Cover & HR Administrator

Job Introduction

Cover & HR Administrator

Salary Range: Support Staff Pay Scale Grade D

Actual Salary: £16,467 pa to £18,118 pa

07:00 – 12:00, 25 hours per week, term time only 

 Testbourne Community School: where culture and ethos matter

Are you a passionate person who believes in the power of relationships, high expectations, and a calm, purposeful atmosphere? At Testbourne Community School, we don’t just teach – we shape futures. Our culture is built on a legacy of over 100 years of education, rooted in kindness, respect, honesty, integrity, ambition, and leadership. 

We are looking to appoint an enthusiastic, highly motivated and well organised person to join a committed and highly successful Admin Team. This person plays a vital role in the school, ensuring that cover is in place for all absences, as well as providing an HR administrative support to Senior Leaders and other hiring managers. This involves preparing job adverts, carrying out pre- and post-employment checks, managing the interview process and keeping personnel records up to date. This is an important and rewarding role.

This role would suit someone with an interest in HR administration and who has strong interpersonal skills and good attention to detail. Previous experience of working within a similar environment is desirable but not essential. Applicants must be committed to starting work at 07:00 to ensure cover is in place before the school day starts so the hours each day are 0700-1200. Training will be provided where required. 

We are proud to be a school where:

• Learning is our top priority – when we make any decision we always ask “How does this help our students to learn more effectively?”
• Students are supported to become independent, resilient and responsible young people prepared for their future.
• Recognition is meaningful: we celebrate effort, character and contribution, not with material rewards but with genuine appreciation to build intrinsic motivation.
• Staff are valued and supported with intelligent accountability, professional trust and a culture of openness, transparency and compassion.

Why work with us at Testbourne Community School?

• Comprehensive induction and CPD: from day one, you’ll receive a thorough induction and access to a rich programme of professional development with time provided for you to process, discuss and learn new ideas.
• Workload consideration: we actively manage workload and seek staff feedback to make meaningful adjustments. Your time is respected. We use published research to determine the most effective use of staff time.
• Family-friendly and flexible: we understand that life happens.  Our leaders are compassionate and empathic, supporting staff through personal and professional challenges.
• Career development: opportunities to grow, lead, and innovate are built into our culture. Staff are encouraged to take on new roles and responsibilities.
• A supportive team: you’ll join a collaborative, friendly, and dedicated team. Staff describe Testbourne as a place where “everyone is in it together.”
• Strong Leadership: our senior leaders are visible, approachable, and lead by example – sharing duties and supporting staff every step of the way.
• A school that lives its values: we don’t just talk about culture – we live it. From trauma-informed practice to recognition, our ethos is embedded in everything we do.
• Beautiful Location: located in the charming town of Whitchurch, Hampshire, surrounded by countryside and landmarks like Watership Down, the River Test and the Whitchurch Silk Mill. 

Key Responsibilities will include:

• ensuring appropriate cover is in place each day for teaching and non-teaching staff;
• managing the casual supply teachers directly employed by the school.
• assisting with the recruitment cycle, ensuring safeguarding and safer recruitment are top priorities throughout the process;
• ensuring that starters and leavers have the appropriate information;
• maintaining accurate records, including the Single Central Record and individual staff files, recognising the importance of this;
• managing the HR management system (MySAM), approving absence requests, running reports and ensuring the system is kept up to date.

The successful candidate will:

• be smartly presented and have a professional attitude to employment;
• be punctual and reliable;
• flexible and hard-working;
• enjoy working with young people; 
• have a firm but sympathetic manner, with a good sense of humour;
• have an enthusiastic and positive personality;
• have a good standard of education and sound literacy and numeracy skills;
• be willing to undertake training and develop their skills. 

In return:

• we offer professional development and expertise to enable staff to achieve excellence;
• we provide a highly supportive environment with opportunities to develop;
• we provide a highly professional and collaborative working environment focused on developing a love of learning;
• we offer first rate personal career development to assist you in the fulfilment of your ambitions.

Find out more by visiting: Working with Us - Testbourne Community School

Closing Date for Applications: Monday 3rd November 2025 at noon

We reserve the right to interview and appoint candidates before the closing date or scheduled interviews where applicable.

Application forms and further details are available from the school website www.testbourne.school or alternatively contact recruitment@testbourne.school

Testbourne Community School is committed to safeguarding children and promoting the welfare of children and expects 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 Disclosure Barring Service checks, along with other relevant employment checks.  

Testbourne Community School is an equal opportunities employer, and no candidate will be disadvantaged because of race, gender, sexuality, disability or any other protected characteristic.  All shortlisting exercises are completed by evaluating a candidate’s suitability in terms of the person specification and job description for the role in question. 

Safer Recruitment

We 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 Disclosure and Barring Service checks along with other relevant employment checks.