Required for: as soon as possible

Location: Chapter House - Westminster Under School

Contract: Full-time (term-time only), permanent

Hours of work: 07:50 – 16:45, Monday to Friday with a 30-minute unpaid lunchbreak.

Salary: £35,534.65 (actual) equating to a full-time equivalent of £39,734.90 per annum

Benefits of working at Westminster include:

• 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)
  

Free school lunches are also available when on-site during working hours for the role.

The closing date for this role is midday on Wednesday 23rd September 2026. Interviews will take place in-person shortly after the closing date.

Westminster Under School is seeking an organised and efficient PA to the Master to provide effective secretarial and administrative support to the Master, including managing their diary. They will act as the first point for all enquiries or issues that involve the Master, and possess excellent administration skills, with a calm yet proactive attitude.

They will also ensure the wider office and reception run smoothly and all pupils, parents, staff, and visitors are greeted in a polite and courteous manner.  
 
The role will also involve line managing the School Receptionist, Day Matron, Road Crossing Patrol Officer, Gap Students and the Cleaning Supervisor. Some previous management experience is desirable though not essential for this role. Previous administrative experience in an office environment is essential.

The post holder's main responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:  

• Manage the Master’s calendar, mainly managing appointments and travel requirements, setting up electronic Teams meetings, organising appointments where necessary. 
• Liaise with the Master, Senior Management Team (SMT) and various other stakeholders (both internal and external) on the Master’s behalf. 
• Have access to the Master’s email inbox, replying on behalf of the Master where appropriate, managing emails and ensuring confidentiality. 
• Support in-person meetings by greeting the Master’s visitors warmly and ensuring they have a well-organised visit, taking notes of meetings where necessary. 
• Act as first point of contact for all enquiries or issues that require the Master's attention, either by telephone call, email or in person, ascertaining the scope of the request. 
• Manage requests for absence for pupils from parents, replying on behalf of the Master and disseminating any resulting absences to the relevant people. Keep a log of all absences to inform future requests. 
• Manage the School’s list of former staff and other guests, organising invitations to school events and organising RSVPs. 
• General help at wider school events which take place throughout the year, such as end-of-term Prizegiving events, Christmas concerts, etc. 
• Fulfil other reasonable requests from the Master. 

Administration 

• Attend weekly Senior Management Team meetings to take accurate and comprehensive minutes, distributing to relevant staff as required and in a timely manner. Liaise with various members of staff about actioning points from meetings. 
• Proofread letters, documents and emails, correcting to an extremely high standard of English before distributing appropriately using common distribution software such as email or School Post. Keep a record of all outgoing whole-school post. 
• Manage room bookings and associated requirements (furniture set-up, catering, etc.) for events, ensuring details are entered  into the School calendar. 
• Attend weekly meetings with the chef and caretakers to a mange all logistics and catering requirements. 
• Co-ordinate all aspects of the termly prizegiving assembly, either at School or at an external venue, including the production of  reward certificates, distribution of prizes and ensuring the correct trophies are cleaned and on display.  

General 

• Support and manage the wider office team as required, including to cover breaks of other colleagues answering the telephone, covering Reception, signing-in visitors and dealing with queries from staff, pupils and parents where required. 
• Administer basic first aid to boys where necessary, should the Day Matron be absent or otherwise engaged (training will be provided). 
• Assist the Registrar with the fielding of queries relating to admissions where required. 
• Help to ensure that the wider office is calm, organised and working efficiently.  
• Ensure the wider office area is always staffed, including over lunchtime by agreeing rotas with relevant staff. 
• Line manage the Receptionist, the Road Crossing Patrol Officer, Gap Students, Day Matron, liaising the Deputy Masters where these impact the effective day-to-day running of the School. 
• Other reasonable duties as discussed and agreed with the Master. 

Hours of work

07:50 – 16:45, Monday to Friday with a 30-minute unpaid lunchbreak 
 
This is a term-time only post with some additional weeks to be worked during the school holiday period (as outlined below). In addition, the post holder will be expected to attend up to five evening and/or weekend events a year, such as for assessment days, Open Days/Evenings or accompanying the Master to School events in the evening, either at WUS, at other schools, or similar. 
 
Additional working days are as follows: 

• 10 days in August prior to the start of the new academic year (Play term) 
• 3 days during the October half term 
• 2 days in December at the end of the Play term 
• 2 days in January prior to the start of the Lent term 
• 1 day in February half term 
• 2 days at the end of Lent term 
• 2 days before start of Election term 
• 1 day in the May half term 
• 10 days in July at end of the Election term (end of the academic year) 
  

Holidays

As this is a term-time only post, all holidays should be taken during the school holidays, unless agreed in advance with the Master. 

For this role, we can only accept candidates who already hold the legal right to work in the UK and if successful will need to provide evidence at interview. Unfortunately, we are unable to offer sponsorships for international applicants, or candidates currently working in the UK on a sponsored visa as we are unable to assist with renewal upon expiry.

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.

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 around 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 happy, ambitious, nurturing and inspiring world-class preparatory education for seven to 13 year olds. Pupils who love to learn are offered a supportive, dynamic and inspirational environment to fuel their curiosity. 

Located in the heart of London, the School overlooks the beautiful school playing fields in Vincent Square and is just a few moments’ walk from Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament. It is closely connected to Westminster School; in 1943, Westminster expanded its educational scope by forming the Under School, and the two schools share the same Governing Body and the same ethos of a liberal education. 

Westminster Under School's curriculum is broad and diverse, aiming to foster a sense of wonder and inquisitiveness in children and encourage independent thought. The teaching programme goes above and beyond the National Curriculum and teachers are not tightly bound by syllabus. Pupils are taught a wide range of subjects by expert teachers who embrace opportunities for growth and promote diverse thinking, and who encourage them to ask questions about the world around them. 

While the School's standard of our education is of the highest quality, the School’s focus is not only on academic achievement. Westminster pupils receive a full and rounded education that includes sport, the arts and many opportunities to engage in community outreach; pupils frequently take part in concerts, plays and in both internal and external competitions, and the School hosts festivals and events throughout the year. Like its older counterpart, Westminster Under School is fully committed 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 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, with the introduction of girls into Year 9 at Westminster School in 2028, all year groups across the two schools, from ages four to 18, will be fully co-educational, reflecting the School’s dedication to inclusivity and excellence. 

Downloads

• PA to the Master - person specification PDF Document