Part-Time Receptionist (Temporary)

General Information

The High School of Glasgow is a vibrant, caring and high-achieving co-educational day school for pupils between the ages 3-18, which has been part of Glasgow’s story since the 12th century. We aim to create a happy and nurturing community in which each individual is enabled to develop their all-round potential from the academic to sport, the expressive arts and beyond. Our young people are encouraged to develop a sense of responsibility and to pursue excellence in all their activities and opportunities.

Drawing upon our Christian background and being a school community open to all faiths and none, our ethos promotes the importance of positive relationships, seeking to foster an atmosphere of mutual tolerance and support, traditional values and a concern for others. We benefit from excellent resources, modern purpose built accommodation and having our playing fields on campus. High School pupils take a positive and enthusiastic approach to the opportunities before them and demonstrate great fun, creativity and energy in all aspects of their school life. In the end we wish to see them develop into well-rounded, confident, articulate and caring young people who will seek to make a difference in life.

The School was founded at Glasgow Cathedral in the twelfth century, became the Grammar School of Glasgow under the control of the Town Council in the fifteenth century and was renamed the High School of Glasgow in 1834. In 1894 the Glasgow High School for Girls was founded. When education in Glasgow was reorganised in the 1970's, the Glasgow High School for Girls became a comprehensive school and lost its identity and the High School of Glasgow was closed. The new, independent, co-educational High School came into being in 1976 on the day after the closure.

The School is housed on two sites approximately two miles apart on the north side of the city. There are 674 children at the Senior School, 347 at the Junior School and a total of 472 girls and 549 boys. The Rector has overall responsibility for the whole school; there is also a Head Teacher at the Junior School. The modern buildings at the Senior School are set on extensive playing fields at Old Anniesland while the Junior School is situated in Bearsden in buildings which have been modernised and extended.

Junior School Developments have included a special area for pre-school kindergarten, a suite of rooms for Primary 1 and 2 children, refurbished Primary 4 and 5 classrooms and Art room, and at the Senior School a drama studio, a grandstand, containing a refectory and a multi-gym fitness centre, a new Information and Communications Technology building, a new state of the art Science Extension, opened in 2008 as well as refurbished sporting facilities including five rugby pitches and two artificial hockey pitches, the most recent being an international standard water-based pitch as part of our on-site 23 acres of playing fields.

Since 1976, the High School has established itself in a manner that its supporters could barely have expected in the 1970s. Over £12m has been raised through a combination of resources, appeals and individual donations. Very few schools can have received such support from its former pupils, parents and well-wishers and we benefit from a very positive school and club community. Through the High School of Glasgow Educational Trust we are able to support annually between 50 and 60 senior school pupils with bursaries who would not otherwise be able to attend the school.

The High School has established itself as one of the leading independent schools in the country with a high demand for places and an outstanding academic record.

Children who are happy, respected, secure and encouraged will do well, they will thrive. They will be open to getting involved, working hard and making the most of the opportunities and challenges around them. They will be open to doing their best in every circumstance and to developing a sense of responsibility for themselves and for the needs of others and the wider world.

Here at the High School we are firmly wedded to the belief that to nurture the whole child the values and ethos described above must be provided for within an atmosphere of tolerance, care and positive relationships. These values underpin all aspects of our daily life across classrooms, corridors, expressive arts, sport and beyond. They also allow our young people to have the opportunity to experience an all-round rich and supportive learning environment in which they can develop their potential to the full and are encouraged to aspire for excellence in all they do.

The Junior School

The Junior School consists of a one-year Kindergarten, which children join between the ages of 3½ and 4½ and Junior 1 to Junior 6 classes. There are twelve classes, each year being divided into two parallel groups. The Kindergarten, which is the principal entry point to the Junior School, can accommodate fifty children in a spacious building designed especially for them. The aim of the Kindergarten is to provide a happy, caring and safe environment in which each child is encouraged to develop according to his or her own ability and level of maturity. The many varied activities are intended to stimulate children, broaden the range of their learning experiences and help them to become confident and enthusiastic learners.

