Examinations Officer
 Job Description

St Mary’s School
Bateman Street
Cambridge
CB2 1LY

T: 01223 353253
F: 01223 280254

stmaryscambridge.co.uk

St Mary’s School Cambridge – A Company Limited by Guarantee. Registered Office: Bateman Street Cambridge CB2 1LY – No.
184031 England Registered Charity No. 290180

 About the Role

Job Title: Examination Officer
Accountable to: Deputy Head (Data and Operations) or other nominated person
Salary: £29,000 - £32,000 per annum
Hours of work: 4 days a week for Autumn and Spring terms and 5 days a week for Summer term (plus additional 5

weeks during school holidays)

Place of work: Bateman Street, Cambridge; On-site/Hybrid

The Exams Officer is part of a small department and will report to the Deputy Head (Data and Operations).
The Examination Officer is responsible for the line management and appointment of Exam Invigilators

About the team

Role responsibilities
This is a varied and autonomous role and will involve the management of the operational aspects of the examination
processes. You will be responsible for the efficient and effective running of the administration of all internal and
external examinations within the school, including liaising with staff, pupils, invigilators and examination boards,
adhering to national regulations and guidelines and managing an annual budget. This will include management of
exam invigilators, exam scheduling and publishing, liaison with systems professionals for exam data handling and
problem-solving exam related issues.

•  To provide support, advice and guidance to the head of centre/senior leadership team in ensuring that the

centre is compliant with the JCQ regulations and awarding body requirements in order to ensure the security
and integrity of the examinations/assessments at all times

•  To act on behalf of, and be the main point of contact for, the centre in matters relating to the general

administration of awarding body examinations and assessments

•  To closely liaise with key stakeholders (external and internal) to ensure exams administration processes are

strictly followed

•  To understand JCQ and awarding body key dates and deadlines and have in place robust procedures to

ensure these are met

•  To ensure examinations are conducted in accordance with the regulations
•  Through taking an ethical approach and working proactively to avoid malpractice among students and staff,

supports the head of centre in taking all reasonable steps to prevent the occurrence of any
malpractice/maladministration before, during the course of and after examinations have taken place

Other responsibilities include:

Administration Duties

•  Attend regular CPD training on examination updates, codes of practice etc
•  Amend, create and implement relevant examination policies for the school so that the examination system,
rules and regulations set by the awarding bodies and JCQ are clear to all members of staff, students and
parents in the school

•  Manage JCQ inspections and, in consultation with the Deputy Head, ensure that all policies and procedures

are kept up-to-date

•  Manage, build and maintain good working relationships with the external Examination Boards
•  Updating key internal staff on current examinations policies and procedures
•  Recruit, train, update and manage a team of invigilators
•  Training of the Examination Team, including teaching staff in line with relevant JCQ updates, ensuring

relevant records are kept of the invigilators training certificates
Liaising with and supporting Senior Management with examinations related decision making

•
•  Manage the Examination budget and ensuring that the department is operating in a cost-effective manner at

all times

•  Provide reports on examination results to relevant stakeholders (internal and external)f as required

•  Provide data and analysis on examination entries and results
•  Manage candidate personal information within GDPR
•  Attend weekly meetings with the Exams Officer line Manager (Deputy Head)
•  Attend weekly ‘Exams Access Arrangement meetings’ with Line Manager and school SENCo.
•  Managing the process of coordinating internal and public examinations, including any University Admissions

tests

•  Manage appropriate access rights for teaching staff using JCQ and awarding body online tools
•  Maintain SMC and Firefly by updating JCQ information/policies etc
•  Generate candidate numbers and input ULN’s
•  Check candidate’s names are correct
•  Annually confirm the information required by the National Centre Number Register (as administered by OCR

on behalf of the JCQ) and informs of any changes to centre status

•  Support the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) (or equivalent role) in implementing

examination access arrangements and reasonable adjustments for eligible candidates (processing approval
applications and requesting modified papers by the published deadlines)

Examination Duties

•  Obtain information from Heads of Departments regarding estimated entries and exam board and syllabus

information, including students being entered early for a public examination Submit these to the examination
boards

•  Download the base data from the exam boards and complete the entries for the public exams. Check these

are correct with Heads of Departments

•  Complete the official public examinations entries after getting final sign off from Heads of Department,

including early entrants and resit students.

