RECRUITMENT PACK – Bursar
Thank you for your interest in the role of Bursar. This in an important role in our organisation and we hope you will find the information provided here useful in deciding whether to put forward an application.
Please find attached an application form, job description and person specification, employment details, and some information about us that you may find of interest. Further information about our school can be found at www.dharmaschool.co.uk.
As working within The Dharma Primary School involves working with children we need to follow careful recruitment procedures to help us to maintain a secure and safe environment for those in our care. For this reason, you may find we ask for more information about you than you have experienced before. We hope that this will not discourage you from applying. We are unable to accept CVs as part of the application process.
If we decide to invite you to an interview you will be required to bring documentation for checking identity and original copies of qualifications relevant to the job you are applying for. If you have not heard from us within ten days of the closing date, this means that you have not been short listed for interview.
Because of the nature of the position you are applying for, we will apply for an enhanced disclosure from the Disclosure & Barring Service if we decide to offer you the position and you accept. This level of disclosure will disclose all cautions and spent convictions. The job application pack contains a Self-Disclosure Form. We would ask that you complete this form and return it in a sealed envelope, with your name clearly printed and marked “Self-Disclosure – Private and Confidential”. Alternatively you may wish to complete it on-line and return with your application form. This envelope will only be opened if you are short listed for interview.
If you are offered the job we will also ask you to complete a Fitness Declaration form. We do this so that we can satisfy ourselves that you are physically and mentally fit to carry out the work.
If you decide you would like to apply for this position please return your application form by Friday 14th May 2017. Interviews will take place during the following week with a view to the successful candidate starting in September 2017.
If you would like any additional information or have further questions about the school, or the recruitment process, please contact Ron Guest, who is overseeing the process - .
We look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
Clare Eddison
Head Teacher
THE DHARMA PRIMARY SCHOOL
Our vision is a Buddhist school based on Buddhist principles taken from the dharma, the teachings of the Buddha. Our school has staff and parents from a variety of Buddhist and other spiritual and religious backgrounds. Although we seek Buddhist teachers and staff we are committed to excellence in teaching and work practice and do not require applicants to be practicing Buddhists. However, we expect all staff to take an interest in, read about and embrace aspects of Buddhist teaching such as the significance of meditation and mindfulness, the five precepts, and deepen their understanding of Buddhist philosophy such as an understanding of the four noble truths and recognising interrelatedness in a world of change and impermanence.
The Dharma Primary School was the first primary school in the UK to be based on Buddhist principles. The school opened its doors in Brighton in September 1994. It was conceived by a group of parents who spent many happy times at the Amaravati Buddhist Monastery family camps in Hertfordshire. These camps were held each summer for one week over many years, where families with children could spend time with the Forest Sangha – a Theravadan Buddhist practice dating back to the time of The Buddha. The pilot scheme for a primary school was established in the front room of a house in Sussex with four pupils.
Registered with the Charities Commission in 1992, the Dharma School Trust was established to offer Buddhist teachings to the local community and specifically to support the provision of a quality academic education combined with the development of practical wisdom based upon Buddhist principles for children of primary age.
The Dharma Primary School has gone from strength to strength and in June 1995 with the growth of pupils the school moved to its present location at The White House, in Patcham, Brighton, a 1930s detached house set in its own grounds. Currently the school has approximately 70 pupils on the roll from three to eleven years of age.
The school is open to families of all religious faiths and cultural backgrounds and has close links with the local community and with Buddhist groups in the Brighton-Hove area and beyond.
Educating the “whole child for a whole world” is the School’s stated aim, which embraces the provision of academic qualifications, skills and knowledge, emotional and moral insights needed to be a responsible member of contemporary society.
The School endeavours to fulfil the vision of one of our School patrons, His Holiness The Dalai Lama, in nurturing children with “warm hearts and clear heads; children who will one day help to create a more compassionate, intelligent and peaceful world.”
THE STAFF
In the safe, secure environment of a small community school, our committed, skilled staff are dedicated to helping children excel. Working together they provide a rounded academic education informed by the National Curriculum, but with the flexibility and creativity to respond to the children’s needs, talents and interests.
Almost all of our 27 teaching staff work part-time and share their classes. This is an approach that has evolved over the years and we believe brings renewed energy to the classroom and a diversity of skills and interests to a small school.
THE CHILDREN
Most children join the school in reception but some also arrive later on, possibly from home schooling environments or the mainstream system. The school is very experienced at smoothing these transitions, allowing the children to very rapidly settle in and thrive.
A cherished characteristic of the school is the mixing that occurs between year groups and the close friendships that result – it is not uncommon to find a four-year-old inviting a 10-year-old to their birthday party. This is encouraged by our vertical grouping system, with two year groups in each class, and by interclass projects such as reading buddies.
From the Dharma Primary School children make successful transitions to secondary education with most moving on to local state secondary schools and a few to the independent sector. Secondary schools often comment on how confident, expressive and emotionally intelligent our children are.
THE FUTURE
Over the past year the school has gone through a deep process of reconnecting with its purpose and founding vision. This has created a strong foundation on which to build, and culminated in the appointment of a new Head Teacher, Clare Eddison, in September 2015. The school aims to position itself as a pinnacle of ‘whole child’ education and Clare is leading the way in this exciting new phase of development. Moving forward, the school is likely to expand, as high enrolment in Early Years means an optimum number of children will move up through the year groups.
