About 5 months ago I moved from being support staff in a secondary school, with decent pay, to clerical assistant in a primary school, on a lot less pay. I was used to the holidays but frankly got sick of tense atmosphere at the secondary school, and was sick of stroppy and rude teenaged boys. I also felt invisible as it was such a large organisation, with so much constant change that you just felt lost and powerless to make any changes. It was hard to feel part of a team. So, I basically moved for happiness and fulfilment reasons, which I realise is a luxurious position to be in. We were able to afford for me to drop the salary but that first pay packet was a bit of a shock! 
I really enjoy the primary school but i had no idea how busy it gets. That suits me fine, as the day flies by, but sometimes you feel like you’re barely on top of things, and you can’t always do the perfect job you’d like to because there just isn’t the time. But my colleagues are wonderful, it feels like a real team, the children are just brilliant and make for a happy atmosphere. They come to me for a sticker when they bring me the registers etc, and I’m loving interacting with that age again cos my own are teenagers now. They are so cute and entertaining and they wave at me as they pass me in the corridor as if they’re my best mate
I find the role quite varied really, although there are obviously daily routines which don’t change much. But I’ve helped with dismissing children from classrooms, gone with the head to collect a child who was refusing to come onto the school premises with his mum, looked after sick pupils waiting to be collected, given inhalers and antibiotics to children, arranged visits from school photographer, been an extra adult accompanying the year 2s on their summer trip to the juniors, been asked to arrange trips, book fair, a company coming to do a Christmas show for the children, gone out to clap all the leaving year 2s as they marched out in front of the whole school on their last day, cheering and clapping them with music playing (such a happy send off!), sold cakes for Marie Curie etc The other day someone reported a dead pigeon in the playground so that needed dealing with etc etc. There are many different visitors to the school, lots of them regulars, and I love chatting with them and being the face of the school. You do have to really like people!
All in all I love it. Found my people etc. But it is non stop multitasking times 10, with LOTS of things to remember which for my poor menopausal brain is often tough going! You’re often pulled in many different directions, with various people coming into the office to ask you something. Which can be frustrating if you’re trying to just THINK about something and get it boxed off. I’ve found a fair few unfinished emails in my drafts that I thought I’d sent because of the constant interruptions.
There are many MANY messages to pass on so I have to make lots of notes immediately cos the phone will just go again straight away and there’ll be something else to deal with then which will make me forget the first thing before I’ve had a chance to even start on it. COVID has made some things even more difficult. I do end up staying late to try and catch up with myself, although the head is always telling me to go home.
I would not go back to the secondary school at the higher salary, no bloody way. I realise I’m lucky to have had that option.