•  Provide examination assemblies to students in Years 11, 12 and 13 to make them aware of what they need to
do when taking a public examination. Keeps logs of who attended the training session and meet with those
who were absent

•  Keep logs of which parents and students have read and understood the JCQ examination rules and the

consequences if these are not followed

•  Have meetings with the school SENCO to ensure that the correct access arrangements will be applied for to

the exam board by the deadline and upload the related documentation to evidence the need for the
arrangement

•  Publish and distribute exam timetables, procedures and exam board information including the resolution of

clashes to students

•  Ensure all centre assessed subject exams (NON written ones) are run according to JCQ Guidelines e.g. orals,

practical's etc

•  Enter and submit centre assessed marks, provided by HODs, are entered by the board set deadlines
•  Apply for special consideration for students who have had their examinations affected by illness, event etc.

This may include the gathering of evidence for the special consideration application
•  Developing and delivering communications relaying examination invigilation schedules
•  Complete the invigilation rota for the exams and publish this in good time.
•  Ensure all exam accommodation is prepared in accordance with the requirements
•  Prepare and organise examination materials, including managing the secure storage of examination papers
•  Manage the daily running of internal and external examinations, including ensuring the examination

materials are in place for the start of the examination and collected and dispatched after the examination in
accordance with the appropriate regulations

•  Supply examination boards with all completed documentation and requests
•  Access results of external examinations and manage the integration into the school ICT system. Need to add

something about creating the statistics

•  Effective communication with Exam Board personnel, school staff, students and parents ensuring that all

queries and appeals are dealt with efficiently meeting required deadlines

•  Apply for ‘review of marking’ requests from students following their examination results and inform them of

the outcomes of these

•  Manage the requests from students for accessing their examination scripts post results
•  Complete ISC data and update as appropriate
•  Managing and distribution of all Examination results and Certificates
•  Providing any requested data in a timely manner by Head of other members of SLT

The above list is not an exhaustive list of duties and you may be expected to perform different tasks as
necessitated by your line manager and your changing role within the School and overall business objectives of the
School.

Person Specification

Essential

Desirable

Qualifications

Skills and Experience

Knowledge / Abilities
(Competencies)

•  A  good  standard  of  education  including
Maths  and  English  GCSEs  Grade  A*-C  (or
equivalent)  or  Level  2  Literacy  and
Numeracy is essential

•  Highly proficient in the use of spreadsheets
and data management, with a high level of
accuracy and attention to detail

•  Experience  of working with children aged

13 – 18 years old

•  Good  written  and  verbal  communication

skills

•  Highly  proficient  in  the  use  of  MS  Office

including Outlook, Word and Excel

•  Significant administrative

experience

•  Experience of working with SEN

students

•  Knowledge and understanding of
how  independent  boarding  and
day schools operate

•  The  ability  to  handle  confidential  and
tact  and

information  with

sensitive
discretion

•  The  ability  to  establish  good  working

relationships

and

understanding

•  Proven  organisational  skills,  capable  of
multitasking,  prioritising  and  working  to
deadlines
•  Knowledge

of
awarding organisations and the regulatory
framework
administering
examinations
•  Knowledge  of

school  policies  and
procedures  relating  to  health,  safety,
security  and  confidentiality  of  data  and
equal opportunities

for

Personal Qualities

•  Friendly, approachable manner and able
to work as part of a team as well as the
ability to work on your own

