St Felix School - Business Manager

St Felix School - Business Manager

Business Manager Candidate Information Pack

WELCOME F R O M T H E H E A D

Welcome to Saint Felix School. Located close to the glorious seaside town of Southwold on the Suffolk coast, we are an independent co-educational day and boarding school for children aged from 2 –18 years old. Our aim is to develop well-rounded students with the skills and personality to make a success of their lives during and after their formative school years. Established over 120 years ago as an all-girls school, Saint Felix was a pioneer of its time, and this founding spirit lives on today. Fully co-educational since 2002, our pupils come from a variety of backgrounds. We joined the Inspired Learning Group family in 2021 on account of its shared vision, values and strong track record in providing world-class education. This partnership will enable Saint Felix to work with a network of likeminded establishments and in doing so provide resources and expertise that will unquestionably add value to our own offering and the educational experience of our pupils.

We are delighted to share more information on the School Business Manager role, a key leadership position within the school. The successful incumbent will work closely with me to maintain compliance across all areas of school life whilst ensuring that we continue to operate to the highest standards and provide the very best service to the pupils and parents at this fantastic school. As Headmaster, I am incredibly proud of the achievements of our students and staff and I am excited to lead Saint Felix as we embark on a new chapter with the ILG family. James Harrison Headmaster

ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Saint Felix, Southwold has been providing educational excellence for over 120 years to children from Suffolk, Norfolk and further afield. Our aim is to maximise the potential of each individual’s skills be they academic, practical, creative or social. We uphold traditional values within a modern environment to give every child the best possible start in life. Set in 75 acres of safe and secure grounds in an area of outstanding natural beauty, our pupils benefit from a broad curriculum and the extensive offer of more than 40 enrichment activities. The school’s facilities continue to develop too with recent additions including an indoor swimming pool and sports complex, a 250-seat theatre and a full equestrian cross- country course.

OUR LOCATION

Southwold is renowned as one of the UK’s favourite seaside towns. Miles of coastal, heaths and countryside walks surround the town along with nature reserves including RSPB Minsmere, while the bustling city of Norwich is less than one hour away. With its sandy beach and beach hut-lined promenade, Southwold offers a wonderful environment for holidays and weekends away, as well as a vibrant market town atmosphere. This picturesque seaside town is the perfect year-round destination. The town has a thriving arts scene including concerts, literary and art festivals, theatre productions and its own independent cinema as well as a bustling high street packed with independent shops, public houses and restaurants. Food and drink are an integral part of the Southwold experience.

The town centre is within easy walking distance of the school, offering a convenient base for parents visiting their children at Saint Felix, with an array of restaurants, hotels and holiday rental cottages. East Anglia is one of the UK’s most popular tourist destinations and Southwold is close to many other attractions across the region. Visit The Suffolk Coast, Visit Suffolk or Visit Norfolk for more information.

ABOUT INSPIRED LEARNING GROUP (ILG) ILG believes, first and foremost, in putting children at the heart of everything we do. We endeavour to provide educational excellence within a culture of care to nurture each pupil the best we can. We want to offer a wide range of opportunities, both academic and extra-curricular, so that all our children are endowed with the spirit to aspire and become twenty first century citizens. The Inspired Learning Group (ILG) currently owns and operates 17 schools and nurseries across the UK . Employing more than 330 staff to look after our 1,300+ pupils, we are one of the largest independent school groups in the UK. ILG is very much an extended family; allowing us to share best practice and innovation between schools in order to raise standards of teaching and learning for all of our students. Each location has its own history and we encourage cultural individuality so that new ideas can grow naturally with the best ideas then implemented right across the group.

ILG schools may look reassuringly traditional in some ways but our move away from standardisation towards customisation is not just modern but quietly revolutionary. Amit Mehta, CEO of ILG, said: “We are delighted to be welcoming Saint Felix School into the Inspired Learning Group and look forward to supporting the School as it continues to deliver a fantastic educational experience for students and staff. “Working closely together with the staff and families at Saint Felix, we are committed to continuing the School’s positive trajectory and hope that they share our excitement in joining our wonderful network of schools, pupils and staff, and benefiting from shared resources that will continue to drive future growth, and, above all, empower students to fulfil their potential and go on to lead happy and successful lives.”

OVERVIEW OF THE ROLE

The Business Manager role is wide ranging although the primary focus will be effectively managing the school’s operational functions including compliance, administration, IT, HR, maintenance, caretaking, cleaning and catering. As an integral member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT), the Business Manager will be expected to collaborate with the Head and the broader Inspired Learning Group team to shape and implement the school’s strategic plans.

