Address
SalaryASSISTANT EXAMS OFFICER at The Manchester
Grammar School
Information Pack
Completed applications should be emailed to recruitment@mgs.org
Closing date: 09:00 on Friday 9 February 2024
Assistant Exams Officer at the Manchester Grammar School
The role
We are seeking to appoint a talented, energetic and committed individual to work in our
Academic Administration team, performing a wide variety of administrative tasks. These will
include specific responsibility for administrative tasks pertaining to examinations; the person
appointed will work closely with the Examinations Officer to ensure that all pupils sit exams
in accordance with exam board and school requirements. The post holder will also work with
the School’s management information system (ISAMS) to provide administrative, ISAMS-
based support to the school. Training will be provided. An ability to work with Excel is
essential. The successful candidate will have strong IT, communication, and administrative
skills; an ability to work flexibly and as a team player is essential. The role involves contact
with school staff, parents, and pupils.
The School
The Manchester Grammar School is a large independent day school for boys aged from 7 to
18 years. There are over 1640 pupils and approximately 280 staff, both teaching and non-
teaching. It is one of the leading academic schools in the country. Our admissions policy aims
to be needs-blind and we have substantial bursary support to enable the school to be a diverse
community of talented individuals from all backgrounds.
Job description
This job description below is not exhaustive and will be subject to periodic review.
The Assistant Examinations Officer reports to:
- The School Examinations Officer (who line manages this post)
- The Deputy Head (Academic)
- The Bursar
Liaison/ communication with:
- Teaching staff
- Administrative staff
- Parents and pupils
- Other school staff
Key Tasks include:
- Deputise for the Examinations Officer when necessary ( with appropriate support)
- To assist with all aspects of public and internal exams
- To assist with cover arrangements for absent teaching staff and examination
invigilation, including the co-ordination of staff absence requests.
- To liaise with exam boards for all administration enquiries or procedures
- To administer the post results services and be the first point of contact for pupils who
want to submit requests for either of these
- To liaise with the SEND department to provide access arrangements for exam
candidates with special educational needs or disabilities
- To co-ordinate the collection and submission of predicted grades, coursework marks
and coursework moderation samples for exam boards
- To support the Examinations Officer in the administration of invigilation rotas, exam
venues, exam paper storage and exam day queries
- To stay abreast of relevant regulations and guidance
- To perform other reasonable duties to support the work of the Academic
Administration Team, including the creation of Teams and Lists as required
Person specification
This list is not exhaustive and candidates do not have to meet every criterion.
The successful candidate will:
- Develop an understanding of administration procedures relating to public exams
- Think logically and have good ICT skills
- Have good oral and written communication skills
- Be willing to undergo training, as required
- Be able to work effectively to demanding deadlines
- Demonstrate excellent organisational skills and attention to detail
- Be able to work effectively, both individually and as part of a team
- Be able to work and interact with a wide range of people in a positive and
constructive manner
- Be able to work in a sensitive environment, maintaining high levels of confidentiality
- Show commitment to providing a high quality of service
- Be calm, flexible, dependable and reliable, maintaining the highest levels of
professionalism
- During exam season, be able to arrive at School early to set up exams and brief teams
of invigilators
- Be able to stay abreast of updates and information from exam boards by regular
review of websites, webinars etc.
Terms and conditions of service include the following:
This post will be extended term time, i.e. term time plus 4 weeks to be worked during the
summer holiday period. The weeks worked will be organised by the Examinations Officer
and will mostly be worked at the end of the school summer holiday when the public exam
results are received. The postholder will not be able to take holidays during school term
times.
The post is full time (35 hours) from 8.00am to 4.00pm with a lunch break of one hour,
which is unpaid. During the public examination periods, the postholder will need to be able to
work flexible hours, to fit around the timing of public examinations. As an example, there
may be some later finishes due to examinations finishing after the end of the school day
It is expected that the starting salary for the post will be based on a full-time salary in the
region of £24K, which will then be subject to a pro rata calculation to reflect the hours and
weeks worked.
Applicants should complete an application form: this can be downloaded either from the job
advert on the MEN website or from the ‘vacancies’ heading on the front page of the School’s
website and emailed to recruitment@mgs.org. The closing date is 09:00 on Friday 9 February
2024 and interviews will be held shortly after.
Our safer recruitment policy may be viewed on our website (www.mgs.org/our-policies).
We would like to thank all applicants for their interest in the School and for taking the time
to apply. However, please note that, because of the high volume of applications we receive,
we regret that we are unable to reply individually to each application. Applicants who have
not heard from us by 16 February should assume that they have not been shortlisted for
interview.
The Manchester Grammar School is an equal opportunities employer and we welcome
applications from all sections of the community. We are committed to safeguarding and
promoting the welfare of children and successful applicants will be required to undergo child
protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
JOINING THE NON-TEACHING STAFF AT MGS
Who works at MGS?
All members of staff at MGS work together to serve the interests of our pupils. The School
does its best to provide a good working environment for its entire staff and we are all
responsible for creating a happy and purposeful working atmosphere.
Our network of around 100 non-teaching staff ranges from administrators, librarians, cleaners,
grounds team, nurses, secretaries, caterers, technicians, etc. The roles of our non-teaching staff
are vital in ensuring the smooth day to day running of our School and each individual enjoys
working as part of a small team which work well together and take part in a number of joint
activities for the benefit of pupils. For example, in recent years several members of the non-
teaching staff have joined teachers in school camps and visits with the pupils. We aim to
encourage professional development for all staff, by providing training in the school or sending
people on courses elsewhere. A number of staff have obtained promotions recently.
Where did MGS come from?
The School was founded in 1515, by Hugh Oldham, Bishop of Exeter, to prepare able boys
from the Manchester area, regardless of their background, to go to Oxford or Cambridge. We
take our motto Sapere Aude (Dare to be Wise) as meaningthat we must challenge our pupils,
and expect to be challenged by them. The owl is the symbol of the School – not because of its
association with wisdom, but because those who sought to make a heraldic crest for Bishop
Hugh Oldham made a pun on the old Lancashire pronunciation of “Owldom”.
For most of our life we were situated in the centre of Manchester, in Long Millgate, the site
now occupied by Chetham’s School of Music. In 1931 we moved out to a new, purpose-built
28 acre site in the Fallowfield area of the city, adjacent to the halls of residence of The
University of Manchester.
Where are we going?
The Foundation Bursary Appeal has been the most successful appeal of its kind held by any
school. Its aim is to ensure that a place at MGS is available to any boy who passes our entrance
examination, regardless of his race, colour and creed, and regardless of his social or economic
standing. As a result of the Appeal and other measures, MGS is now independent of
government funding for free places. Our aim is to be a pure meritocracy and our results are
among the best in the country.
Do pupils want to come?
Boys come from a vast area, which can stretch from Sheffield to Blackpool. We are the largest
independent day school in the UK, with around 1500 pupils in the School. Recruitment remains
very healthy despite intense competition locally, and the 200+ boys who join the School each
year come in equal numbers from maintained and independent primary schools.
