Headteacher’s Personal Assistant at Gillingham School Full Time

Gillingham School is seeking to appoint a full-time highly organised, professional and discreet Headteacher’s Personal Assistant with additional responsibility for Personnel and Office Management to play a central role in the effective running of the school. This is a key post within our administrative and leadership structure, suited to an efficient, adaptable individual who enjoys working in a busy school environment and has experience of HR administration, compliance and confidential work. The administrative team at Gillingham School work tirelessly alongside our teaching colleagues to provide all our students and their families with the best possible educational opportunities whilst with us at school.

Personal Assistant to the Headteacher

• Provide comprehensive PA support to the Headteacher
• Manage the Headteacher’s diary, correspondence and appointments
• Prepare agendas, reports and minutes for leadership, governance and other meetings
• Act as a professional point of contact for staff, governors, parents and external agencies
• Manage highly confidential information with tact, discretion and integrity

Human Resources Responsibilities

• Administer recruitment, selection and appointment processes
• Lead safer recruitment procedures, including DBS checks and pre‑employment vetting
• Maintain accurate and compliant staff personnel records
• Administer contracts, contract variations, absences and payroll liaison
• Support line managers with HR processes and policy application
• Assist in ensuring compliance with employment legislation and school policies

Ideal candidate

• Have proven experience in a senior administrative or PA role
• Have experience of HR administration (school or public sector experience desirable)
• Be highly organised, proactive and able to manage competing priorities
• Demonstrate excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Confident handling sensitive and confidential matters
• IT‑literate, with strong knowledge of Microsoft Office and information systems
• Calm, professional and resilient in a fast‑paced environment

Please apply online via the school web site https://www.gillingham-dorset.co.uk. Closing date 27 April 2026. We are committed to safeguarding the welfare of children and will require the disclosure of any criminal convictions. Gillingham School will conduct online searches of shortlisted candidates. This check will be part of a safeguarding check and the search will purely be based on whether an individual is suitable to work with children. As care must be taken to avoid unconscious bias and any risk of discrimination a person who will not be on the appointment panel will conduct the search and will only share information when findings are relevant and of concern.

Further Information

Gillingham School values the diversity of our workforce and welcomes applications from all sectors of the community.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people; this is a commitment which we expect all staff and volunteers to share. The successful candidate will be required to have a Disclosure and Barring Service check in line with the Governments safer recruitment guidelines.

This role is UK based and your Right to Work will need to be established as part of the appointment process.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974. The amendments to the ROA 1974 (Exceptions Order 1975, (2013 and 2020)) provide that when applying for certain jobs and activities, certain spent convictions and cautions are ‘protected’, so they do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account. The MOJ’s guidance on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the Exceptions Order 1975, provides information about which convictions must be declared during job applications and related exceptions and further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS filtering guide.

Keeping Children Safe in Education

Gillingham School will conduct online searches of shortlisted candidates. This check will be part of a safeguarding check, and the search will purely be based on whether an individual is suitable to work with children. All aspects of social media and internet searches will be conducted. As care must be taken to avoid unconscious bias and any risk of discrimination, a person who will not on the appointment panel will conduct the searches and will only share information if and when findings are relevant and of concern.

About Us

Gillingham is an ambitious, popular school which offers excellent resources, outstanding facilities and a happy working environment.