•  Discreet,  tactful,  diplomatic  and  the

ability to maintain confidentiality

•  Resourceful,  proactive,  self–motivated

and resilient

•  Diligent and conscientious
•  Ability  to  work  with  people  at  all  levels
always  maintaining  a  high  degree  of
professionalism.
•  Calm under pressure

We  are  all  members  of  one  community  and  must  therefore  endeavour,  always,  to  maintain  positive  working
relationships with all colleagues, treating others with the same level of professionalism, respect and politeness that
we would wish for ourselves. In addition, you are required to work in pursuit of our core aim, which is to ensure every
student’s aspiration, capabilities, interest, and talents are recognised, nurtured and celebrated. We pride ourselves
on  our  academic  standards,  extra-curricular  provision,  and  pastoral  care.  Your  performance  in  this  regard  will  be
judged by your outcomes relating to work, attitude, and professional behaviour.

Child Welfare and Child Protection Issues
The interview for this post will include exploring issues relating to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children
including:

•  Motivation to work with children and young people.
•  Ability to form and maintain appropriate relationships with children and young people.
•  Emotional resilience in working with challenging behaviours.
•  Attitudes to the use of authority and maintaining discipline.
Any relevant issues arising from the take up of references will be discussed at interview.
The  school  is  an  equal  opportunities  employer.  We  are  committed  to  safeguarding  and  promoting  the welfare  of
children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.  Successful applicants are
subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Check.

Head of Safeguarding

(Designated Safeguarding Lead)

MARCH 2026
St Mary’s School
Bateman Street
Cambridge
CB2 1LY

T: 01223 353253
F: 01223 280254

hr@stmaryscambridge.co.uk

St Mary’s School Cambridge – A Company Limited by Guarantee. Registered Office: Bateman Street Cambridge CB2 1LY –

No. 184031 England Registered Charity No. 290180

Welcome from the Head

Thank you for showing interest in this role at St Mary’s School, Cambridge.

We are an independent day and boarding school for girls aged 3 to 18. We have a school roll of around 520 students.
Approximately 15% of the students are boarders. Reflecting the cosmopolitan community of Cambridge, on average
25% of students originate from overseas, from around 30 countries.

The School offers a secure and welcoming learning environment for girls: we are delightfully situated in the heart of
the  academically  renowned  and  culturally  vibrant  city  of  Cambridge.  The  Junior  School  is  adjacent  to  the  famous
backdrop  of  Coe  Fen,  and  the  Senior  School  and  Boarding  House  overlook  the  University  of  Cambridge  Botanic
Gardens.

Cambridge is an outstanding place to live and work. As a university city, Cambridge has the cultural advantages of a
much larger settlement but with a population of approximately 145,000, it is a safe, clean and attractive location. The
city has an international reputation owing to its world ranking university and the school benefits from its proximity to
the digital and enterprise communities in the various high-tech science parks and enterprise hubs. We are within easy
travelling distance of London, less than an hour by train and a short hop from London Stansted Airport.

There has been major investment in new facilities at the School over the past decade: a new Junior School; a new Sixth
Form Centre; new provision of Art & Photography; the creation of our Science Hub; and our new boarding facility,
Mary  Ward  House.  We  have  developed  our  sporting  facilities  through  an  ambitious  collaboration  with  Homerton
College, University of Cambridge and have invested in a new boat house in a joint partnership with City of Cambridge
Rowing Club and Homerton College. We are proud to have opened our Mary Ward Educational Suite in which provides
state of the art teaching spaces.

High quality facilities are only as good as the people who work in them, so we invest heavily in our staff, who we know
are  our  greatest  asset.  We  encourage  staff  to  develop  themselves  through  training  and  facilitate  bespoke  CPD
opportunities for all.

St Mary’s School promotes equal opportunity for all staff and pupils and is committed to its culture of diversity and
inclusion. We encourage applications from candidates from a wide range of backgrounds.