RESPONSIBILITIES

HR and Compliance • Ensuring the school is compliant across, and meets the necessary requirements for, GDPR, Health and Safety, Freedom of Information and Subject access requests; • Monitoring and implementing the school’s policies and compliance with the requirements of health and safety legislation;

• Acting as the school designated safeguarding lead;

• Ensuring appropriate risk assessments are being undertaken and acted upon as necessary;

• Acting as correspondent with the Department for Education (DfE) and being responsible for the records and returns required;

• Advising on, and taking the appropriate physical security measures across the school for, the protection of both staff and pupils;

• Maintaining contact with the statutory authorities and other organisations;

• Ensuring that all relevant staff have contracts of employment;

• Managing and ensuring compliance with all relevant aspects of employment law including employment protection, equal pay, minimum wage, Working Time Directive or discrimination on the grounds of sex, race or disability; terms and conditions of service, supervision and welfare of all staff to ensure this is aligned with the wider Inspired Learning Group;

• Consulting with the Head to review annual salaries for staff and submit proposals;

• Ensuring that the school follows appropriate disciplinary and grievance procedures;

• Managing contracts with agency staff and contractors, with terms and conditions that ensure compliance with safeguarding policies and IR35 compliance. School Buildings • Maintaining all of the school buildings including the preparation of maintenance schedules and the keeping of records; • Managing the installation and maintenance of equipment for the detection, warning, protection and escape from fire as well as ensuring the necessary fire risk assessments are carried out; • Upkeeping the maintenance and efficiency of the installations and plant for electric and gas supply, heating, domestic hot water, water softening etc.

• Promoting energy conservation and energy efficiency across the school;

• Ensuring that catering areas meet the requirements for hygiene and food safety;

• Overseeing capital expenditure projects for the school in conjunction with the wider Inspired Learning Group. General Management and Administration • Overseeing the management of uniform sales and liaising with the PTA; • Managing the IT provision across the school in conjunction with various IT / Software support providers; • Ensuring cost effective provision for buses is in place and meets the requirements of the school;

• In consultation with SLT, implementing and reviewing the school’s annual improvement plan.

Professional Standards • Supporting the aims and ethos of the school and carrying out the school’s strategic plan;

• Treating all members of the school community with respect and consideration;

• Treating all pupils fairly, consistently and without prejudice;

• Being a key member of the SLT, attending departmental and staff meetings and Parents’

• Evenings as required;

• Ensuring that all deadlines are met as published in the school calendar;

• Undertaking duties that may be reasonably assigned to a CFO.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

• A degree level qualification (or equivalent), ideally with a professional qualification in business management or property. • Business experience with the knowledge of commercial and allied subjects adequate for the management of the day-to-day affairs of the school. • A proven track record of successfully leading, developing and managing people, with first class communication skills, interpersonal and dispute resolution skills, and experience and knowledge of project management.

• Evidence of an understanding and commitment to Health & Safety.

• Ability to work unsupervised, use own initiative and manage own time.

• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to liaise confidently with contractors, academic and support staff, visitors and the general public. • A willingness to be adaptable, flexible and to work unsociable hours as sometimes required for the job. • Demonstrable leadership abilities, with a good eye for detail, and the ability to prioritise, motivate and delegate to staff. • A positive “can do” attitude, with the ability to analyse and evaluate complex issues and provide appropriate solutions.

• Experience of working in an educational setting is essential

The above is an indication of the requirements of the post and is not meant to be inclusive or exhaustive. Any role that needs reasonably to be undertaken should also be undertaken whether or not included in the above. The School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The post holder’s responsibility for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young persons for whom he/she is responsible, or with whom he/she comes into contact will be to adhere to and ensure compliance with the school’s Child Protection Policy Statement at all times. If in the course of carrying out the duties of the post, the post- holder becomes aware of any actual or potential risks to the safety or welfare of children in the school, he/she must report any concerns to the Designated Safeguarding Lead. This non-contractual job description is not necessarily a comprehensive definition of the post. It will be reviewed at least once a year (as part of the appraisal process) and it may be subject to modification or amendment at any time after consultation with the holder of the post.

APPLICATION P R O C E S S

Should you wish to apply for this position, please send a CV and covering statement outlining key matching experience and rationale for applying for the post.

Applications should be sent to our recruitment advisor, The Management Recruitment Group:

Hayley Mintern T: 07530 680 194 E: [email protected]

Deadline for submissions: Sunday 12th September 2021.