Job Introduction

Westminster Under School is seeking two talented and enthusiastic Gap Year Students to work at the School from the beginning of September 2023 for the whole academic year until the end of term in the first week of July 2024.

Gap Students assist in all areas of the day-to-day running of the School, examples of which are outlined below. The successful applicant will report principally to the Deputy Master and be encouraged to take a full and active role in the curricular and extra-curricular activities which take place. 

Role Responsibility

Typical, non-exhaustive, roles performed in this role are:

• Assist with pupil registration, ensuring all boys are accounted for.
• Supervision of pupils during break and lunch times.
• Approximately six hours of games coaching or support per week across the School – particular strengths can usually be accommodated.
• Manage lost property.
• Assist with taking boys to the Sports Centre for after-school ‘Extras’, the local swimming pool, away matches, etc.
• General assistance with the day-to-day running of the School.
• Administrative support for the Senior Management Team, teaching and non-teaching staff, including photocopying and other admin support, e.g., refreshing display boards, etc.
• Scope to get involved with extra-curricular activities, such as concerts, plays, etc.
• Assist and supervise with School Trips as and when they take place.
• Any other roles reasonably requested by the Senior Management Team.

This role suits people who are confident, mature, self-directed and who like working with younger people - the role may be particularly beneficial for someone who is considering a career in education, though this is not essential. Competence in the main Office software (Word, Excel, Outlook and similar) is a strong advantage. Any particular strengths or specialisms in different areas can usually be accommodated. 

Hours of work

Gap Students typically work from 8:00 – 16:45 Monday to Friday during term time, including an hour’s break. Assistance for occasional evenings and Saturdays may also be required.

Salary

Pay is £11.95 per hour, with lunch provided each day.

The Ideal Candidate

Please refer to the attached person specification for further details.

Equal Opportunities

We are an equal opportunities employer. We therefore encourage candidates to apply irrespective of age, disability, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion and belief, gender identity, sex or sexual orientation.

Safeguarding and Child Protection

Westminster School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Package Description

Required for: September 2023 

Location: Under School (Vincent Square)

Contract: full-time (term time only). This is a fixed term contract for one academic year.

Salary: £11.95 per hour

For this role, there is no fixed closing date. Applications will be considered on receipt and interviews may occur at any stage.

About the School

Working at Westminster Under School

Westminster Under School is a busy, purposeful and vibrant place to be and an excellent workplace. The community is made up of 292 pupils, 43 teaching staff and 50 support staff.

Westminster Under School is a friendly and welcoming place to work. There is a real sense of community here and staff members quickly become part of the rhythm of life, both inside and outside the classroom. Social events are regular and varied, with plenty of opportunity to socialise outside working hours. Support staff as much as teaching staff are encouraged to embrace the School’s day-to-day activities, whether that be attending a concert or a sports fixture.

At Westminster we will always select the best candidate for every position. We do know, however, that we can only truly choose the best person on every occasion if a broad and diverse pool of candidates see the job advertised and are encouraged to apply.

As such, we continue to work on how our job roles are encountered, and particularly welcome applications from groups who have traditionally been underrepresented here.

Westminster Under School is for everyone, regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or any other protected characteristic. We hope you are encouraged to apply.

The School

Westminster Under School is a great environment for happy and purposeful pupils, and for all the staff who support them. Our aim is to produce well-rounded individuals with a love of learning and an enthusiasm for life, and who relish coming into School each day. All members of staff play an important role in ensuring that day-to-day processes at the School run smoothly, and in turn helping each and every pupil to enjoy and benefit from all that the School has to offer.

The Under School is a day school with approximately 292 pupils aged between 7 and 13. The School was founded in 1943 in the precincts of Westminster School in Little Dean’s Yard, just behind Westminster Abbey. The 17 boys with whom it began rapidly became 60 in  number and by 1950 there were 80 boys in the Under School. The boys had to compete for space with the senior school pupils who had returned from evacuation at the end of the war, but in 1951 the Under School acquired its own premises in Eccleston Square. Numbers of pupils continued to rise during the 1960s and 1970s and in 1981 the School moved once again to its present site overlooking the Westminster playing fields in Vincent Square. A stone’s throw from the same Square is the striking Art Deco Sports Hall, which is used by both Westminster Under and Westminster Great School pupils.

To this day, the Under School enjoys a strong and important bond with Westminster Great School. Both schools foster a deep sense of the importance of independent thought and the ethos of a liberal education, giving them a unique shared identity. It is usual for Under School pupils to be offered a place at the Great School, and the vast majority accept their offers, continuing on until they leave the School in Year 13.

Westminster School