The School:
The Sir Robert Woodard Academy, one of the ‘happiest’ schools in the country (The Sunday Times, 2025) and part of the Woodard family of schools, is a thriving 11–18 Academy serving primarily the students of Lancing, Sompting and West Shoreham, though we welcome students from all surrounding areas. We are committed to ensuring that every student is known and nurtured and is provided with teaching and learning experiences that allow them to fulfil their potential.
Quotes from full Ofsted inspection report October 2021: Rating of “Good” in all areas:
"The school is a calm and orderly place for pupils to learn….Pupils treat each other with respect … low-level disruption is rare."
"Pupils, parents and carers feel proud of their school…one parent told us ‘we are really impressed with the school, the ethos and the staff’.”
Job Details
The Position:
An exciting opportunity has arisen at The Sir Robert Woodard Academy, an Ofsted-rated 'Good' school in Lancing, for a polite, well-presented, confident, and articulate Receptionist to join our team as soon as possible on a full time, term time only basis.
The academy reception area is split into two, the main section catering for visitors and parents, and the other for students. The successful post-holder will work as part of a team, sharing responsibility for main reception and student reception on a rota, and assisting the Office Manager with general admin work.
This is an incredible opportunity to join a busy and friendly Admin team, with a strong, shared purpose and a commitment to providing excellent reception and admin services to the academy.
Please review the Job Description and Person Specification for further details on the role responsibilities and attributes required.
Role: Permanent and term time plus all inset days
Hours: 37 per week, Monday to Friday, 8am-4pm (3.30 finish on Fridays)
Salary: Actual starting salary £20,910p.a.
Benefits:
- modern and spacious working environment
- free use of the Academy’s fitness suite
- free employee wellness programme and onsite wellbeing support
- generous employer contribution pension scheme of 21.5%
- free on-site parking and easy access to local public transport
- cycle to work scheme.
What You Need to Succeed
The Person:
At SRWA, our people are at the heart of our success. We have developed a strong culture of collaboration and best practice, with professional development and career planning at its centre. We invest in our staff with wellbeing support, coaching, mentoring and a wide range of top-quality training and CPD programmes delivered at every level up to senior leadership.
A Staff Well-being survey in June 2024 revealed our staff consider these areas ‘outstanding’:
Staff morale, workload and job satisfaction
Appreciation of staff achievement/contribution
Opportunities for staff to develop.
The successful candidate will:-
- have exemplary communication skills, with the ability to field all enquiries with speed, tact and efficiency, using initiative where appropriate.
- have a strong customer focus and a professional outlook
- the ability to multi-task and to re-prioritise workload at short notice
- be well-organised and capable of working independently
- have proven ability to deal diplomatically, sensitively and discreetly with people and information received
- the ability to keep calm under pressure, whilst maintaining politeness and professionalism.
- have good typing and administrative skills
- be competent in all aspects of ICT
Further Information
Our commitment to Safeguarding and Equal Opportunities:
The Academy is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff to share in this commitment.
All posts will be subject to safeguarding and vetting checks, including the receipt of two satisfactory references. Shortlisted candidates will be asked to complete a criminal record self-declaration form and to give consent for an online search to be carried out against their name. Successful applicants will be required to undertake an Enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) Check, therefore individuals on the children’s barred list (and adults barred list where relevant) should not apply.
There is a six month probation period for all post-holders. The Academy is committed to equality of opportunity. We positively welcome applications from all sections of the community.
The Sir Robert Woodard Academy and West Sussex County Council are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect this commitment. All successful candidates will be subject to an appropriate Disclosure and Barring Service check along with other relevant employment checks, including satisfactory references.
How to Apply
Application Process:
If you are interested, please apply online using the below link before the closing date* demonstrating how your skills and experience meet the essential requirements of the role. CVs alone will not be accepted.
To apply, please use the following link: https://www.eteach.com/careers/srwa-woodard//job/receptionist-and-administrator-1499257
Closing date: 29/8/25
Due to the academy being closed over the summer holidays, please email enquiries@srwa.co.uk if you have any questions regarding this vacancy.
- Please note we reserve the right to interview and appoint any strong candidates applying before the deadline has passed and to close the advert at any time before the deadline date, should a sufficient number of strong applications be received. If you are interested then you are advised to apply early.
NOTE TO CANDIDATES - Please do not select the ‘Apply online’ button as the School processes your applications directly rather than through this site.
The reference number for this role is SCHO00788.
Job Reference: SCHO00788