Above all, St Mary’s School, Cambridge is a very happy place. We have an excellent local reputation for being very
friendly and nurturing, and yet ambitious, for the young women in our care, enabling strong progress to next steps at
university,  the  world  of  work  or  a  gap  year.  Our  girls  are  genuinely  delightful,  the  teachers  and  support  staff  are
exceptionally dedicated; we are a very close-knit, loving, joyful and purposeful community.

St  Mary’s  really  is  a  warm  and  welcoming  environment  for  all  staff,  whatever  their  role,  and  we  look  forward  to
receiving your application.

Hannah Helliar

St Mary’s School, Candidate Pack V1.1 (Jan 24)

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The St Mary’s Approach

We are proud to be a Christian school in the Catholic tradition and founded on the principles of our 17th century
foundress, Mary Ward, our vision is that ‘By God’s grace, women in time will do much’ (Mary Ward 1585-1645). The
challenge for women is not over, and whilst there are now more opportunities for 'women to do much' there are still
considerable barriers and so our work continues via our mission to develop curious, creative and compassionate young
women with the aspiration, confidence and integrity to shape a better world for the common good. Our approach is
based on the core values of Freedom, Joy, Justice, Love and Truth and we live these values in school through our HEART
habits of

H – Hard work
E – Empathy
A – Adaptability
R – Responsibility
T – Thoughtfulness

We show perseverance and sustain focus.
We are kind, joyful, generous, value friendship and celebrate diversity.
We adjust to difficult situations, are open minded, discerning and take calculated risks.
We act justly and strive to uphold truth and lead by example.
We are creative, reflective, attentive, show gratitude, hear others and disagree well.

Our unique approach to education fosters a love of life and of learning, while growing the academic curiosity and
spiritual wellbeing of each individual girl so that they can look beyond themselves and enter adulthood aspiring to be
more and to give more, not just to have more. We warmly welcome girls, and staff, of all Christian denominations and
other faith and secular backgrounds to join our thriving community.

Building on our 400-year tradition, St Mary’s School, Cambridge belongs to an international network of approximately
two hundred Mary Ward schools.

A Love for Learning at St Mary’s

At our school, our values — freedom, joy, justice, love and truth — shape a respectful, inclusive and engaging learning
environment where every student can be herself and achieve her best. We nurture curiosity, ambition and a genuine
love of learning, inspiring students to pursue academic excellence with confidence and purpose.

Through  expert  teaching,  a  challenging  curriculum  and  personalised  support,  we  empower  each  pupil  to  embrace
opportunities, overcome challenges and fulfil her potential. Our commitment is not only to outstanding results, but
also to developing independent, reflective and critical thinkers who are ready to thrive at university and beyond with
adaptability, creativity and determination.

As  a  learning  community,  we  are  proud  to  be  continuously  refining  and  enhancing  our  practice,  and  we  welcome
applications  from  colleagues  who  share  our  ambition,  curiosity  and  dedication  to  high-quality,  research-informed
teaching.

Digital St Mary’s

St Mary's is a digital school. The goals of the School are supported through

•  developing a community of staff and students which learns in, responds to and engages with an ever-changing

digital world;

•  preparing students for their future by giving them the confidence to work in a digital environment;
•  establishing creative teaching and learning environments;
•  employing teaching staff who are trained and supported to be technologically and digitally skilled.

All  members  of  St  Mary's  work  digitally  using  Microsoft  365  as  a  platform,  along  with  Firefly  which  is  the
student/parent  platform.  All  students  in  the  Senior  School  and  Sixth  Form  have  access  to  an  individual  device
(Microsoft Surface Pro) which is used extensively in lessons and for home learning.

