School Secretaries/Admins/Bursars - come hither

[TheIncidentalGoat]

Is there a support thread for us admin types anywhere? If not come say hello and share your new term woes (or otherwise)

I'm school sec in an inner city primary, with all that entails. We've been back week and already I'm approaching the end of my rope.

It's a good point. For now it won't make too much difference, as pupils entitled to fsm in the past will continue to get pupil premium as an ever6 child. We use Sims, and as long as the pp box is ticked we're ok.

For new children coming into reception, we put an order form and fsm application in their prospectus packs. We said that every form back by a certain date in July would get their uniform for free. Kind of worked.

Sorry about the job aunt. Sounds like you're well appreciated where you are though.

We're doing the same re fsm; forms in the new pupil packs, reminding parents half termly (letter going out this week) and basically nagging at every opportunity.

Workforce census this week.

Sorry about the job auntp.

I've decided I've had enough, our admin assistant has been off since 1/2 term with a 'virus' and phoned on Friday saying she's been signed off for another 2 weeks. The head's got no idea how much I do and expects me to be able to do her work as well and keeps saying C (my predecessor's predecessor who worked there about 15 years ago) managed by herself I love what I do but I'm not superhuman

Sorry to hear that notsoskinny. The SLT really do have no idea how much goes on in a school office. It may be the case that someone in the distant past coped, but they probably didn't do the job properly, and almost certainly didn't have to cope with the single central record, swc, audit requirements etc. The job has changed immensely. Not to mention parents who think it's easier to ask us a question, rather than read a letter.

I found the only way to deal with a demanding SLT was to give myself 4 main targets each morning. If someone came along with an urgent task, I would ask them which of my 4 targets should wait until tomorrow.

Oh notso that's not good. What jobs of hers are you picking up? Is it all ohone calls and reception stuff or us it registers and dinner money? What stuff of yours is getting left?

If you can leave anything like the registers then leave them, do basic money logging and receipt giving but no more. If you're doing all phone & reception and need to get a load of invoices or payroll done then ask for a TA so you can have an hour to concentrate. Take no notice of so & so did it on her own, the answer to that is well get her back to help me! She wouldn't have a clue as the job has moved on immeasurably. Our slt's understanding rose when dep head moved into a room off the office and them panicked if we both left him on his own with phones and parents!!

Her main task is the dinner money and there's now 3 weeks to be reconciled. The kids can pick and choose daily so its not straightforward and that's without some parents sending in monthly/half termly payments or chasing the ones with arrears. When I complained I haven't had a lunch break for 2 wks I was told to log the time on my overtime sheet. The TAs can't cover because they 'need their lunchbreak because they're in class' I'm going in 30 mins earlier to clear urgent bits of my backlog before the insanity starts, eg remembered late Thursday night I hadn't uploaded the SWC, and I've just had a text reminding me that this week's 'priority' is the head's report

I've had this. Just stop going in earlier and speak to ta's see if ine ok would like to help by getting some overtime and giving up their lunch or coming in early for you. Text back that the outstanding dinner money is your priority this week as it's now over £xxx which will not be covered by your insurance (ours is £350 ) if the head wants a report typing he/she can do it themselves. You need to practice the polite mn statement of No that doesn't work for me. They will walk all over you until you tell them to stop, alternatively ---I do think you look a bit peaky; are you coming down with something? Definatley need a few days off x

Sorry you're struggling notso. I agree, SLT often have no idea what goes on and the workload has increased massively over the years.

I would her and say you already have priorities this week and you need some help otherwise you'll be off sick yourself.

I'm currently a part time primary teacher and looking for an exit plan when my youngest DC starts school in 2 years. I'm interested in exploring becoming a bursar/business manager/secretary. Prior to becoming a teacher, I worked for a Big 5 audit firm and got my Accounting Technician qualification, so I'm not completely clueless about finance.
However, I've been nosying at adverts for jobs and they all say they require experience with SIMS. I do have a vague notion of SIMS, but in my role I have no direct contact with it. How do you get experience without having a job in an office (which you can't get without experience!)? Is there a qualification I should be working to achieve?
Thanks in advance!

Nonie my first education job was in a secondary and I didn't have any experience but quickly learnt the basics - how to find contact details, check attendance, record exclusions I was very good at that by the time I left. The office manager used to make a big thing about CTFs but wouldn't show anyone how to do them but there's nothing to them.

