About us:

Holtspur School and Pre School is a caring, ambitious one form entry primary school with excellent facilities, including a DLD (Developmental Language Disorder) ARP, a large pre-school and superb outside spaces. 

Our vision is — Caring, Inspiring, Achieving — and values (Be Ready, Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Kind, Be Unique) are lived every day. Serving a diverse community we prioritise inclusion, high expectations and pupil wellbeing. As a senior leader you will have visible, hands‑on responsibility for finance, HR, administration and premises - translating detailed systems into strategic decisions that directly improve teaching, support our ARP provision and make day‑to‑day school life better for pupils, families and staff. This role is ideal for someone already working in a school in a business function who wants a clear SLT remit and the opportunity to progress their career.

Key responsibilities (summary)

• You will sit on the SLT and be the hub for finance, HR administration, office leadership and premises — turning robust systems into strategic decisions that protect resources and further drives school improvement.
• Ideal for someone already working in a school business, finance/HR or senior administrative role ready to take the next step in their career — or for an experienced school professional ready to progress into SLT.

• Lead school finance: budgeting, forecasting, reconciliations, procurement and value‑for‑money decisions.
• Drive compliance & assurance: SFVS, statutory returns, audit readiness and strong internal controls.
• Own HR administration & safer recruitment: Single Central Record, contracts, absence monitoring and payroll liaison.
• Line manage the school office administrative staff; oversee pupil data, census returns and parental contact.
• Oversee estates, health & safety and statutory site checks; manage contractors and premises planning.
• Provide clear, timely financial and operational reports to the Headteacher and governors; contribute to strategic planning and resource decisions.

Who we’re looking for

• Essential: currently working within a school setting (school business, finance, office manager, senior admin or comparable role).
• Experience of schools finance, confident with school budgets and management information.
• Proven HR/safeguarding, administration, HR compliance and Single Central Record experience.
• A strategic thinker who explains finance clearly to non‑finance colleagues and governors.
• Calm line‑manager and strong organiser committed to inclusion and improving outcomes for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND.
• Fluent spoken and written English.

Safeguarding & checks

• Safeguarding is our highest priority. Enhanced DBS and satisfactory pre‑employment checks required.
• This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 — certain convictions must be declared (see DBS filtering guidance).
• Two suitable references required; an online check will be carried out for shortlisted candidates.

Other information

Please do look at our website where you will get a flavour of why we are truly proud of what we do as a team to ensure our children reach their full potential through their enriched learning journeys at Holtspur Primary School and Pre-School.

Interviews will be conducted on an on-going basis; the vacancy may be closed early where a suitable candidate is appointed. We therefore encourage candidates to submit applications as early as possible.

We warmly welcome prospective applicants to visit the school before applying. All visits follow our safeguarding procedures. To book a visit please contact Kathryn Kitson; 01494 674325 or email: bursar@holtspurschool.co.uk 

Holtspur School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of its pupils and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to full vetting checks, including a disclosure of criminal records at an enhanced level.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

·         All unspent cautions and convictions cautions

·         All adult cautions and spent convictions that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020). For further information on filtering please refer to Nacro guidance, the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) guidance or Ministry of Justice (MOJ) guidance (see, in particular, the section titled ‘Exceptions Order’).

It is an offence to apply for the role if you are barred from engaging in regulated activity relevant to children. All shortlisted applicants will be required to complete self-disclosure form and return prior to interview.