Governors' Clerk

Job Description

Discover yourself in Lewisham where what you do makes a difference to our vibrant and culturally diverse communities!

Introduction

School Governing Bodies need our support, can you help? Governors' Clerks required!

Do you have excellent minute taking and administration skills? Do you want to make a difference to children’s education? Would you like to develop your skills and knowledge?

What’s the role?

Lewisham Governors’ Services provides advice and support to governing bodies of Lewisham schools and also provides a traded professional clerking service to many of these schools. There are currently a number of term time only, Governors’ Clerk vacancies which we are seeking to fill. The number of hours worked will vary depending on the number of governing body and committee meetings clerked. We are also seeking experienced clerks who can join the team or cover meetings if needed.

What’s in it for you?

The Council is committed to flexible working and will be happy to consider providing hours to suit individual applicants, subject to service need. This is also an opportunity to try a new role, work additional hours without necessarily giving up your current employment and to learn new skills. The majority of Governing Body Meetings are held during the evenings, some may have meetings in the day and the associated work can usually be undertaken outside of normal office hours. Post-covid, many governing bodies are having a mix of virtual meetings and meetings at school.

As a governors clerk you will provide support to a group of identified schools’ governing bodies and committee meetings. You will be required to work with Chairs of Governors and the Headteacher to produce draft agendas and agendas, attend governing body and committee meetings and occasional exclusion and parental complaint meetings, provide advice before, during and after meetings, write up minutes and carry out follow-up actions. Draft minutes must be produced within agreed timescales and circulated when agreed.

You will also be expected to offer advice and guidance to governors and Headteachers on procedures and legislation and to support them in their strategic responsibilities. Where required you may also be requested to cover a meeting of another clerk if they are unavailable.

In return we will offer development opportunities, plus a range of benefits including:

• Local Government Pension scheme
• Flexible working and family friendly policies
• Season ticket and bicycle loans
• A range of staff discounts including local subsidised gym memberships
• Supportive staff networks
  
  

What We’re Looking For

You should have experience of accurate minute taking, good listening skills and have the knowledge of relevant educational, procedural and legislative matters. Experience of clerking is desirable.

You should also be confident in the use of Microsoft Word, Excel and email. In addition, the ability to work effectively with different stakeholders, build a strong working relationship with the governing bodies you will support and maintain confidentiality is essential.

In return, we’ll offer excellent development opportunities, plus a range of benefits that includes a Career average pension scheme, flexible working and the opportunity to make a real difference to our local community.

Location

The post is home based although travel to our main office in Catford, Lewisham may be required as determined by service requirements. Most meetings take place in the evenings and some governing bodies may have a requirement to clerk committees in the day. You must be willing to travel to all the schools for which we provide a clerking service.

The recruitment process is anonymous and we don’t accept CV’s.

Applicant handbook - please read the guidance in this handbook when applying. It is essential that you complete the application fully and that your supporting statement covers how you meet each of the person specification criteria listed.

For an informal discussion about this job, please contact Suhaib Saeed, Head of Schools Services on 0208 314 7670 or queries can be sent to [email protected] For queries related to the online application please send them to [email protected]

Please click here to view the Job Description and Person Specification

Salary

£41,286 - £42,855pa (pro-rata) PO1

£22.62 - £23.48 per hourly basic

Pro-Rata pay is based on a formula relating to term-time only working, the number of schools clerked and the number of meetings held per year.

For example, approximate salary for clerking 4 schools, with 3 Governing Body and 6 Committee meetings in a year is @ £10,867 to £11,270 pa. Most schools have at least 1 governing body and 2 committee meetings a term, some may have more.

N.B: All appointments will be offered at the minimum spinal column point (SCP) for the grade of the role. The only exception to this will be when matching current salary (up to the maximum of the scale), which is subject to evidential proof.

Closing Date: Monday 28th October 2024, 23:59

Interview Date: Tuesday 12 November 2024

Test Date: Monday 11 November 2024 (The test will be a literacy and minute taking exercise conducted on a Zoom Call, you must have access to a laptop and zoom, candidates will be expected to email or scan their minutes immediately after the test)

Diversity

Lewisham Council is a Disability Confident employer. We welcome and encourage job applications of all abilities. If you require any reasonable adjustments in the application or interview, please contact the lead contact on this advert. We will make reasonable adjustments to make sure our disabled applicants and those with health conditions are supported throughout our recruitment process. We support the access to work scheme, further details are available at www.gov.uk/access-to-work/apply

The Council has a dedicated employment support service, Lewisham Works , which offers Lewisham residents guidance in relation to applying for jobs. If you want to join Lewisham Works, please email [email protected] and an advisor will be in touch with you.

The Council reserves the right to close adverts early if there is a large response.

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