation candidates should click on the following link RLT Safer Recruitment Documents for Candidates. Please see our website for up to date policies including our Child Protection and Behaviour Policies.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020. For further guidance for applicants click on this link List of offences that are not filtered

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

Cheney School and The River Learning Trust are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and preventing extremism; all staff must ensure that the highest priority is given to following the guidance and regulations to safeguard children and young people. The successful candidate will be required to undergo an Enhanced Disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and obtain any other statutorily required clearance. Employment will also be conditional on the receipt of at least two acceptable references (1 from current/latest employer) and evidence of the formal qualifications required for the role.

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 Cheney School

• Organisation type: Academy, ages 11 to 18
• Education phase: Secondary school
• Size: 1706 pupils enrolled
• Age range: 11 to 18
• Ofsted report: View Ofsted report
• Website: Cheney School website
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/cheney-school-oxford

Cheney School is a popular, high-performing school located in the heart of Oxford serving a diverse community of students. We are what a comprehensive school was designed to be; we are very proud of our inclusive ethos and the fact that we provide a liberal, outward-looking education to students from all backgrounds, and a caring and supportive community for staff.

We are committed to continuous professional development and have wide-ranging training and development opportunities.

School location

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