To act as the first point of contact for students, parents, and visitors, providing a friendly, efficient, and welcoming service on both Main Reception and Student Reception that reflects the school’s values. Support the creation of a positive, organised, and accessible environment for all. Provide clerical and administrative support to the school as directed by senior staff.

Key responsibilities

• Act as the first point of contact for students, parents, and visitors, managing reception and enquiries professionally.
• Manage visitor sign-in procedures, lanyards, and ensure safeguarding protocols are followed.
• Build supportive relationships with students needing assistance and respond appropriately.
• Record late marks and liaise with the Attendance Administrator as needed.
• Provide first aid and manage follow-up communication with parents and SLT; maintain medical logs and medication records.
• Oversee lost property and the uniform store; manage student iPad loans and support PE fixture communication.
• Coordinate room bookings and maintain meeting room standards.
• Support student travel plans and respond to parent enquiries regarding transport.
• Provide general admin support including word processing, data entry, producing reports, and briefing notes.
• Maintain manual and computerised records and manage the shared admin inbox with colleagues.
• Support Student Ambassadors and assist with appointment cards and daily student communications.

 Individuals in this role may also undertake some or all of the following:

•  Open, sort and distribute incoming mail and post outgoing mail. To sort the admin email account, forwarding emails to relevant staff.
• Assist with arrangements for visits, for example by school nurse, photographer.
• Ensure collection of attendance registers/ensure attendance is completed in the MIS system for all classes.  Contact children’s parents/carers for absent children.
• To receive deliveries, check and arrange orderly and secure storage of supplies.
• Occasionally handle cash e.g., for school visits, dinner money.
• Respond to daily ad hoc requests from the whole community - working as a team with prioritising and responding accordingly.
• Provide general clerical support including clerical processes, word processing, IT based tasks requiring knowledge of various ICT packages and operation of office equipment.

About the School  

 Townsend is a relatively small and very friendly school with a great atmosphere, circa 800 on roll, including a Sixth Form. Townsend is rated Good by Ofsted (January 2024) in all areas. In our last SIAMS inspection (May 2024) it was found that we are living up to our foundation as a Church school.

 Townsend Church of England School is situated on a large, green site between St Albans and Harpenden, and welcomes applicants from people of all faiths and of no faith. Children who attend Townsend live in St Albans and Harpenden, as well as other towns in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, including Welwyn Garden City, Hemel Hempstead and Luton. 

Townsend has evolved at pace in recent years with a clear ambition to be a school which provides the highest quality education that a setting can. Our outcomes have improved with children making good progress in their qualifications as well as maintaining a caring and supportive environment. Opportunities to enrich the curriculum have increased recently with school visits to France, Italy, Poland and America. Townsend has also embraced the best technology available by becoming an Apple school in September 2024, which has seen all students provided with access to an iPad. We are also improving the fabric of the building with integrated learning spaces and plans to develop the sports and technology facilities.

 Townsend believes that educating the whole child is key to a successful education. The Bible-based vision of Love Your Neighbour underpins all we do. Students are taught to respect and care for themselves and each other, and Townsend’s supportive environment encourages them to make the most out of their journey through Secondary School.  

Although this is a Church School you do not have to adhere to the Christian faith to work here, but you must be in sympathy with our work and be able to support the aspects that give us our distinctive character as a Church of England School.  

Headteacher, Mr Anthony Flack is excited by the opportunity to make Townsend, ‘The first choice secondary school for all’.

Friendly and welcoming, Townsend impresses with its calm learning environment and caring staff. To find out more about the school, please visit our website for more details https://townsend.herts.sch.uk/

We reserve the right to move to shortlisting and interviews when we have viable applications. 

If you would like additional information or to discuss this vacancy - please email the school (recruitment@townsend.herts.sch.uk) for the attention of Mr Flack (Headteacher), or Mrs Smith (School Business Manager), and we can either email a reply or telephone you if you leave a contact number.

Townsend CofE School is committed to the safeguarding of all students and all staff appointed are subject to the usual teaching vetting and compliance checks that include DBS checks, two satisfactory references, confirmation of identity, qualifications, and barred list checks. 

Following the shortlisting stage, and before making a final decision, the school will collect and process information publicly available about you by conducting a brief online search using an internet search engine. We do this to ensure that the school acts in accordance with its obligations set out in Keeping Children Safe in Education.