Upper School Secretary

at  ACS International Schools

ACS International Schools are recruiting an Upper School Secretary to join the team at ACS Egham.
Situated on 20 acres of glorious English countryside adjoining the Royal Savill Garden, and only 25 miles from central London, ACS Egham is an IB World School of more than 500 students (ages 4 to 18), and 160 expert faculty and staff from over 50 countries.
At ACS Egham, we offer the IB – an aspirational, global, and modern curriculum that inspires children to become the drivers of their own success. Rather than forcing students to jump through hoops, the IB awakens their inner curiosity, challenging students to think for themselves, smash expectations, and make the most of their talents, so that they can take command of their learning journey.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE

• Competent in the use of Microsoft Office packages.
• Proficient in the use of computers and databases.
• Previous experience as a receptionist / secretary / administrator in a busy, customer focused environment.
• Demonstrable customer service experience.

SKILLS AND APTITUDES

• A tolerant, flexible approach.
• Able to work under pressure with sensitivity to a multi-cultural environment is essential.
• Able to work autonomously at times on repetitive tasks but also as part of a team.
• Must be organised and able to multitask.
• Good level of interpersonal and communication skills, with a good standard of written and spoken English.
• Excellent organisational and time management skills, with the ability to prioritise tasks appropriately.
• Commitment to delivering excellent level of professional customer service.
• Ability to remain calm and deal with challenging callers or visitors in an appropriate manner.
• High level of attention to detail and accuracy of work Ability to work effectively as part of a team.
• Ability to be resourceful and proactive, in particular where unexpected issues arise.
• Ability to work effectively with people across a wide range of levels and responsibilities.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality, having tact and diplomacy where necessary.
  Start date: As soon as possible.
  Working hours: Monday- Friday 0830-1500, approximately 40 weeks per year.
  Safeguarding ACS is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and as an employee of ACS you are expected to share this commitment. The protection of our students’ welfare is the responsibility of all staff within ACS International Schools and individuals are expected to conduct themselves in a way that reflects the principles of our organisation.

Customer Service

• Assist students on a daily basis (i.e. using the telephone to call home, photocopying etc.).
• Manage parent enquiries as the first point of contact for day-to-day parent enquiries.

Communication

• Work closely with the Principal and Assistant Principal.
• Ensure enquiries from stakeholders are dealt with efficiently and referred if necessary.
• Promote positive, professional working relationships.
• Ensure records are kept in a secure and confidential manner in line with GDPR regulations.
• Disseminate information to stakeholders, schedules appointments for students/staff/parents.
• Liaises with various other departments to ensure good communications.

Administration

• Manage daily attendance and late arrivals – monitors for any concerns.
• Oversee student attendance. Calls parents if a child is absent. Maintains official registers.
• Manage and maintains the student MIS (PowerSchool & Schoology).
• Manage the daily list of High School attendees, orders the snacks and sends out the billing to parents.
• Support the Principal with arranging and setting up meetings.
• Work with Principal to maintain divisional budget; creates purchase orders for teachers; orders supplies; set up new supplier records; processes invoices to accounts department and amends discrepancies; orders stationery for the Upper School.
• Assist teachers with claims for reimbursement.
• Support parents in accessing reports on the MIS.
• Coordinate/schedule parent/teacher conferences twice yearly.
• Provide first aid support for Upper School as required.
• Inform all departments of Upper School activities that may affect them.
• Assist Upper School with: maintaining online calendar, reporting maintenance requests, creating student certificates, scheduling photos.
• Ensure classrooms are correctly labelled.
• Support with reference requests from external schools.
• Create transcripts (and any additional documents required) for students leaving.
• Assist the Principal with calendar planning.
• Produce a list of student birthdays every month.
• Support staff and oversees the running of the Upper School section of the School’s intranet system
• Maintains records of after-school activities, communicating with the after-school coordinator, HLE coordinator and music tuition coordinator.
• Update a daily bus list, to ensure that the location of all Upper School students is known, and bus monitors know which students to accompany after dismissal.
• Develop a resource database of trips, visitors and events that may connect to academic programmes.
• Work with other Secretaries and Leaders to review trip and visitor options and book events.