St Mary’s School, Candidate Pack V1.1 (Jan 24)

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Job Description: Head of Safeguarding (Designated Safeguarding Lead)

Reporting to:
Hours of Work:
Salary:

Head, via the Deputy Head (Pastoral & Boarding)
Term time only (35 weeks + 4 weeks)
c. £45,000 (depending on experience) FTE

Summary

St Mary’s School, Cambridge is seeking to appoint an experienced and committed candidate to the new role of Head
of Safeguarding (Designated Safeguarding Lead). The Head of Safeguarding is responsible to the Head and will sit on
the School’s Senior Leadership Team. The post holder will be the Designated Safeguarding Lead for the whole school
(Junior School, Senior School, Sixth Form and boarding) and work closely with the Senior School Deputy Head (Pastoral
& Boarding) and the Deputy Head of Juniors. They will lead the team of DDSLs.

The successful candidate will take lead responsibility for safeguarding and child protection across the school (including
online safety). They will be a collaborative colleague, a committed practitioner, and be fully supportive of the school’s
vision. They will have demonstrable experience of leading and actioning whole school strategic plans or strategic plans
in other settings. They will confidently ensure the school provides up-to-date, relevant advice/training and support to
enable the school community to have the knowledge and understanding of all safeguarding policies and practices that
must be adhered to. The successful candidate will be pivotal in advising and supporting other members of staff on
child  welfare,  safeguarding  and  child  protection  matters,  and  will  liaise  with  relevant  external  agencies.  They  will
provide relevant and appropriate training to all stake holders, and be an approachable and supportive colleague.

Head of Safeguarding is a crucial role within our school, responsible for ensuring the welfare and safety of all children
and young people in the school. The postholder will be a non-teaching staff member who will implement and have a
strategic oversight of the school’s safeguarding policies and procedures, in accordance with the guidelines outlined in
Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) and National Minimum Standards for Boarding (NMS).

The  Key  Duties  and  Responsibilities  set  out  below  is  a  list  of  the  principal  responsibilities  of  the  Designated
Safeguarding Lead. The list is not exhaustive, and, in any case, aspects of the job description may be adjusted from
time to time to take account of developments as well as changes to the Senior Leadership Team.

1. Safeguarding Policy Implementation

•  Develop, review and update the school’s safeguarding and other relevant policies at least annually, ensuring

they are compliant with KCSIE guidelines, and that other school policies are consistent with them.

•  Ensure all staff members, including teaching and professional services staff, are aware of and adhere to the

school’s safeguarding policies and procedures.

•  Promote  a  culture  of  safeguarding  amongst  staff,  students,  parents,  and  other  stakeholders,  regularly

communicating with them.

•  Have a strategic oversight of the school’s safeguarding to ensure there is a comprehensive understanding and

effective delivery of it.

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2. Designated Safeguarding Lead

•  Fulfil the role of DSL as described in KCSIE.
•  Take lead responsibility for all safeguarding concerns and incidents, ensuring they are recorded, reported, and

managed appropriately.

•  Work closely with the Deputy Head (Pastoral & Boarding) and Deputy Head of Juniors and other key pastoral

staff in ensuring all students are safeguarded.

•  Provide  advice,  guidance,  and  support  to  staff  regarding  safeguarding  matters  and  refer  cases  to  external

agencies when necessary, also supporting staff who make referrals.

•  Collaborate with external agencies, such as social services and the police, to address safeguarding concerns
and  coordinate  appropriate  interventions.  Refer  cases  to  the  Channel  programme  where  there  is  a
radicalisation concern and support staff who make referrals.
Liaise with the Head in the referral of cases to the Disclosure and Barring Service where a person is dismissed
or leaves due to risk or harm to a child.
Liaise with the Deputy Head (Pastoral & Boarding) regarding referrals to the Police where a crime may have
been committed.

