JOB TITLE: OPERATIONS MANAGER

ST CHRISTOPHER’S SCHOOL
INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES

Role commences: January 2026

ST CHRISTOPHER’S

SCHOOL AND NURSERY, EPSOM

ST CHRISTOPHER’S SCHOOLSt Christopher’s believes in educating the whole child.
Academic rigour is complemented by a vibrant enrichment
programme, including forest school, drama, music ensembles,
productions, art, and a wide choice of clubs. Outdoor learning
and play are highly valued, with children benefitting from
regular exploration in the school’s outdoor space. Sport is an
important part of life, and all pupils enjoy access to PE and
physical activity that promote teamwork, fitness and
enjoyment.

Creativity and performance play a leading role. Concerts,
assemblies, productions and art exhibitions allow children to
share their talents with families and the wider community. The
school’s close-knit ethos ensures that children develop both
confidence and compassion, preparing them for the next stage
of their education and for happy, fulfilled lives.

At its most recent inspection, the school was rated “Excellent
in all areas,” reflecting the outstanding teaching, pastoral care
and breadth of opportunities available. Parents consistently
praise the family-like atmosphere, the school’s emphasis on
values, and the strong foundations laid for future success.

“Pupils make excellent progress throughout the school. By the time
they reach Year 2, they achieve at high levels compared with pupils
of the same age nationally, because of a carefully planned broad
and challenging curriculum in line with the school’s aims, together
with highly effective teaching.” - ISI Inspection 2023

ST CHRISTOPHER’S SCHOOL

St Christopher’s School & Nursery in Epsom has been
providing an exceptional start to children’s education for over
85 years. Founded in 1938, the school has built a reputation for
offering children from 2¾ to 7 years old a joyful, nurturing and
inspiring first experience of learning. Today, St Christopher’s is
a modern, forward-thinking, non-denominational school where
strong traditions sit alongside innovation.

The school is located close to Epsom Downs, with bright
classrooms, specialist teaching, a dedicated Nursery, gardens,
and well-equipped outdoor play areas. Its location offers the
best of both worlds: a peaceful suburban setting within easy
reach of London and the Surrey countryside.

St Christopher’s is now part of the Reigate Grammar School
(RGS) family, having joined the group in May 2025. The RGS
family is a community of exceptional schools in Surrey and
internationally, united by shared values, high aspirations and a
commitment to helping every child flourish.

The school is a member of the Independent Schools
Association (ISA) and has been recognised nationally,
previously winning Junior Independent School of the Year and
annually wins national art competitions. It has also recently
won the award for ‘Independent Pre-Prep of the Year 2025’
and is a finalist for the ISA award for ‘Excellence and Innovation
in Early Years’. The School aims to ensure that they support
families in finding the best fit junior school for their children.
Children leave at the end of Year 2 ready for a seamless
transition into one of the RGS family prep schools or a range
of other leading junior schools, both independent and
maintained.

There are around 150 boys and girls across Nursery,
Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. Small class sizes and specialist
teaching in subjects such as Music, French, PE and Art ensure
that children receive personalised support and challenge,
fostering curiosity and a genuine love of learning. Pastoral care
is central, with staff knowing each child as an individual and
helping them to grow in confidence, resilience and kindness.

ST CHRISTOPHER’S SCHOOLJOB DESCRIPTION

ABOUT THE ROLE
At St Christopher’s, we believe that every child deserves a
nurturing, inspiring, and well-organised environment in which
to thrive.  As our Operations Manager, you will be
instrumental in ensuring the smooth running of the schools’
support functions. You will lead and oversee key operational
areas including facilities management, health and safety
compliance, HR finance collaboration—creating the foundation
for a safe, welcoming, and nurturing learning environment.
Working closely with the Headteacher and central support
teams, you’ll ensure that day-to-day operations are efficient,
safe, and aligned with our values. You’ll also play a key role in
supporting strategic initiatives and ensuring regulatory
standards are met across the school and nursery.

This is a dynamic and rewarding role for someone who enjoys
variety, takes pride in high standards, and is passionate about
contributing to a vibrant school community.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR:
You are a natural organiser and people-person who thrives in a
fast-paced environment. With experience in managing facilities
or back-office functions, you’re confident in leading teams,
juggling competing priorities, and making sound, commercial
decisions. You’re calm under pressure, solutions-focused, and
able to relate to colleagues, parents, and external partners
with warmth and professionalism. Your strong communication,
IT, and problem-solving skills allow you to work effectively
across departments and levels. Above all, you bring integrity,
energy, and a commitment to making things work better—for
staff, pupils, and the wider school community. If you’re ready to
take the lead in a role that supports the heart of our school,
we’d love to hear from you.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
As Operations Manager, you will be a vital member of the
Senior Leadership Team (SLT), responsible for leading all
non-academic operations and ensuring the school runs
smoothly, safely, and efficiently. Your leadership will enable
teaching staff to focus on delivering an exceptional, holistic
education in a nurturing and well-organised environment.

