the school of
educational administration

Administrator's Conditions of Employment

School administrators often have difficulty in knowing what they might expect in their terms and conditions of employment because there are no national norms, no pay scales and in essence no agreements anywhere on how school administrators should work.

In order to try to help give everyone a better idea of what reasonable terms of employment should look like in the world of school administration we have drawn up this "best practice" document so that everyone can at least have a starting point when looking for new jobs or suggesting changes in current employment.

This document is not definitive and certainly makes no claims to be a national agreement. Rather we are hoping that by putting it forward we can stimulate the debate and encourage those schools that pay low wages to mend their ways.

Benefits of Good School Administration

All schools have a choice concerning the extent to which they utilise their administration team. They can put administration at the very edge of affairs where anyone can walk into the department with requests and enquiries. In such a scenario the administrators have no chance to use their unique position within the school to improve the effectiveness or efficiency of the way in which the school operates.

Or they can recognise the huge benefit a well organised and run administrative team can offer in terms of allowing teachers, groundstaff, catering staff, support workers and everyone else to undertake their work to the maximum level of efficiency. In such a school, administration takes its rightful place at the centre improving efficiency, ensuring the smooth interaction between the various parts of the school, liaising with governors and government and handling relationships with the outside world.

Our report is made up of four sections:

a) Salaries

b) Terms of employment

c) Working conditions

d) Performance indicators

We would like all readers of this report to contribute to it so that we can make it grow and incorporate the realities and aspirations of school administrators in the UK.

Salaries

The following table shows the range of salaries that seems reasonable and which some schools are paying. Of course other schools are paying less - some considerably less. Upper levels are normally for qualified and/or experienced staff. London, of course, pays more than elsewhere.

All rates assume a full working year of 52 weeks, less 4 or 5 weeks holiday.

Terms of Employment

The legal minimum in terms of holidays for staff is 20 days (including bank holidays) plus weekends. Most administrators do far better than this with a holiday period of at least 25 days plus bank holidays and weekends.

Administrators who are on a pro-rata basis (i.e. they do not work through the school holidays) are still required to have paid for holidays in their contract.

Working Conditions

Working conditions are often affected by the age and style of the buildings. However, all school administrators should be working in a room which has a reasonable temperature at all times and which allows work to be carried out effectively, efficiently and in private. It should therefore not be a dumping ground for naughty children, an area where teachers hang out for a natter or a badly lit cubby hole.

All equipment needed to do the job should be provided by the school. No-one should ever be expected to supply their own equipment. Computer equipment should be under three years old as anything older is unlikely to be able to run the most recent programmes which are required to complete government forms, run purchasing schedules, handle emails quickly and operate programmes such as Microsoft Office.

Lighting should be adequate to perform normal office work.

Where administration is combined with reception, the administrator should be able to greet the visitor without leaving his/her workplace unless visitors are less than four a day.

Any incident in which an administrator feels unsafe at work must be recorded and steps taken to avoid any repetition of the situation.

Work must be undertaken to ensure that all work is in accordance with the VDU Directive of the EU and risk assessments must be undertaken regularly which specifically concentrate on administrative work. The noise level must be kept within the limits specified by the EU Directive and 2005 Health and Safety at Work Act.

Performance Indicators and Reviews

All administrative staff should have reviews of their work and position in the school at least once a year. There should focus on:

1) Work being undertaken

2) Problems with work

3) Possible changes to the work

4) Personal and professional aims of the administrator

Performance indicators should be set throughout the administration department. These might include for example:

• No visitor is kept waiting for more than 5 minutes beyond their appointment time.
• All visitors are greeted within 20 seconds of ringing the bell.
• The phone is answered within 8 rings.
• All school purchases that are invoiced by the supplier are paid within 40 days of the date of the invoice.
• All mail for staff is put into the pigeon holes of the staff by noon on the day of receipt.
• The reception area where visitors attend/wait is always neat and tidy.