•

•

•  Be the point of contact for Operation Encompass notifications.
•  Make the Head aware of safeguarding issues in the school.
•

•
•

•

•

Liaise with the case manager and the local authority designated officer(s) (LADO) for child protection concerns
in cases which concern a staff member, volunteer or adult.
Liaise with the Lead Nurse where safeguarding concerns are linked to mental health.
Liaise with the Deputy Head (Pastoral and Boarding) on attendance data, to identify safeguarding or other
issues that may impact on students’ learning and achievement.
Liaise  with  the  Director  of  IT  and  Digital  Strategy  Lead  to  ensure  effective  filtering  and  monitoring  of  the
school’s  network,  promoting  online  and  digital  safety  and  following  up  any  safeguarding  concern  or
inappropriate use, with specific reference to the filtering and monitoring expectations of a DSL in KCSIE, and
with close regard to the Filtering and Monitoring Standards.
Liaise with the Bursar and Head of Operations to ensure that external organisations using the school site have
appropriate oversight of safeguarding and respond to any safeguarding incidents that occur onsite involving
these organisations, as per KCSIE guidance.

•  Encourage a culture of listening to children among all staff, ensuring that children’s feelings are heard where

the school puts measures in place to protect them.

•  Model best practice and always uphold the principles of confidentiality and data protection whilst ensuring

that appropriate sharing of information allows staff to effectively support their students.

•  Establish, maintain and provide regular supervision for colleagues, as agreed with the Deputy Head (Pastoral

& Boarding).

•  Oversee the use of MyConcern on a daily basis and distribution of caseload to the Safeguarding team.
•  Monitor  Smoothwall  (as  appropriate)  alerts  and  act  upon  them  or  delegate  to  other  DDSLs  or  HOYs  as

appropriate.

•  Meet  with  the  Safeguarding  Governor  termly  to  discuss  safeguarding  compliance  and  ensure  that  the

governors are fully up to date.

•  Play a key role in pastoral meetings along with the Deputy Head (Pastoral & Boarding) and other relevant staff.
•  Attend local safeguarding cluster meetings.
•  To lead on case management of the most vulnerable pupils.
•  Promote supportive engagement with parents and/or carers in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of

children, including when families may be facing challenging circumstances.

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•  To be prepared to facilitate home visits to families to verify students are ‘safe and well’ for purposes of those
missing  education  (CME)  and/or  to  carry  out  discussion/assessments  to  provide  on-going  support  for
safeguarding purposes.

•  Organise and participate in the DSL/DDSL rota for school holidays.

3. Training and Education

•  Arrange and deliver regular safeguarding training sessions for all staff members and governors, ensuring they

are up to date with the latest safeguarding practices and procedures.

•  Provide  ongoing  support  and  advice  to  staff  regarding  the  identification  and  reporting  of  safeguarding

concerns.

•  Collaborate with other professionals and organisations to organise external training sessions and workshops

for staff and parents.

•  Understand and support the school with regards to the requirements of the Prevent duty and provide advice
and support to staff on protecting children from the risk of radicalisation and being drawn into terrorism.

•  Understand and support the school with regards to the Filtering and Monitoring Standards.
•  Understand the unique risks associated with online safety and ensure staff training is current.
•  Encourage and build a culture of trust which highlights the importance of relationship building so that staff

•

and students feel comfortable raising safeguarding concerns within the school setting.
Liaise with the Deputy Head (Pastoral & Boarding)/Senior Tutor and the Digital Strategy Lead to ensure that
students and parents have access to up-to-date education on online safety.

•  Undertake training to gain and maintain the knowledge and skills required to carry out the role and meet the

expectations set out in KCSIE.

•  Undertake Safer Recruitment training in order to be part of the process for recruitment of new staff.

4. Record-keeping and Documentation

•  Maintain  accurate  and  up-to-date  records  of  all  safeguarding  concerns,  incidents,  and  actions  taken,  in
compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. Ensure decision making is clear in the records and any
relevant pupil voice and lessons learned, including a systematic approach to recording evidence relevant to
safeguarding cases.
In  liaison  with  the  Compliance  Manager,  understand  relevant  data  protection  legislation  and  regulations,
especially the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR).

•

•  Ensure confidentiality and sensitivity when handling safeguarding information, adhering to data protection

policies and procedures.

•  Monitor  and  review  safeguarding  records  to  identify  patterns,  trends,  or  areas  for  improvement,  and

implement necessary changes to safeguarding practices.

