APPLICANT INFORMATION Senior School Secretary COMMENCING December 2025/January 2026 125-126, 131-133 QUEEN'S GATE SOUTH KENSINGTON LONDONSW7 5LE TEL: 020 7589 3587EMAIL: SECRETARY@QUEENSGATE.ORG.UKWWW.QUEENSGATE.ORG.UKQUEEN'S GATE SCHOOL TRUST LTD REGISTERED CHARITY NO. 312724 ABOUT US Queen’s Gate was founded in 1891, and today we educate around 500 girls: 130 in the Junior School, and 370 in the Senior School, including around 70 in the Sixth Form. Queen’s Gate is located on Queen’s Gate itself, inhabiting five of the iconic Victorian terraces: three are mostly used by the Senior School, while the remaining two are given over to the Junior School; however, there are many shared spaces and a constant flow of pupils and staff between the two buildings. Although we do not have much outside space of our own, we are spoilt by what the local area offers. Girls make regular visits to the nearby museums and Hyde Park, while sport takes place at a range of nearby leisure facilities, including the River Thames for rowing. We are relatively diverse in the nationalities represented in our pupil and staff body, and are proud of the way this enriches the experience of all those within our community. Our standard entry points are 4+, 7+, 11+ and 16+. We follow a broadly English curriculum, culminating in GCSE and A Level examinations. Our pupils leave us for universities across the UK, including Oxbridge and other Russell Group institutions, as well as looking further afield; we have alumnae studying in Canada and the US, including at a number of Ivy League colleges. ABOUT US (continued) Queen's Gate's stated aims are to create a secure, happy, yet stimulating environment in which each girl can realise her academic and personal potential. Our intake is relatively broad, and weare exceptionally proud of the resultsour girls achieve; in 2022, we werefourth in the country for value-addedscores. We have pupils performing atthe highest levels in Music, Drama andSport. Currently, we have girlscompeting internationally in Fencing,Volleyball and Athletics, another playingin the National Youth Orchestra, andone in the National Youth Theatre. Wehave an extensive programme ofenrichment activities, as well as aplethora of trips to destinations in theUK and abroad. Our ethos is one of celebrating each girlas an individual, and allowing her toexplore her own interests and gifts. Wefacilitate this through our extensive academic curriculum (we offer 28subjects at A Level) and a higher-than-normal amount of choice atGCSE. Scholarships are awardedfor academic merit but also tothose demonstrating exceptionaltalent in, and dedication to, Sport,Music, Drama and Art. The Schoolis committed to widening access,and offers a number of means-tested bursaries. We place great emphasis on theimportance of pupils’ happinessand wellbeing, which we supportthrough outstanding pastoral care,our extensive co-curricularprogramme and an opendetermination to inject funwherever possible.Our girls have no uniform, and our dress codeallows them enormous scope to explore theirown sense of style and to come to school feelingcomfortable and confident in what they arewearing. Girls have many opportunities toprovide feedback or present their own ideas,particularly in terms of charity events, which area regular feature. The Senior Management Team currentlycomprises the following staff members:Principal Vice PrincipalBursar Director of the Junior SchoolDirector of CurriculumDirector of Teaching, Learning & Assessment Director of Pastoral Care Assistant Director of Pastoral CareHead of Sixth Form The Junior School has anadditional leadership team,which currently comprises thefollowing staff members:Director of the JuniorSchoolDirector of Studies Director of Outreach &OperationsSenior TutorTeaching & LearningCoordinatorOur Board of Governorsmaintain regular contact andincorporates professionalsfrom a range of fields. We arealso fortunate to benefit froma strong and supportive PTA. THE ROLE The duties of this role are outlined below; however, it is expected that these will be finalised in consultationwith the successful candidate.First Point of Contact. Front facing contact with all pupils, parents, staff and visitors via email, telephone orin person. Dealing with concerns and enquiries accurately, efficiently and in a timely manner. Monitoring thefront door and checking for deliveries and visitors, thus providing security. (This work would be done inconjunction with the Assistant Secretary.)Pupil Concerns. Medical and Pastoral. Handling of confidential information. Medical or pastoral concerns.Storage and dissemination of information to correct people, accurately and timely and keeping all mattersconfidential. Dealing with all children who are unwell during the school day with the support of theAssistant School Secretary and the Pastoral TeamCommunications. Ensuring that all outgoing communications are accurate and sent out on time. Responsesare collated and outstanding paperwork/replies are chased. This work is usually done by the AssistantSchool Secretary, but having sight of and providing advice to the Assistant Secretary is necessary. Checkingall relevant email in-boxes frequently to avoid missing important information and being able to removeunwanted content.Registers and Attendance. Ensure that all registers are taken accurately, and any pupils absence is chased.