Office / Business Manager

What skills and experience we're looking for

This person must be able to:

• Lead and manage school office operations and administrative systems

• Oversee admissions, pupil records, and data management

• Supervise office/admin staff and ensure efficient workflows

• Manage school budgets, monitoring income and expenditure

• Process invoices, payments, and financial records accurately

• Produce financial and operational reports for leadership and governors

• Support HR processes including recruitment, onboarding, and staff records

• Maintain payroll and staff absence data in line with procedures

• Ensure compliance with safeguarding, GDPR, and statutory requirements

What the school offers its staff

• A supportive and welcoming school environment with a strong pastoral and safeguarding team
• Strong leadership committed to staff development and wellbeing
• Comprehensive induction and ongoing training
• Access to modern systems and well-resourced office facilities
• A varied and rewarding role with real impact on school improvement
• Commitment to work life balance where possible within school operations
• A culture that values innovation, initiative, and continuous improvement
• Ongoing professional development and training, including safeguarding and GDPR legislation
• Clear support from senior leaders and experienced colleagues
• Opportunities to work with external agencies/partners
• A governing body that is committed to providing support on all matters including more sensitive or difficult issues, this includes the wellbeing of all staff members, and who are experienced, committed and passionate about our school ensuring all children reach their potential

Further details about the role

Responsibilities & Duties:

Office Administration and Management

• Lead, co-ordinate and organise the office staff to ensurethe organisational ethos, effectiveness, efficiency and safety are maintained at all times.
• Ensure office staff are welcoming to all staff, pupils, parents and visitors and that all enquiries by telephone and in person are dealt with in a professional and helpful way.
• To ensure all visitors, supply staff and club providers to site have appropriate identification, are signed in and out, and wear the appropriate badge whilst on site.
• Act as central co-coordinator with regard to all information relating to school administration for parents, teachers, governors and outside agencies, ensuring that information is retained in an organised fashion and readily available.
• To deal with queries and requests from visitors and callers and being able to work calmly at all times when working in a pressurised environment.
• To answer the telephone and be at the front desk as and when required.
• Strategically develop policies and procedures relating to the admin/business side of the school.
• Manage the pupil and staff data both electronic and in paper files, in an orderly and secure manner.
• Ensure that correct and appropriate advice is given to parents of procedures relating to new admissions and leavers and ensure that associated administrative documentation is processed.
• Manage and monitor the induction of new administrative staff.
• Manage and monitor all admin staff to ensure training needs are met with regards to the office systems and procedures including the computer system.
• Ensure that security procedures are maintained at all times.

• Introduce new procedures as and when required, to make recommendations to the Headteacher to assist in the smooth running of the school.
• Assist the School Leadership Team when required.
• Ensure safe evacuation of school office staff and the monitoring of all such staff in the event of an emergency.
• To liaise with the school photographer and other visiting persons.
• To organise availability of photocopiers, computers, telephones and other office equipment required.
• Keep up to date with changes in policies.
• Keep records in accordance with the Local Authority’s record retention schedule and data protection law policy.

• Organise and manage relief cover for absences and additional support, as and when required for teachers and support assistants.

Trips and Breakfast Club

• Organise and collect payments for all trips, including overseeing the administration of Parent Pay and ensuring the school remains debt free.
• To maintain the Breakfast Club account.
• Responsible for the co-ordination of travel arrangements for trips including the sourcing of the most competitive prices for coach bookings.
• Source costing figures for visits and report back to Senior Leadership team.
• Manage additional payments for 30-hour nursery provision.

Human Resources / Safer Recruitment

• Manage the recruitment process for teaching and non-teaching staff in the school, including advertising, arranging interviews, issuing letters of appointment, checking paperwork (safeguarding), completing all relevant paperwork and monitoring the DBS process.
• Maintain the single central record.
• To ensure all staff to view and sign code of conduct and disqualification under the children Act 2006 annually.
• To maintain filing systems, including the confidential personnel files, to provide immediate retrieval.
• Assist staff with queries in relation to pay, tax and pension and absences with the relative officers at the Borough.
• Administrative work relating to all staff absence in accordance with the LA policy.
• Recording staff absences on Arbor (MIS) and Count On Absences document.
• Reporting to the Headteacher when requesting information.
• Complete school workforce census.
• Set up new staff on Arbor (MIS), to provide passwords and guidance on its use.
• Setting up staff email addresses and keeping information on an excel sheet.
• Manage the school’s payroll provision together with Count On.
• Complete annual salary statements for staff.

Management of the School Budget and all Finance related matters

• To manage the school’s budget, together with the Headteacher.
• The use of Arbor Finance to help with the setting of the annual budget.
• To place orders and record all expenditure for items required by the school and clarify invoices for payment.
• Always ensure the school have the best possible price for services that are required.
• Ensure adequate records are kept for budgetary audit purposes.
• To help compile financial reports for the School Leadership Team, submission to the school governing body and the Local Authority.
• To assist in the preparation of the of the end of year Financial Accounts.
• To oversee the cashless payment system: Parent Pay.
• Keep records of FSM and Pupil Premium.
• Recording and banking of school monies.
• To order all stationery items including consumables for the whole school.
• The above duties are carried out in conjunction with the Count On Bursar.

Management of the School MIS (Management Information System) system

• Be responsible for managing and maintaining the school’s MIS system (Arbor) with regard to all pupil records and keep up to date with the systems and ensure the staff are suitably trained.
• To be responsible for the organisation and management of Arbor end of year procedures that lead to the school being ready for the next academic year.
• To be responsible for the organisation and management of the quarterly census return.
• To be responsible for the annual pupil returns required by the local authority and DfE for EYFS, Year 1 and Year 2 assessments.
• Co-ordinate and collate the annual pupil school report and accompanying paperwork to ensure they are distributed in a timely manner, and ensure all reports are ready, copied and collated on time.

Admissions

• To oversee the admissions process for the school, including Nursery and Reception intake, mid-term admissions and leavers, including transferring the CTF files.
• To manage pupil admissions in accordance with LA / School policy.
• To maintain all aspects of pupil information.

Premises

• To liaise with the school PFI company to maintain a high level of service.
• To liaise with Pinnacle – and Resolis (PFI) – for all aspects of estate management relating to the school.
• Attend half termly PFI meetings.
• To be responsible for the after-school lettings of the school premises.
• Any other duties, within the scope of this function and grading as directed by the Headteacher.
• All schools and services in Enfield are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. Therefore, all workers and employees within Enfield are expected to share this commitment.

Commitment to safeguarding

Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff, volunteers and trustees to share this commitment. Our recruitment process follows the keeping children safe in education guidance. Offers of employment may be subject to the following checks (where relevant): childcare disqualification Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) medical online and social media prohibition from teaching right to work satisfactory references suitability to work with children You must tell us about any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.