Executive Assistant

Executive Assistant

Salary: £38,000 to £41,000 per annum, depending on experience.

Contract: Full-time, permanent, 52 weeks per year

Working Arrangements: Based across all three school campuses during term time, with the opportunity to work from home during school closure periods where on-site attendance is not required, subject to operational needs.

Location: The Holmewood School London, working across three campuses:

• Woodside Park: Located immediately next to Woodside Park Underground Station (Northern line).
• Muswell Hill: Served by local bus routes including 43, 102, 134 and 234. Nearby rail connections include Alexandra Palace (Great Northern), Highgate and East Finchley (Northern line), with onward bus connections.
• Finchley Central: East End Road, a short walk from Finchley Central Underground Station (Northern line).

Parking is available on surrounding residential roads, subject to local parking restrictions.

Start Date: As soon as possible

Closing Date: Monday 2 November 2026

Interview Date: Anticipated week commencing 9 November 2026

About Us

The Holmewood School, part of the Cavendish Education family of schools, is a specialist independent day school for neurodivergent children and young people aged 7 to 19 with a primary diagnosis of Autism. We offer a nurturing and inclusive learning environment where young people are supported to achieve both academically and personally.

Our ethos is rooted in empathy, respect and a belief in the potential of every individual. Staff at Holmewood work collaboratively to provide an innovative and flexible approach to education. As part of Cavendish Education, we are committed to thinking differently and providing outstanding specialist support.

Holmewood was inspected by ISI in November 2025 and met all standards, with inspectors noting that preparation of pupils for life in modern Britain is a significant strength. In May 2022, the school was judged Outstanding by Ofsted and has achieved Advanced Autism Accreditation from the National Autistic Society (NAS).

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced, proactive and highly organised Executive Assistant to provide high-level executive and administrative support to the Headteacher and help coordinate the work and priorities of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT).

This is a key role in supporting the effective leadership and management of the school. Working closely with the Headteacher and SLT, you will help ensure that leadership time is used effectively, important information is well organised, deadlines are anticipated and agreed actions are followed through.

We are looking for someone who does more than manage a diary or respond to administrative requests. You will be confident anticipating what needs to happen next, coordinating information and tasks across senior colleagues, identifying potential problems and helping to keep important work moving.

You will need to be highly organised, discreet and confident communicating with people at all levels. The ability to use your initiative, exercise sound judgement and follow up constructively on outstanding actions will be essential.

Key responsibilities include:

• Providing proactive executive support to the Headteacher, including managing their diary, commitments, correspondence and competing priorities.
• Maintaining an overview of the Headteacher's annual leadership calendar, ensuring important meetings, deadlines and responsibilities are planned for well in advance.
• Coordinating SLT meetings, including preparing agendas, collating papers, taking minutes and maintaining accurate records of decisions and agreed actions.
• Monitoring and following up on SLT actions, deadlines and delegated tasks, ensuring progress is recorded and outstanding matters are brought to the Headteacher's attention.
• Coordinating the administrative monitoring of the School Development Plan (SDP), maintaining action trackers and gathering progress updates from responsible leaders.
• Supporting the scheduling and administrative coordination of leadership supervision, appraisal and review meetings, whilst ensuring management responsibilities remain with the relevant line managers.
• Maintaining the school's policy review schedule, coordinating updates, approvals and publication with the relevant policy owners and senior leaders.
• Preparing professional correspondence, reports, presentations, briefing papers and other documents on behalf of the Headteacher.
• Providing administrative support for governance, strategic planning, school improvement and other leadership meetings and projects.
• Developing and maintaining effective digital systems for tracking leadership priorities, deadlines, actions and important information.
• Identifying opportunities to simplify administrative processes, improve communication and reduce unnecessary workload for the Headteacher and SLT.

This is an opportunity for someone who enjoys being organised, taking initiative and making sure important work gets done. You will have the opportunity to develop effective systems, improve how leadership activities are coordinated and make a meaningful contribution to the running and development of the school.

Please note that the accompanying job description remains subject to final review and may be amended to reflect the school's developing organisational structure and operational requirements.

About You

We would love to hear from you if you:

Essential:

• Have significant experience in an Executive Assistant, Personal Assistant, senior administration, executive support or similar role.
• Have experience supporting senior managers or leaders and coordinating complex diaries, meetings, deadlines and competing priorities.
• Are exceptionally organised, proactive and able to anticipate requirements rather than waiting to be asked.
• Have experience preparing agendas, taking accurate minutes, maintaining action trackers and following up on outstanding tasks.
• Have excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to produce clear, accurate and professional correspondence and documentation.
• Are confident using Google Workspace or similar digital systems, including calendars, spreadsheets, shared documents and task-management tools.
• Can handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion, integrity and sound professional judgement.
• Are confident communicating with senior colleagues, requesting updates and following up on agreed actions in a professional and constructive manner.
• Can work independently, manage changing priorities and identify practical solutions to problems.
• Have strong attention to detail and can maintain accurate, organised and accessible records.

Desirable:

• Experience supporting a Headteacher, Principal, Chief Executive or senior leadership team.
• Experience working in a school, education group or other regulated environment.
• Knowledge of school governance, school improvement planning or policy review processes.
• Experience coordinating strategic projects, organisational priorities or annual leadership calendars.
• Experience using task-management platforms such as Asana, Monday.com or similar systems.
• Familiarity with school management information systems, including Arbor.
• Experience improving administrative systems through digital tools, automation or approved AI technology.
• Understanding of autism, neurodiversity or special educational needs.

Experience in a specialist school setting is desirable but not essential. We welcome applications from experienced Executive Assistants and senior administrative professionals in other sectors who can demonstrate the skills and experience required for the role.

Why Work with Us?

We offer a supportive working environment alongside a range of benefits, including:

• Generous annual leave: 30 days' annual leave plus bank holidays, with additional discretionary gift days over the Christmas period. Annual leave is expected to be taken predominantly during school closure periods.
• Flexible working during school holidays: The opportunity to work from home during school closure periods when not on annual leave and where on-site attendance is not required, subject to operational needs.
• Salary sacrifice pension scheme.
• Enhanced family leave benefits.
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP): Access to confidential support and wellbeing resources.
• Professional development: Opportunities to develop your executive support, organisational and technical skills through training and development.
• A collaborative working environment: Join a supportive team within a specialist school committed to making a positive difference for neurodivergent children and young people.
• Opportunity to make an impact: Play an important role in supporting the Headteacher and SLT, improving leadership coordination and helping the school achieve its priorities.

Visits and Enquiries

All applicants are welcome to visit the school on an informal basis should this support your application. Please contact 020 8920 0660 if you have any questions or would like to discuss the role.

Closing date: Monday 2 November 2026

Interviews: Anticipated week commencing 9 November 2026

Safeguarding and Compliance

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our students and expect all staff to share this commitment. Successful applicants will undergo an enhanced DBS check and an online search prior to employment.

Applicants must have the right to work in the UK at the time of application. We are unable to offer sponsorship for this post.

Equal Opportunities and Diversity

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified individuals, regardless of race, gender, disability, religion or belief, sexual orientation or age.

We are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace and encourage applications from underrepresented groups.

Ready to Make a Difference?

If you are an experienced Executive Assistant who enjoys organising complex workloads, supporting senior leaders and making sure important work progresses, we would love to hear from you.

Pay: £38,000.00-£41,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Cycle to work scheme
• Enhanced maternity leave
• Free flu jabs
• Sick pay
• Work from home

Work Location: In person