Office Manager – Secondary School – Bournemouth

Start Date: As soon as possible
Contract: Full-time, Permanent
Salary: Paid to scale

A successful and well-established secondary school in Bournemouth is seeking an experienced and highly organised Office Manager to lead the efficient day-to-day operation of its school office.

This is a key administrative position for someone who enjoys working in a busy environment and is confident coordinating people, processes and competing priorities. The successful candidate will provide an important link between the school's administrative function, senior leadership, teaching staff, students, parents and external contacts.

The school is looking for an individual who can take ownership of the office environment, ensure systems are followed effectively and provide a professional first point of contact for the wider school community. You will need to be approachable and helpful while also being confident enough to deal with sensitive or challenging situations appropriately.

School Information

This is a well-established secondary school in Bournemouth with a strong commitment to academic achievement, student wellbeing and personal development. The school provides a broad curriculum and aims to ensure that students are given the support and opportunities they need to make positive progress.

The school has a busy and diverse community, meaning the administrative office is central to daily school life. From responding to parent enquiries and supporting staff to maintaining important records and coordinating administrative processes, the office team contributes significantly to the school's overall effectiveness.

The successful Office Manager will join a committed team that values organisation, professionalism and clear communication. You will work closely with senior leaders and other support staff, helping ensure that administrative processes are efficient, consistent and responsive to the needs of the school.

The school values individuals who are proactive rather than simply reactive. The successful candidate should be able to identify areas where processes could be improved, organise workloads effectively and support colleagues when priorities change.

School Office Team

The Office Manager will oversee the daily functioning of the school office, ensuring that enquiries, correspondence, records and administrative tasks are dealt with efficiently.

You will act as a central point of coordination for a wide range of administrative matters and will need to communicate confidently with students, staff, parents, carers, visitors and external organisations.

The role will involve handling confidential information, maintaining accurate records and supporting the school's wider administrative systems. You will therefore need excellent attention to detail and a strong understanding of professional confidentiality.

Key Responsibilities

• Managing the day-to-day operation of the school office.

• Coordinating administrative workloads and ensuring key tasks are completed on time.

• Providing professional support to senior leaders and other members of staff.

• Acting as a key point of contact for parents, carers, students and visitors.

• Managing telephone calls and general enquiries professionally.

• Monitoring and responding to incoming emails and correspondence.

• Ensuring messages and information are passed to the appropriate members of staff.

• Supporting the organisation of meetings and appointments.

• Preparing correspondence, documents, letters and reports.

• Maintaining accurate administrative and student records.

• Updating school databases and information systems.

• Ensuring confidential information is handled appropriately.

• Supporting admissions, student records and general school administration.

• Assisting with attendance-related administration where required.

• Supporting the organisation of school events and activities.

• Coordinating administrative arrangements for meetings, visitors and external appointments.

• Liaising with external organisations and professionals when necessary.

• Supporting the induction and organisation of new administrative staff where appropriate.

• Helping maintain consistent office procedures.

• Identifying opportunities to improve administrative processes.

• Ensuring the school office remains organised, professional and welcoming.

• Supporting colleagues during periods of increased workload.

• Maintaining appropriate records and filing systems.

• Following school policies relating to confidentiality, data protection and safeguarding.

• Contributing positively to the wider operation of the school.

Experience and Requirements

The successful candidate will ideally have previous experience as an Office Manager, School Administrator, Senior Administrator, PA or in another senior administrative position.

Experience within an education environment would be advantageous because the role requires an understanding of the pace and priorities of a school office. However, candidates with strong management and administrative experience from other professional settings may also be considered.

The school needs someone who can confidently manage multiple responsibilities while maintaining accuracy and professionalism. You should be comfortable making decisions within your responsibilities and know when an issue needs to be escalated to senior colleagues.

The ideal candidate will have:

• Previous office management or senior administrative experience.

• Experience working in a busy professional environment.

• Excellent organisational and time-management skills.

• Strong attention to detail.

• Excellent written and verbal communication.

• Confident IT skills and experience using Microsoft Office.

• Experience maintaining databases and electronic records.

• Ability to handle confidential information appropriately.

• Strong interpersonal skills.

• Professional telephone and email manner.

• Ability to prioritise competing demands.

• Confidence dealing with parents, staff, students and external professionals.

• Ability to work independently and lead administrative processes.

• A proactive and solution-focused approach.

• Flexibility and the ability to remain calm under pressure.

• Commitment to providing a high-quality administrative service.

Safeguarding

The school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. The successful candidate will be expected to uphold safeguarding procedures and contribute to creating a safe and professional school environment.

All required pre-employment checks will be completed before the successful candidate begins employment, including an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references.

Application

If you are an experienced administrator or office manager looking for a permanent position where you can make a genuine contribution to the smooth running of a secondary school, this is an excellent opportunity.

To apply, please send your CV as soon as possible. The school is looking for someone who can join the team for an as soon as possible start.