(This role falling mainly on the Assistant Secretary but acting in a supervisory/supporting role.)Medical/Health Support. Storage of medication for all those girls needing items in school. Preparation ofCare Plans for these girls, in conjunction with Pastoral Care Director and her team and parents. Creation ofMedical Alert Information for teaching staff.Vaccination Programme. Preparation of paperwork and diarising visits for all vaccinations for girls and staffflu jabs annually. Handling the movement of girls on the day.Examinations. With the support of the Assistant School Secretary, preparing and creating labels for examsdepartment, exam trays, taking calls from girls and parents on results day and the administration andcollation of certificates when they arrive in November. Safe distribution of examination certificates torecipients.Fire Safety. Creating form list for fire evacuation including JS listings for rooms used by SS staff.School Trips. Ensuring that all comms to parents are sent out in a timely manner, permissions have beenreceived, phones for the day are loaded with medical details and first aid kits have been collected. PackedLunches have been ordered. (This function will mainly be carried out by the Assistant School Secretary.)Prize Giving. Working with the VP in order to plan annual prize giving including ensuring cups and booktokens are purchased, engraved and arranged in the venue on the day.Remembrance Service. Working with VP in order to plan annual event and achieve the smooth running ofthe morning.Transcripts. Preparation of suitable transcripts when required. To be given to the Principal’s office forstamping and signing. THE PERSON The successful candidate(s) will be able to demonstrate that they are: · Reliable · Efficient · An excellent communicator both verbally and in writing · Have excellent IT skills with a good working knowledge of packages used in an office environment with the ability to use school specific software · Diplomatic and tactful · Able to sustain confidentiality in sensitive situations · Sensitive to the needs of others · Competent in all the necessary skills to fulfil the requirements of the job · Able to work under pressure · Able to work as part of a team which includes teaching, administrative and ancillary staff · Able to take initiative · Appreciative of the Queen’s Gate ethos and values · In possession of an excellent sense of humour APPLICATION PROCESS All candidates are also requested to complete an online Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form. This can be found at the end of our application form. The form will be separated from your application on receipt. The information on this form will be used for equality monitoring purposes only and will play no part in the recruitment process. Queen’s Gate School is committed to ensuring that all job applicants and members of staff are treated equally, without discrimination because of age; disability; gender reassignment; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race; religion or belief; sex and sexual orientation. We welcome applications from all sections of the community. Queen's Gate 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 is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. The School is therefore permitted to ask shortlisted applicants to declare all convictions and cautions on a self-declaration form in advance of attending an interview (including those which are "spent" unless they are "protected" under the Disclosure and Barring Service (“DBS”) filtering rules) in order to assess their suitability to work with children. The School may carry out online searches on shortlisted applicants, for which all such applicants will be required to provide details of their online profile, including social media accounts, as part of their application. Prior to employment commencing, successful applicants will be required to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the DBS. Successful applicants will also be required to produce evidence of qualifications, identity, and the right to work in the UK. Two references will be taken up, one of which will be with the most recent employer. They will also be required to complete our Health Questionnaire. All those working at Queen’s Gate share in our responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of the children and young people in our care. This will include completing regular training and maintaining a good awareness of key policies and procedures relating to our safeguarding duties. Where a role has specific or additional responsibilities in relation to safeguarding, this will be detailed within the job description. An application form and further details may be downloaded from our websitewww.queensgate.org.uk. When completed, the application form should be sent by email torecruitment@queensgate.org.uk together with a covering letter to the Principal, toarrive no later than 12.00pm on Monday, 20 October. The School reserves the rightto appoint ahead of the closing date if we receive an application from a suitablecandidate.Queen’s Gate is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of childrenand young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.