Job Introduction

The Archive cares for and promotes use of the school’s heritage collections, which include records, rare books, works of art and artefacts. It also works to improve records management throughout the organisation. The Archives and Records Management Assistant (Graduate Trainee) will support and work alongside the full-time Archivist and Records Manager. This role is intended for a graduate who wishes to gain archive experience before or whilst undertaking a postgraduate course in Archives and/or Record Management. Opportunities for training and professional development will be provided.

Role Responsibility

Westminster School is committed to developing its archives and records management throughout the organisation. During the contract, the post holder will receive training from their line manager, a qualified Archivist and Records Manager, to help equip them to apply for, or complete, a recognised postgraduate Archives and Records Management course or similar sector qualification.

Records Management

• Assist with surveying records and destroying those not required for permanent preservation in line with the School’s Records Retention Policy.
• Caring for the Collections (training will be given)
• Cleansing of existing data held in the School’s legacy electronic catalogues (based in Microsoft Excel), under the supervision of the Archivist.
• Assist with the sorting and listing of the physical archive collections to professional standards (International Standard for Archival Description) using AtoM software and in accordance with the Archive’s own practices (training will be given).
• Support the Archivist in developing the School’s digital archive of electronic records, using the digital preservation tool Archivematica. 
• Assist with the storing and re-packaging of collections in line with best practice methods.
• Assist in monitoring environmental conditions in the Archive’s stores.

Access and Outreach

• Respond to enquiries relating to archives and records management from internal and external parties and, where appropriate, supervise researchers.
• Support the provision of co-curricular opportunities for pupils to become involved in the archive, through the School’s existing channels, such as Lower School Activities, Options and the voluntary programme.
• Assist the Archivist in the preparation of exhibitions.
• Produce articles and social media posts to promote the School’s collections to a variety of different audiences.

General

• Continue developing professional knowledge and skills through involvement with the School Archives and Records Association, the Archives and Records Association and other networking groups and undertaking relevant additional training.
• Any other duties that may be reasonably requested by the Archivist and Records Manager.

Hours of work

The position is a part-time, two-year contract.  Hours of work are 21 hours per week, to be worked at mutually agreed times from Monday to Friday between the hours of 08:00 and 18:00. It is envisaged that the post holder will work three days a week, but other arrangements will be considered. On rare occasions evening work may be required, for which time off in lieu will be granted.

The Ideal Candidate

Please refer to the below (attached) person specification.

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 2025

Location: Great School (Dean's Yard).

Contract: part-time, fixed term contract of two years. This role is suited to someone wishing to work alongside studying for an Archives and Records Management qualification.

Hours of work: Hours of work are 21 hours per week, to be worked at mutually agreed times from Monday to Friday. Core hours are between 09:00 to 18:00, but start and end times can be flexible

Salary: The salary for this role is £16,200 (actual) based on an full-time equivalent of £27,000 per annum.

The deadline for applications is midday on Tuesday 8th July 2025. Interviews will take place in-person w/c Monday 21st July 2025.

Additional benefits

- Free school meals when on site

- Generous School pension scheme

- Free access to the School’s leisure facilities, including a fitness gym (restricted hours). 

- Cycle to Work Scheme and season ticket loans following completion of our standard probation period 

- Private medical insurance (opt in).

- Discretionary Christmas shutdown period.

About the School

Working at Westminster

Westminster School is a busy, purposeful and vibrant place to be and an excellent workplace. The community is made up of 750 pupils, 120 teaching staff and 108 support staff.

Westminster School is friendly and welcoming, and all newcomers quickly become part of the rhythm of life here.

There is a real sense of community here as, being a boarding school many members of staff and pupils live on site and the School’s premises are very much treated as a home away from home. School life starts before breakfast and continues way beyond the working day; as a result, there is always a lively atmosphere in and around School and always someone to share a tea and biscuit with in the Common Room. Support staff as much as teaching staff are encouraged to embrace the School’s day-to-day activities, whether that be attending an evening concert or a morning service in the Abbey.

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 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 School is an independent day and boarding school for boys aged 13-18 and girls aged 16-18, with a long history, a distinctive ethos, and a unique sense of place in the very heart of London. Pupils achieve exceptional examination results and entrance to some of the top universities in the world. It is a busy, passionate and purposeful place where independent and deep thinking is enjoyed, encouraged and respected by all, and where holistic excellence is nurtured and valued.

While the School is one of the foremost centres of academic excellence in the country, its commitment to academic life does not make it a hothouse for passing examinations. Pupils’ success at examinations and entry to leading universities is instead a result of their enjoyment of academic enquiry, debate and search for explanation, well beyond published syllabuses. Pupils are intellectually, socially, ethically and politically engaged and our aim is to ensure that their enthusiasm for learning is developed further, allowing them to take full advantage of the opportunities presented to them in the future. At Westminster, pupils have the freedom to lead on projects outside of the classroom and embrace a whole range of extra-curricular activities and interests. A host of pupil-led societies take place every week at the School, often with expert guest speakers, and pupils can choose to study an additional language, play an instrument or two, volunteer in local primary schools, row along the Thames, take part in plays and musicals, and much more. 

The School’s ethos resides in the enduring values of the liberal tradition reflected in the 1560 Charter of Westminster’s Elizabethan foundation, where it is stated that: ‘the youth which is growing to manhood, as tender shoots in the wood of our state, shall be liberally instructed in good books to the greater honour of the state’. Whilst academic and cultural attainments are highly prized at Westminster, the School is fully committed also to each pupil’s spiritual, moral, emotional and physical development and wellbeing – with a particular emphasis on drawing out individual talent wherever it lies – and to prepare young people for fulfilled private and public lives.

From September 2028, the School will welcome both girls and boys at 13+ entry, offering a Westminster education to all. By 2026, Westminster Under School will have opened its brand new pre-prep for girls and boys at 4+ and girls will have joined boys in Years 3 and 7, at the 7+ and 11+ entry points. By 2030, all year groups at Westminster School and Westminster Under School, from ages four to 18, will be fully co-educational, reflecting the School’s dedication to inclusivity and excellence. 

Westminster School