YOUR CORE RESPONSIBILITIES WILL INCLUDE:
Leadership & Strategic Oversight
•

Serve as the senior non-academic member of SLT,
championing operational excellence across the school and
nursery.
Foster strong, collaborative relationships with colleagues,
parents, central support teams at Reigate Grammar
School, and external partners.

•

•  Act as a key advisor to the Headteacher on all operational
matters, contributing to strategic planning and decision-
making.
•
Prepare reports for the RGS Group, when requested.
•  Act as the primary liaison with the PTA, supporting joint
initiatives and strengthening community engagement.

Operational Excellence
•  Take full accountability for all ‘back office’ functions,

•

ensuring seamless day-to-day operations.
Lead the Health & Safety Committee, promoting a culture
of safety and ensuring policies are regularly reviewed and
effectively implemented.

•  Overseeing facilities management, ensuring the school

•

•

buildings and grounds are clean, safe and fit for purpose.
Leading on estates projects, liaising with appropriate
colleagues in the RGS Group to report and agree any
minor and major estates works required, including
gathering tenders from potential contractors.
Ensure full compliance with all regulatory and statutory
requirements, maintaining high standards in safeguarding,
data protection, and site security.

Financial Collaboration
•  Work closely with the central finance team to support

curriculum and capex budget planning..

•  Monitor operational expenditure and ensure financial
decisions align with school targets and priorities.

Support HR processes locally, as needed.

Human Resources Support
•
•  Act as a trusted point of contact for staff queries and
contribute to a positive, inclusive working culture.

•  Monitor and upload overtime and supply hours for

processing by the HR team.

•  Manage pre-start checks for external after school club
providers, in collaboration with the central HR team.
•  Oversee staff training requirements—both statutory and
additional—ensuring they are planned, tracked, and
delivered in line with budgetary constraints and school
priorities.

ST CHRISTOPHER’S SCHOOLEXPERIENCE
Essential
•

•
Desirable
•

Proven track record of leading multi-disciplinary teams in
an operational or commercial.
Experience managing compliance and facilities.

Experience working within a school or similar complex
organisation
Experience working successfully with a range of
stakeholders.
Experience managing training programmes and budgets.

•

•

OTHER
Essential
•
Solution-focused with a positive can-do attitude.
•  Commitment to quality, continuous improvement, and

excellent service.

•  Ability to uphold and promote the values and ethos of the

school community.

Desirable
•  Understanding of safeguarding and child protection

responsibilities in a school setting.

The core hours for this role are 8.30am-5.00pm. The salary
range is £40-50k, dependent on experience and qualifications.

JOB DESCRIPTION
CONTINUED

Project & Change Management
•

Lead and support the local implementation of strategic
initiatives and site redevelopment projects, including IT
system upgrades, digital systems, and people-related
projects.
Identify and drive additional revenue opportunities by
creatively utilising school facilities for community and
commercial use, such as the development of holiday clubs.

•

Promotion & Marketing Support
•  Collaborate with the Headteacher and central teams to

support the school’s marketing and promotional activities.
•  Contribute to initiatives that enhance the school’s visibility,
reputation, and engagement with prospective families and
the wider community.

PERSON SPECIFICATION
SKILLS
Essential
•

Excellent organisational and interpersonal skills with the
ability to communicate clearly and professionally in writing,
face to face and by telephone
Proactive and confident working independently, with the
ability to manage concurrent projects and priorities
effectively.

•

•  Commercial awareness and sound judgement in decision-

•

making, balancing cost and benefit
Strong planning and time management skill, with attention
to detail.

•  Competent in Microsoft Office applications including

Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Outlook.

Desirable
•
•
•

Experience in property or facility management
Strong customer service orientation
Familiarity with school management systems and
operational software.

QUALIFICATIONS
Essential
•
Desirable
•  Operational qualifications such as Health & Safety,

Evidence of Continuing Professional Development.