The Dharma Primary School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. An Enhanced DBS check is required for this post.
EMPLOYMENT DETAILS
BURSAR (PART_TIME)
Remuneration
This post is three days per week for 43 weeks (37 weeks term time and six additional weeks).
The salary band for this role is £30,000 - £32,500 pro rata (£18,000 -£19,500)
The Dharma Primary School will pay you 1/12th of your salary each month. As you do not work throughout the year your pay may be adjusted at the end of a period of unpaid sickness or other absence or at the end of your employment to make sure that you receive the correct pay for the time you have worked.
Hours of work
You are employed to work during term time (which for employees is usually around 37 weeks each year and includes three inset days and two days for planning and review meetings at the beginning of each school year). You are also employed for a further six weeks during the school holidays to complete the necessary administrative duties.
Holiday
28 days paid holiday per year, pro rata to be taken in school holidays
BURSAR
JOB DESCRIPTION
Main Purpose
The main purpose of the role is to support the Head Teacher by managing all aspects of non-educational administration and compliance to ensure the school operates effectively, efficiently and in accordance with its vision, Buddhist ethos and all regulatory standards. The Bursar is expected to demonstrate the behavioural indicators given for the Management Level of the Competency Framework when carrying out their duties.
Reports To: Head Teacher
Direct Reports: Senior Administrator, Administrator
KEY AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY
ADMISSIONS
The Bursar is required to manage the admissions process within the school to achieve optimum pupil numbers by:
· Providing regular reports on pupil numbers and projected pupil numbers.
· Supporting the Head Teacher and the Communications Manager with activities designed to generate enquiries.
· Ensuring that all enquiries are responded to and followed up appropriately.
· Proactively managing the schools waiting list.
· Ensuring that all admission documentation including contracts and arrangements for payment of fees are in place.
· Maintaining the admissions register and informing necessary bodies of joiners and leavers.
· Ensuring that teachers are informed of all relevant information regarding new pupils.
FINANCE
The Bursar is required to ensure that the School's finances are recorded and monitored accurately and appropriately and that the Head Teacher and Board of Trustees are kept informed of relevant financial information on a timely basis by:
· Liaising regularly with the School's bookkeeper, accountant and treasurer.
· Analysing the monthly management accounts and adding appropriate commentary before they are submitted to the Head Teacher and Board of Trustees.
· Monitoring the School's cash flow, invoicing, bad debts and purchasing to insure that all income is collected on
time and that purchasing is properly authorised within budget.
· Administering pension schemes for teaching and non-teaching staff
· Preparing financial appraisals of particular projects
COMPLIANCE
The Bursar is responsible for ensuring that the School has appropriate policies procedures and documentation in place to fulfil its regulatory and legal requirements whilst also reflecting the ethos of the school by:
· Reviewing policies, procedures and documentation regularly to ensure that the School is meeting its obligations and recommending changes where necessary.
· Monitoring external sources of information such as the educational press to ensure that the School keeps up with best practice and changes to regulatory and legal requirements.
· Liaising with other members of staff to obtain feedback on the appropriateness of existing policies, procedures and documentation and to give them an input into future revisions.
GENERAL MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION
The Bursar is required to oversee the provision of efficient administrative support throughout the school by:
· Providing effective line management of the Senior Administrator and the Administrator to ensure that they are able to fulfil their job roles to the required standard.
· Ensuring that the School's front of house is a welcoming, harmonious and organised environment which reflects the School ethos.
· Ensuring that Trustee and Staff meetings function effectively by preparing agendas, distributing relevant documents in advance, taking clear minutes with identified actions and circulating such minutes, delegating as necessary and reporting back on outcomes.
· Liaising with appropriate professionals to ensure that IT infrastructure and anti-virus software within the school is reliable and fit for purpose.
· Attending Board meetings
· Ensuring that the school has adequate insurance cover at all times to include employer's liability, buildings and equipment cover, personal accident, travel insurance and other relevant cover.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
The Bursar is responsible for ensuring that the School operates with proper regard for the Health and Safety of pupils, staff and visitors by:
· Overseeing the School's Health and Safety and fire policy and procedures and ensuring that they are properly implemented and fully integrated into School activities.
· Managing the installation and maintenance of equipment for the detection, warning, protection and escape from fire ensuring the necessary fire risk assessments are carried out.
· Inducting, training and providing ongoing advice and support to staff with regards to their Health and Safety responsibilities.
· Ensuring that risk assessments are completed by the relevant member of staff in a timely manner.
· Maintaining appropriate Health and Safety records, including an accurate record of accidents in accordance with regulatory requirements and School policy.
· Ensuring that the school building, grounds and learning resources are regularly inspected and properly maintained so that they meet regulatory requirements and that accurate records of any works are maintained.
· Preparing an annual report for the Trustees to underpin their review of Health and Safety within the School.
· Ensuring that cleaning is carried out regularly and to a satisfactory standard.
· Informing parents of any infectious diseases, headlice etc. and providing advice as appropriate.
INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
The Bursar is required to work with the Communications Manager on Communications, PR and Marketing activity both internally and externally to promote positive relationships and ensure the ongoing sustainability and success of the School by:
· Organising or assisting with community events such as public talks, open houses, parent and class meetings and the school fayre.
· Exploring and utilising communication to raise the school's profile both locally and internationally.
· Developing and maintaining relationships with the local, national and global Buddhist community.
· Ensuring that the school website is accurate, up to date and fit for purpose.