APPLICANT INFORMATION
FINANCIAL
CONTROLLER
COMMENCING
FEBRUARY/MARCH
2026
125-126, 131-133 QUEEN'S GATE SOUTH KENSINGTON LONDONSW7 5LJ, SW7 5LE TEL: 020 7589 3587EMAIL: BURSAR@QUEENSGATE.ORG.UKWWW.QUEENSGATE.ORG.UKQUEEN'S GATE SCHOOL TRUST LTD REGISTERED CHARITY NO. 312724 WELCOME FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Welcome to Queen’s Gate School, and
thank you for taking the time to review
our application pack.
provide a warm, supportive
environment in which our girls can
grow, explore and aspire.
Queen’s Gate is a happy, bustling GSA
school for girls aged 4-18. Located in
South Kensington, London, we are ideally
placed to take advantage of the many
educational opportunities on offer
nearby. We are a close-knit community of
around 500 pupils, and are proud of our
light-hearted atmosphere, where we
promote individuality, authenticity and
creativity. Our intake is broad, and we
pride ourselves on valuing each girl for
her own gifts and talents. Our pupils leave
us to a range of higher education
institutions across the UK and abroad,
and the breadth of their chosen degree
courses speaks to our success in fostering
our pupils’ interests across the academic
spectrum and beyond.
We encourage all our girls to be bold in
their dreams and to seek to exceed their
potential. We are firm in our belief that to
do so, our girls must feel happy and
secure, and so as a School we aim to
Likewise, we are committed to offering
a workplace where our staff can
develop their skills and advance in
their careers. We have a generous CPD
budget, and encourage networking
with colleagues at other GSA schools.
A number of our staff serve as
governors for other schools, which we
are also pleased to facilitate.
We hope the information supplied in
this pack will leave you keen to come
and be part of all that makes us such a
special place. We are a school where
our hard work is underpinned by good
cheer and genuine camaraderie, and
we would be delighted to receive your
application to join us.
With warmest wishes,
Amy Wallace
Principal
APPLICANT INFORMATION FOR THE ROLE OF FINANCIAL CONTROLLER APPLICANT INFORMATION FOR THE ROLE OF FINANCIAL CONTROLLER
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, andwe are exceptionally proud of theresults our girls achieve; in 2023, wewere fourth in the country for value-added scores. We have pupilsperforming at the highest levels inMusic, Drama and Sport. Currently,we have girls competinginternationally in Fencing, Volleyballand Athletics, another playing in theNational Youth Orchestra, and onein the National Youth Theatre. Wehave an extensive programme ofenrichment activities, as well as aplethora of trips to destinations inthe UK and abroad. Our ethos is one of celebrating eachgirl as an individual, and allowingher to explore her own interests andgifts. We facilitate this through ourextensive academic curriculum (weoffer 28 subjects at A Level) and ahigher-than-normal amount ofchoice at GCSE. Scholarships areawarded for academic merit butalso to those demonstratingexceptional talent in, and dedicationto, Sport, Music, Drama and Art. TheSchool is committed to wideningaccess, and offers a number ofmeans- tested bursaries. We place great emphasis on theimportance of pupils’ happiness andwellbeing, which we supportthrough outstanding pastoral care,our extensive co-curricularprogramme and an opendetermination to inject funwherever possible.Our girls have no uniform, and ourdress code allows them enormousscope to explore their own sense ofstyle and to come to school feelingcomfortable and confident in whatthey are wearing. Girls have manyopportunities to provide feedbackor present their own ideas,particularly in terms of charityevents, which are a regular feature. The core Senior Management Teamcurrently comprises the followingstaff members:Principal Vice PrincipalBursar Director of the Junior SchoolDirector of StudiesDirector of Pastoral CareDirector of Sixth Form The Senior Management Team alsoincludes a number of Associatemembers.The Junior School has an additionalleadership team, which currentlycomprises the following staffmembers:Director of the Junior SchoolAssistant Director (Teaching &Learning)Assistant Director (Operations) Assistant Director (Pastoral)Our Board of Governors maintainregular contact and incorporatesprofessionals from a range of fields.We are also fortunate to benefitfrom a strong and supportive PTA. APPLICANT INFORMATION FOR THE ROLE OF FINANCIAL CONTROLLER
THE ROLE