•  Collate  qualitative  and  quantitative  data  and  produce  reports  (including  a  termly  report  to  governors)  to

facilitate monitoring and evaluation.

•  Where  children  leave  the  school  (including  in-year  transfers):  -  Ensure  their  safeguarding  file  is  securely
transferred  to  the  new  school  as  soon  as  possible,  separately  from  the  main  pupil  file,  with  a  receipt  of
confirmation, and within the specified time set out in KCSIE and consider whether it would be appropriate to,
in conjunction with the Deputy Head (Pastoral & Boarding), to share any additional information with the new
school before the child leaves.

•  Ensure the school receives information from the previous schools of new joiners, including nil returns, within

the timescale specified by KCSIE, whether this is in-year or at the start of an academic year.

5. Safeguarding awareness

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•  Keep abreast of current research and understanding which is applicable to Child Protection, Safeguarding and

family work.

•  Promote and raise awareness of safeguarding issues within the school community through the development

of initiatives, campaigns and resources, including website articles and assemblies.

•  Provide guidance and support to parents and guardians regarding safeguarding matters, encouraging open

communication and collaboration.

6. Senior School Attendance

•

•

•

Ensure daily attendance registers are accurate and complete and follow up with staff members about any
incomplete data.
Follow up on any unexplained absences with parents/carers, escalating issues as appropriate to Heads of
Year or Deputy Head (Pastoral & Boarding).
In line with school procedures and in conjunction with Heads of Year, Senior Tutor and Deputy Head
(Pastoral & Boarding), initiate and oversee the administration of absence procedures; for example, letters
home, and engagement with local authorities/other external agencies and partners.

•  Maintain accurate records of communications with parents/carers and relevant interventions on

•
•
•

iSAMS/MyConcern as appropriate.
Build and refresh knowledge of ISAMS and MyConcern and other relevant systems.
Interpret attendance report identifying key statistics, reasons for absence and any patterns of concern.
Track attendance of vulnerable groups of pupils and share information with Heads of Year, Senior Tutor and
Deputy Head (Pastoral & Boarding).
Identify pupils that need additional support to improve their attendance.

•
•  Work with Heads of Year, Senior Tutor and Deputy Head (Pastoral & Boarding) to identify appropriate

interventions to improve attendance for particular groups or individual pupils.
Review progress and the impact of support/interventions.

•
•  Work with the Deputy Head (Pastoral & Boarding) to develop and revise the school’s Attendance Policy.
•
Liaise with the Deputy Head (Pastoral & Boarding) to Implement children missing from education (CME)
procedures when appropriate.
Coordinate meetings with pupils and parents/carers alongside the pastoral team to implement interventions
and track progress.

•

•

Identify and, where possible, mitigate potential barriers to attendance in partnership with families.

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7. Other responsibilities

•  Share responsibility for promoting an atmosphere of warmth, trust and mutual support across the School, in

line with our vision, mission and values.

•  Contribute to whole school monitoring and improvement as part of SLT, including self-evaluation.
•  Be involved in the general duties of the SLT, including admissions and other school events.
•  Be involved in the recruitment of staff.
•  Have care for the welfare of all school staff.
•  Work within the school’s health and safety policy, to ensure a safe working environment for pupils, staff and

visitors.

•  Maintain professional standards of attendance, punctuality and conduct with pupils, parents and colleagues.
•  Promote diversity, equality and inclusion in all aspects within the school.
•  Undertake other duties as reasonably requested by the Head.
•  Act in accordance with the aims, policies and administrative procedures of the school.

This  job  description  is  not  exhaustive,  and  the  post  holder  will  be  expected  to  carry  out  such  duties  that  may  be
required from time to time and that are broadly consistent with the job description. It may, generally after consultation
with the post holder, be subject to modification or amendment by the school.