Safeguarding and or Facilities Management

•  Degree-level education

ST CHRISTOPHER’S SCHOOLFURTHER INFORMATION

TERMS AND CONDITIONS
•  The core hours for this role are 8.30am-5.00pm. The
salary range is £40-50k, dependent on experience and
qualifications.

•

•  Non-teaching staff at St Christopher’s School are
remunerated according to their own salary scales.
Employees are entitled to join the School’s Defined
Contribution Pension Scheme.
Lunch is provided free of charge during term time.
Successful applicants will be required to make an
enhanced disclosure to the Disclosure and Barring
Services and to complete an Online Pre-Placement
Medical Questionnaire.

•
•

•  All shortlisted candidates will be required to complete a
‘Suitability to work with children: self-declaration form’.
This form must be completed, signed and returned to HR
prior to the interview taking place.

SAFEGUARDING
This role will involve contact with children. The Reigate
Grammar School group is committed to safeguarding and
promoting the welfare of children and young people and
expects all staff to share this commitment. All applicants
should read the school’s safeguarding policy (available on our
website) and are required to declare any criminal convictions,
cautions or disciplinary proceedings related to young people.
Applicants must be willing to undergo child protection
screening appropriate to the post including checks with past
employers and the Disclosure and Barring Services. Full details
are given on the application form. The post is exempt from the
Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the School is
therefore permitted to ask job applicants to declare all
convictions and cautions (including those which are “spent”
unless they are “protected” under the DBS filtering rules) in
order to assess their suitability to work with children.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
The Reigate Grammar School group is an equal opportunities
employer and welcomes applications from appropriately
qualified persons from all backgrounds. We are dedicated to
creating and sustaining an environment that values individuality
and difference and celebrates the diversity of both staff and
pupils by fostering perseverance, tolerance and integrity. We
believe in equal opportunity for everyone, irrespective of age,
disability, gender, gender reassignment, marriage or civil

partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief,
sexual orientation or socio-economic background. Candidates
will be assessed against relevant criteria only (i.e. skills,
qualifications, abilities, experience) in selection and
recruitment. We know that more diverse teams are stronger
teams, and that the more inclusive we are, the more our staff
and pupils will feel a sense of belonging and will thrive

APPLICATIONS
Applicants are asked to complete the Support Staff Application
Form and Supplementary Form (which are also available on
our website) and send with a supporting statement together
with a CV addressed to Dawn Holmes as soon as possible and
by 9am on Thursday 30 Ocotber 2025 at the latest.
Applications will be considered in the order in which they are
received, and the school reserves the right to make an
appointment prior to the closing date.

The Reigate Grammar School group is committed to ensuring
that the privacy of applicants and employees is protected. The
School Privacy Notice is available on the school website and is
included in the application pack and sets out how the school
uses and protects any personally identifiable information that is
collected as part of the recruitment process.

Within your application letter we would be grateful if could
indicate where you saw this position, whether it was from the
TES, Indeed or another source.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited for interview. Interviews
with senior staff will explore each candidate’s ability to
perform the duties of the post, subject knowledge, ability to
relate appropriately to pupils and colleagues, organisational and
pastoral skills, and willingness to contribute to the school
community.

Applications should be addressed to the Head of Human
Resources and sent (by letter or by email) to:

Mrs Dawn Holmes
Head of Human Resources
Reigate Grammar School
Reigate Road, Reigate, RH2 0QS

01737 222231

hr@reigategrammar.org

ST CHRISTOPHER’S SCHOOLSCHOOL LOCATION AND
DIRECTIONS

St Christopher’s School is located in the historic market town
of Epsom, well known for its green open spaces, thriving town
centre and the world-famous Epsom Downs Racecourse. The
town combines excellent amenities, including independent
cafés, restaurants, and shops, with easy access to beautiful
countryside. Epsom has regularly been recognised as one of
the best places to live in Surrey, offering a strong sense of
community, outstanding recreational facilities, and excellent
transport links into London and the wider region.

By Road
St Christopher’s School is situated just 10 minutes walk from
Epsom town centre. The most direct route is via the M25. Exit
at junction 9 and follow the A24 north towards Epsom. The
school is located on Downs Road, within a short distance of
the town centre and Epsom Downs.

By Rail
Epsom station provides frequent mainline services into London
Waterloo, London Victoria, and London Bridge, as well as
routes to Guildford, Horsham and Dorking. The station is
within easy reach of the school.

By Air
Gatwick Airport is approximately 30 minutes away by road,
while Heathrow Airport can be reached in around 40 minutes.
Both offer frequent domestic, European and international
flights.

ST CHRISTOPHER’S SCHOOL