Temporary Senior Administration Officer
Job description
Original text imported from Reed
Temporary Senior Administration Officer
Islington, North London
£22.00 per hour
Monday to Friday | 8:00am - 4:00pm
Temporary Ongoing Contract (Until December)
Immediate Start Available
Enhanced DBS Certificate Required
A well-established primary school in Islington are seeking an experienced Senior Administration Officer to join their busy office team on a temporary ongoing basis.
This is an excellent opportunity for a proactive and highly organised administrator to play a key role in the day-to-day running of a thriving school environment. The successful candidate will provide high-level administrative support to the Senior Leadership Team while ensuring the smooth operation of school systems, processes and communications.
Key Responsibilities
- Acting as the first point of contact for parents, visitors and external agencies.
- Providing administrative support to the Headteacher, School Business Manager and Senior Leadership Team.
- Managing admissions, attendance records and pupil data.
- Maintaining accurate records in line with GDPR and safeguarding requirements.
- Completing statutory returns, including School Census submissions.
- Supporting recruitment, onboarding and compliance processes.
- Maintaining personnel records and the Single Central Record.
- Assisting with payroll administration, timesheets and absence reporting.
- Supporting school clubs, events and parent communications.
- Ensuring a professional, efficient and welcoming front-office service.
The Ideal Candidate
Previous administration experience within a school environment
Strong organisational and time-management skills
Excellent communication and interpersonal abilities
Experience using Arbor or similar school management systems desirable
Ability to work independently and manage competing priorities
High level of accuracy, professionalism and confidentiality
Essential Requirements
- Valid Enhanced DBS Certificate
- Available to start immediately
- Previous school administration experience preferred
This is a fantastic opportunity to join a supportive school community and make an immediate impact in a varied and rewarding role.
Apply now for immediate start.
Love Success is a top recruitment agency based in London, dedicated to connecting exceptional administrative and office support staff with the leading businesses across London and the UK. Whether you're a candidate seeking Personal Assistant roles in London or an employer looking to hire administrative and office support staff, our agency provides high-quality recruitment services tailored to your needs.
At Love Success, we champion diversity, equity, and inclusion, embedding these values into every aspect of our operations. Our unwavering commitment to these principles is evident in our recruitment practices and our comprehensive training and development programs. We partner with organisations that share our dedication to fostering diverse and inclusive workplaces, where individuals can be their true selves in the workplace. Together, we strive to promote equality and create opportunities for all.
Love Success is proud to serve as an Employment Agency for this vacancy.
Key skills
AI-extracted from the job advert
Application advice
5 AI-generated recommendations to maximise your chances.
⭐ Lead your CV personal statement with explicit school administration experience, as the advert states 'previous school administration experience preferred' as a near-essential requirement.
📊 Quantify your administrative scope: e.g. 'Managed admissions and attendance records for 420-pupil primary school, processing 12 statutory returns per academic year'.
🎯 Name Arbor or any other school MIS (e.g. SIMS, ScholarPack) you have used directly in your skills section — the advert specifically calls out Arbor as desirable.
🔒 Prominently flag your valid Enhanced DBS certificate and any safeguarding training (e.g. Safeguarding Level 1), as these are listed as essential requirements.
📋 Include a bullet covering GDPR compliance and data accuracy in a school context, referencing the Single Central Record or statutory returns to mirror the advert's language precisely.
Suggested CV bullets
3 bullets our AI drafted for this specific advert, mirroring its ATS keywords.
Add these 3 bullets under your most recent experience:
- •Managed School Census submissions and admissions records for a 380-pupil primary school, achieving zero data errors across 3 consecutive statutory returns.
- •Maintained the Single Central Record and personnel files for 45 staff members, ensuring 100% compliance during an Ofsted inspection with no actions raised.
- •Supported the School Business Manager with monthly payroll administration and absence reporting using Arbor MIS, reducing timesheet discrepancies by 30% within one term.
Free to copy — tailoring requires a 30-sec CV upload.
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Letter preview — tailored to Love Success Recruitment
Dear Hiring Manager,
A primary school in Islington requiring immediate, experienced cover for a Senior Administration Officer is precisely the environment where I add the most value. Having worked within school offices managing School Census submissions, Single Central Record maintenance and GDPR-compliant pupil data, I am confident I can step in from day one and keep the front office running smoothly for the Senior Leadership Team.
My background in school administration includes supporting headteachers and school business managers with admissions, attendance records and payroll timesheets across a busy primary setting. I hold a valid Enhanced DBS certificate and have hands-on experience with school management information systems, including Arbor, ensuring accurate statutory returns and personnel records at all times.
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Interview questions
10 questions generated from this advert.
Technical
- ›How have you used Arbor or a similar school MIS to manage pupil data and attendance records?
- ›Walk me through the process of completing a School Census submission — what data sources do you draw on and how do you quality-check the return?
- ›How do you maintain the Single Central Record to ensure it remains audit-ready at all times?
- ›What steps do you take to ensure GDPR compliance when handling sensitive pupil and personnel data in a school office?
- ›Describe your experience supporting payroll administration, including timesheets and absence reporting — which systems or processes have you used?
Behavioural
- ›Tell me about a time you managed multiple competing administrative priorities under time pressure — how did you decide what to tackle first?
- ›Describe a situation where you had to handle a sensitive or confidential matter in a school or office environment. How did you manage it?
- ›Give an example of when you identified an error in a record or process and the steps you took to correct it before it caused a problem.
- ›Tell me about a time you acted as the first point of contact for a difficult parent or visitor. How did you handle the interaction?
- ›Describe a time you supported a senior leader or headteacher with a complex administrative task at short notice. What was your approach?
STAR answer examples
Model answers using the Situation-Task-Action-Result framework. Adapt to your own experience.
Tell me about a time you managed multiple competing administrative priorities under time pressure — how did you decide what to tackle first?
Describe a situation where you had to handle a sensitive or confidential matter in a school or office environment. How did you manage it?