Queen’s Gate is a very happy school for girls aged 4-18, located in South Kensington amidst adazzling array of world-class educational and cultural institutions. We are a close-knit community,where pupils, staff and parents enjoy working collaboratively to create a welcoming, empoweringand exciting learning environment. Our values shine through all that we do: recognising the worthof each member of the community as an individual; aspiration that we should each seek to be ourown best, whatever that might mean; and a warm generosity of spirit. We are an inclusivecommunity, with our diverse, multi-national pupil, parent and staff body reflecting ourcosmopolitan home in this global city.After a period of valued service to the School, our Financial Controller is moving on to apromotion, and we are seeking to appoint her replacement. As a member of our operations staffteam, the Financial Controller reports to the Finance Bursar, with responsibility for management ofthe day-to-day financial operations of the School. This includes billings, accounts payable,budgeting and management reporting. Working with the Finance Bursar and Admissions Team, theFinancial Controller also administrates the School’s bursary programme.The successful candidate will be joining a tight-knit and mutually supportive team in our Bursary,and will have the opportunity to interact with a range of stakeholders, including our wonderfulpupils. As a small team, our Finance Team will sometimes cover duties for each other, so anadaptable mindset will be essential. A person specification is below.The role is full time; however, the Principal is committed to inclusive recruitment, and so would bepleased to hear from candidates interested in a part-time, job-share opportunity. It is expectedthat the role will be based in at our school site in South Kensington; however, there may be theoption to work one day per week from home once the candidate has completed a successfulprobation period.The person specification is not necessarily a comprehensive definition of the post, nor does itspecify how time will be apportioned between tasks. The post holder may be required to carry outother duties, not included in the person specification, as is reasonably required by the Principalfrom time to time. Overtime is not usually paid on these occasions. · APPLICANT INFORMATION FOR THE ROLE OF FINANCIAL CONTROLLER
THE PERSON
QualificationsEssentialDesirableMethod ofAssessmentQualified Accountant (ACA, ACCA,CIMA)•Appropriate originalcertificatesExperienceEssentialDesirableMethod ofAssessment Experience of strategicfinancial planning•Application formInterviewsReferences·Experience of budgetpreparation and management•Application formInterviewsReferences·Experience of systemsimplementation and/orimprovement processes•Application formInterviewsReferences·Experience working in aFinance office•Application formInterviewsReferencesTeam leadership experience•Application formInterviewsReferencesExperience of working in aschool/education or not-for-profit setting.•Application formInterviewsReferencesBasic Skills, Characteristics& CompetenciesEssentialDesirableMethod ofAssessmentExcellent understanding of accountingand related software systems•Application FormInterview ProcessStrong analytical skills •Application FormInterview ProcessExcellent Microsoft Office skills,particularly Excel•Application FormInterview ProcessAn enquiring mind - able to applyinnovative and practical solutions toproblems•Application FormInterview ProcessAble to prioritise effectively and workunder pressure as needed to meetdeadlines•Application FormInterview ProcessExcellent verbal and writtencommunication skills•Application FormInterview ProcessAble to motivate others•Application FormInterview ProcessDiscretion and sensitivity, particularlyin relation to professionalconfidentiality•Application FormInterview ProcessSupportive approach to interactionswith all stakeholders•Application FormInterview Process APPLICANT INFORMATION FOR THE ROLE OF FINANCIAL CONTROLLER
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.
To apply for this role, please complete our application form which can be found on our website:www.queensgate.org.uk/about-us/employment-opportunities Please return a completed application form, along with a covering letter to the Principal, torecruitment@queensgate.org.uk The closing date for applications is 12:00pm on Tuesday, 27 January. Interviews will follow thatweek and the next.Queen’s Gate has a generous salary scale which takes into account our Central London location;remuneration for this role will be commensurate to the candidate’s experience.