Are you an experienced and organised administrator looking to make a real impact in a thriving special school?  Woodlands Secondary School is seeking a proactive and highly professional PA to provide high-level support to our Headteacher and Senior Leadership Team.

About the role:

You’ll play a key role in supporting the Headteacher and SLT, ensuring the smooth running of leadership, governance, and statutory functions. The role includes executive support (managing diaries, correspondence, meetings, and minutes), leadership support (coordinating meetings, policy control,  inspection prep), communication (drafting communications, updating the website/social media, liaising with parents, governors, and external agencies), and operational admin (elements of recruitment, HR meetings, event organisation, and staff induction).

We are looking for:

• Experience as a PA or in senior administration, ideally in a school
• Excellent communication, organisational, and IT skills
• Discretion, integrity, and a positive, solution-focused attitude
• Commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children

Woodlands can offer:

• a hardworking, friendly and supportive staff team who are committed to supporting our young people
• a leadership team who take staff and student wellbeing seriously, whilst ensuring the best outcomes for young people.
• a supportive Governing Board. 

Benefits of working at Woodlands Secondary School:

• Free access to Employee Assistance provided by Spectrum - this is confidential support 24 hours a day, 7 days per week
• Supportive leadership team 
• Free tea and coffee
• Access to our onsite cafe, 4 days per week - sit in or take away; loyalty cards available
• Opportunities to be entered into a half-termly draw to win a cafe voucher - based on good attendance
• Access to the onsite gym
• Discounted membership rates at Active Luton
• Free eye tests and contributions towards glasses

Find out more about the school

Working in a special school is a unique and privileged opportunity for the right people. 

We advise interested parties to ensure they have looked at the school website www.woodlands.luton.sch.uk and our Facebook Page - Official Woodlands Secondary School,  in order to get a flavour of our school.    

Application form

When completing the letter of application, please ensure you address all of the points in the essential column on the person specification.   Please refer to the attached document - how to complete a high quality letter of application.

Safeguarding:

The school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff to share this commitment.

Applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service.

This post meets the definition of ‘Regulated Activity’ as defined in the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 (as amended).

Because of the nature of this job, it will be necessary for an enhanced DBS check to be undertaken. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare all unspent cautions and convictions; and also any adult cautions (simple or conditional), and spent convictions that are not protected as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020). A person’s criminal record will not in itself prevent a person from being appointed to this post. Applicants will not be refused posts because of offences which are not relevant to, and do not place them at or make them a risk in, the role for which they are applying. However in the event of the employment being taken up, any failure to disclose such offence, as detailed above, will result in dismissal or disciplinary action by the Authority.