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Person Specification

SPECIFICATION  DETAIL
Qualifications

Experience,
Knowledge  and
understanding

Skills and
Attributes

•  Undergraduate Degree or equivalent
•  Further qualifications in an area related to this post desirable
•  Experience of working with senior leadership
•  Relevant experience in a senior safeguarding role, ideally within the education or service

sector environment

•  Expert working knowledge of school safeguarding and practices
•  Up-to-date knowledge of relevant safeguarding regulatory guidance relating to schools
•  Evidence of continued professional development
•  Experience of training others or in extended safeguarding matters
•  Understanding of teaching and school settings
•  Experience of creating and implementing policies at an organisational level
•  Experience of leading strategic initiatives across a whole school or relevant organisation.
•  Commitment to pastoral excellence
•  Ability to manage own time and use initiative, to work calmly under pressure, and to meet

deadlines

•  Ability to work effectively in a team
•  Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail, with high levels of accuracy
•  Highly developed interpersonal skills
•  Ability to communicate articulately and confidently with all stakeholders, both in writing

and verbally

•  High levels of personal and professional responsibility and integrity
•  Ability to maintain confidentiality
•  Ability to manage, persuade, influence, support and motivate staff
•  Resilient, flexible, confident and responsive to challenge
•  Excellent drive and determination
•  Ability to manage change successfully

Personal Values  •  Commitment to the ethos of the school

•  High expectations for students
•  Commitment to own personal development
•  Commitment to a culture of continuous improvement
•  Readiness to contribute to the whole school when required

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Child Welfare and Child Protection Issues

The interview for this post will include exploring issues relating to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children
including:

•  motivation to work with children and young people;
•  ability to form and maintain appropriate relationships with children and young people;
•  emotional resilience in working with challenging behaviours;
•  attitudes to the use of authority and maintaining discipline.

Any  relevant  issues  arising  from  the  take  up  of  references  will  be  discussed  at  interview.  The  school  is  an  equal
opportunities employer. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people
and  expect  all  staff  and  volunteers  to  share  this  commitment.  Successful  applicants  are  subject  to  an  Enhanced
Disclosure and Barring Check.

Benefits

At  St  Mary’s  you  will  enjoy  an  exceptional  career  and  comprehensive  benefits  including  a  contributory  pension
scheme, BUPA cash plan, 33% discount (pro rata for part-time staff) on school fees, a work laptop, an occupational
sickness scheme, free lunches and refreshments, a season ticket discount, access to the Cambridge University Botanic
Gardens and much more.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

St Mary’s School is committed to ensuring equal opportunities in all aspects of employment and selects staff on merit
irrespective  of  race,  religion  or  belief,  pregnancy  and  maternity,  marital  status,  sex,  sexuality/gender  preference,
disability or age. You are not obliged to complete the Equal Opportunities Form, but any information given will help
us monitor the effectiveness of our policies and procedures.

If you have a disability, you are invited to request any special arrangements that you may require for interview or any
adjustments that you would consider necessary to your working arrangements by contacting our Human Resources
department (hr@stmaryscambridge.co.uk, 01223 353253).

Process

Application is welcomed by completing the Application Form and Equal Opportunities Form which can be found on
the  Vacancies  page  of  our  website.  This  may  be  accompanied  by  a  covering  letter  and  a  curriculum  vitae.  We  are
unable to accept applications supported by a CV alone.

Interviews will be conducted in person, and they will explore candidates’ suitability to work with children. Candidates
are required to bring with them the necessary ID documentation and any relevant qualification certificate(s), all of
which  must  be  originals.  Further  information  of  the  interview  format  will  be  provided  if  you  are  shortlisted  for
interview.

If you have any question, please contact the HR Team by email: hr@stmaryscambridge.co.uk or call: 01223 353253.

Closing date: 9.00am Monday 26 January 2026

Interview date:  Thursday 29 January 2026

We will review applications on receipt. Suitable candidates may be interviewed before the closing date, and we reserve
the right to withdraw the position if an early appointment is made.

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