For pupils in Junior 1 to Junior 6, the day begins with Assembly, following a weekly programme that encourages pupil participation and the celebration of success. Our curriculum is based on the principles of Curriculum for Excellence, providing learning experiences through the four contexts and enabling our pupils with the skills to become life-long learners. A sound grounding is provided in the basic skills relating to Numeracy and Mathematics and Literacy and English, however all other areas of the curriculum are taught and with the expertise of specialist teachers in Art, Drama, French, ICT, Music, PE and Support for Learning. Pupils also benefit from working with the Junior School Librarian, we have Classroom Assistants allocated to each stage of the Junior School and a large team of support staff.

There are regular concerts, shows and an extensive programme of extra-curricular activities which has activities running prior to the school day, during lunch times and after school. Pupils in Junior 5 currently participate in a residential visit to York and in Junior 6, the pupils visit Newlands Outdoor Centre. Teachers are expected to give a commitment to the extra-curricular life of the school.

Part-time Receptionist (Temporary)

We are looking to recruit an enthusiastic Temporary Part-time Receptionist for the Junior School, commencing on 23rd October or as soon as possible thereafter.

The hours of work will be Monday and Tuesday from 8:00am–3:30pm (term time only) until the end of the 2017-18 school session. The successful candidate should be well presented, possess excellent communication skills and be able work as part of a team. Further details are provided below in the Job Description.

The appointment will be subject to a successful application to join the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme.

Please send a letter of application, C.V. and the names and contact details of two referees to adminjs@hsog.co.uk by noon on Monday 25th September 2017.

Job Description

This job description describes the practical purpose and main elements of the job. It is a guide to the nature and main duties of the job as they exist currently, but is not intended as a wholly comprehensive or permanent schedule.

JOB DETAILS

• Job Title: Receptionist
• Department: Junior School
• Reports to: Office Manager
• Reporting to job-holder: N/A
• Location: Junior School in Bearsden

OVERALL PURPOSE OF THE JOB

This role has two main functions. Firstly, the job holder is required to ensure that the School database is kept up-to-date and secondly, the job holder carries out a number of other additional duties for the School.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES – This describes the key areas of the job.

WCBS data base:

• To handle absence reporting calls from parents at the start of the working day and to mark all absences in the School diary.

• Once all absences have been recorded, to compare and reconcile the teachers’ register on WCBS with the diary. This can involve making amendments and also calling parents to clarify. Thereafter, to print out an absence list from WCBS and insert it into the absence book.

• To print and distribute pupil update records for the whole school, making any necessary amendments in WCBS, print and file a copy for each child.

• To keep the WCBS data base up to date with any further changes throughout the year.

• To print out various reports for staff throughout the year.

Other duties:

• To deal with pupils, parents, and prospective parents and visitors on reception.

• To order gowns and hoods for teaching staff for prize giving ceremonies and the Commemoration service.

• To carry out lunchtime till duty.

• To supervise pupils each Monday by travelling to the Senior School on the games bus to bring J6 pupils back to the Junior School and stay with children at the end of the day, if parents are late for collection.

• To cover pupil first aid whenever the First Aid/Clerical Assistant is on lunch break or is unavailable for any reason.

• If required, to help at evening concerts to assist with pupil supervision.

• To carry out any other similar and appropriate duties as required.

• To issue and keep a record of parking permits

• To give administrative support (e.g. photocopying/laminating) to the Art Teacher and other staff as required.

• To be responsible for the collection of children arriving on the South Side Bus and for putting them on the bus at the end of the day.

These key tasks are not intended to be exhaustive, but they highlight a number of major tasks that the post-holder may be reasonably expected to undertake.

Person Specification

QUALIFICATIONS

Essential

• Educated to Higher/A level standard in English and Maths or with equivalent experience (SCQF Level 6).

EXPERIENCE/SKILLS/QUALITIES

Essential

• Good IT skills, in particular Microsoft Excel, Word and Powerpoint.

• Financial administrative skills.

• Numeracy.

• Attention to detail.

• Effective written and oral communication skills, with a polite and helpful telephone manner.

• The ability to plan and organise work, prioritise tasks and meet deadlines

• Ability to work as part of a team.

• Discrete and confidential.

• Patience.

• Flexible.

• Friendly.

Desirable

• Experience of working in an educational establishment, especially with younger children.

• Experience of using Microsoft Publisher.