Have you got access to it? our teachers have because we've bought the performance management package not that the head's using it and if so you could have a play round with the pupil side, you can't break anything as long as you don't click save , that's how I learnt.

The previous admin asst has come out of retirement to help and is showing the sick one up more so after she found a folder full of work that should've been done in September. I've been able to sort through my backlog.

Does anyone use agresso? Our LA are pushing for me to switch from FMS and I need to come up with a list of pros and cons for governors before the end of the month. I'd love to go cheque book but one of them is totally against it because we'll have to pay the VAT and claim it back.

Never heard of aggresso. We're a cheque book school claiming vat back isn't a big deal and it's so much easier to keep track of invoices and know it's been paid.

So glad you've gotten some help, an how good that she's showing the sick one up and you're catching up.

But we still use fms!

I inherited admissions for my organisations nursery as a weird legacy of my day job. I am super nice to all admissions and admin staff now!

Nailing jelly to the wall/ herding cats are two expressions a that come to mind...

yy - we've been cheque book a couple of years and it's way better. We still use fms though.

Nonie - I hadn't used SIMs when I started - the ad said it was essential and I blagged it - used to using different database packages etc - and I picked it up no problem. It's really very straightforward.

Notso - glad you've got a bit of help. The exact same thing happened in our office last summer; the full time receptionist was off, we had a retired admin come back casual for just 2 days a week and we coped just fine - ended up wondering what the other woman had been doing all day.

Just wondered if anyone has a skills matrix for school admin that I could pinch? I need to get the girls to sign up for some training, and thought a skills matrix would be a good place to start.

TIA

No. But I bet between us we could make a cracking one!

Anyone got any tips for dealing with aggresive parents? Most of the parents are lovely, but we have a few who treat the office staff like something they have found on the bottom of their shoe!
I had one who was screaming in rage with me because their child had lost a water bottle on a school trip! She also told me I had ruined her weekend because it was lost.
Personally as an oversubscribed school I would like to tell them to take their child elsewhere but my wet management team bend over backwards to appease these parents (and conveniently are never around when they turn up at the office door)

I have actually resorted to the mn mantra of ... Shocked face/head tilt and "pardon? I'm sorry did you mean to be so rude? " and then quote back whatever shite they've just yelled at me. It's worked most times. When it didn't I pointed at the zero tolerance of abuse sign and told them they'd have to ask someone else as I wouldn't be spoken to like that. I'm lucky we have a hatch/window I can close on them and walk away

Hows the end of term madness going for everyone? I love all the nativities and parties but hate that they all generate tonnes of loose change which needs counting and banking, it's like weight lifting. So far we've had EYFS nativities and door donations, ks1 is today, christmas dinner was Wednesday and today we've got christmas jumper day for save the children 50p I everyone and a junior disco !! Oh well only a week to go.
Good luck

Madness is the right word for it. You're right, all these lovely activities are what we do best, but by next Friday I will have used up all my Christmas spirit.

Our latest ruse is to ask parents if they want a calendar with a photo of their child with santa. Cue lots of 50 pences, not in envelopes (obviously) and parents asking if they can pay on Monday (because a whole week to pay 50p is clearly not long enough).

I can get a little bit grumpy sometimes...

Surely putting 50p pieces in envelopes is a waste of paper? Don't you have a tin you can bung 'em in whilst jotting down child's name on a sheet of paper?

Cateblanket - yes I'm sure you're right, we are are trying to show our parents that they need to be responsible for their own children and we didn't want to take down the names of the 200 parents at the reception desk. I feel sure they would be pleased if we offered a breastfeeding service!

How did everyone's day go? I had the fear over the weekend, but the day wasn't as bad as I expected. We had a nice drama at the end involving the panic button and emergency services. All good fun!

Apart from coming in to no heating, internet or email day first day back was a breeze!

Another one with no heating yesterday and lots of absences because parents had forgot we were back. Quite a few were 'too busy' to bring their little darlings in and weren't happy when I said they'd be marked as unauthorised The day ended with the police being called to deal with warring, custody-fighting parents who'd turned into parents of the year in September - now we know why.

But they were all awake today, it was manic and IF YOU READ THE BLOODY NEWSLETTER YOU'D KNOW IF FOOTBALL WAS ON TODAY How many sleeps is it til half term?

Hello all- sorry not popped in for a while. It's bloody manic - receptionist now off with stress (6 weeks and counting - no end in sight)

It's oddly comforting to know that ours isn't the only school where parents get arrested notso