Primary school finance /admin assistant interview tasks

[Sandpiper18]

I have an interview for a Primary School Finance /Admin Assistant this week and it will be my first interview for over 13years. I have not worked in a school before and just wondered whether there are any primary school admin/finance assistants on here that could help with suggestions as to what kinds of things will be in my 45 min admin & finance test prior to my interview! I am stressing out so much 😧

Who should be automatically put into the pension scheme (if the council doesn't do your own payroll)?

Hi, thanks for your reply. I've used Excel in my current role but I wouldn't say I am an expert on it, the formulas drive me mad! I haven't stated on my CV that I am an expert, just that I have used it! I just wondered what type of task on Excel it would be and what kinds of Maths questions would be required for this type of role.

@Kpo58

Who should be automatically put into the pension scheme (if the council doesn't do your own payroll)?

This type of question worries me as I have not dealt with payroll or pensions in my accounts experience!

You should only worry about specialist finance questions if the JD says that experience/qualifications are needed.

Excel tasks won’t be complicated - maybe calculating the cost of a trip in total and then how much to ask for each pupil. Don’t worry about pension questions - ask HR/payroll - unless they specifically ask for it.

Safeguarding - see their safeguarding policy and who their Designated Safeguarding Lead
Confidentially
Data Protection - basic information

Good organisational skills and ability to deal with parents are musts. The office position is the first that people see of the school and having someone friendly, helpful and competent is really important
.

I agree with PP. Definitely brush up on a little safeguarding and GDPR. I also think being able to use basic formulas in Excel is a must. Maths skills might include calculating percentages, maybe pro rata-ing. They will probably also want to know that you can multi task and prioritise, you could get all sorts thrown at you in a school office! Good luck!

and if they ask what you understand by the term "safeguarding" don't jump immediately and exclusively to abuse disclosures

Child Protection is just one part of safeguarding, and 90% of the interviewees I've seen over the past few years have ignored everything else in their eagerness to mention the Designated Safeguarding Lead.

Thank you everyone for your advice 🙂

I work in secondary finance, I didn't have any practical tests at my interview and my excel is basic, but has improved.

The majority of my work is in FMS which many schools use and is simple to pick up.

You will need to have a flexible attitude and demonstrate that as in school you are forever being stopped and dealing with something else that crops up, you also need to be accurate with data input and aware of financial regulations.

Payroll in our school is outsourced and pensions are dealt with by HR all we do is overtime hours and duties.

Finance can be anything from invoices, purchase orders, budget control, trips, lettings and a hundred other things we are such a busy office but I guess that would be different in a smaller primary.

Safeguarding will most definitely come up though so have a read of that as well as the schools website to get a feel for the school ethos but most of all be warm and friendly as first impressions definitely count.

Good luck!

Hi thank you all for your advice.
In my current role, I have certain formulas that are used frequently in Excel. What formulas are used regularly in a primary school finance/admin department.

Hi I have a virtual interview for a Finance Assistant role in a school trust, they’ll be tasks to
complete and submit via email. Other candidates will be in the meet too. I’ll appreciate for any tips and advice on the types of tasks that may be requested .
thanks