HR Manager

The School

Established in 1991, Newton Prep is a thriving school for children, aged 3-13. The School is unashamedly ambitious for its pupils who have access to outstanding facilities. We want them to achieve their academic potential whilst also engaging in sport, art, music and drama. In the School, there are currently 530 pupils from Nursery to Year 8.

We want the children to involve themselves in the total life of the School, which includes after school clubs and activities and a wide range of trips. We celebrate the diversity of our pupils; we want our children to develop a strong sense of community, learning how to make a positive contribution to the community of Newton Prep and the world around them. The ethos and philosophy is one that is based on mutual respect and kindness shown to others.

Our Vision is to provide the children in our care with a first-rate education in the knowledge that time is precious and irreversible. The education we provide has a strong academic base and an imaginatively broad curriculum giving a rich learning experience for all children including provision for children with a range of abilities, including those with high aptitudes in specific subjects. Moreover, the Newton education has a lasting impact as children progress through their school years and throughout their lives, developing both intelligence and character. Our atmosphere is full of happiness and enthusiasm with a sense of purpose and achievement as both pupils and staff aim high. Good governance bolsters these aspirations. We focus on developing ambition in the children so that they move on to the most appropriate senior school. Newton Prep is a model for best practice in all aspects of prep education.

The School places a strong emphasis on the education of the whole person. We attach great importance to the teaching of Art, Drama, Music and Sport as well as the more academic subjects. Our curriculum and extensive co-curricular programme, together with the House system, reflect the School’s commitment to providing both high quality learning opportunities and strong pastoral support so that our pupils have the best opportunities to achieve their full potential and are successful in all areas of school life.

Fundamentally, we want Newton Prep children to enjoy their precious childhood years.

Location

Newton Prep is positioned in the heart of central London’s newest vibrant and dynamic development. The area stretching from Nine Elms to Battersea is home to a bustling new ‘town’. The iconic Battersea Power Station, now rebuilt, has transformed this part of the capital. With the opening of the Northern Line tube extension, the school enjoys exceptional connectivity, we are within fiveminutes’ reach of three different stations, served by four bus routes and even accessible by river!

Summary of the Role

We are looking to recruit an enthusiastic and proactive HR Manager to work at Newton Prep. Our staff are our greatest resource, and our HR Manager will hold a key role. Our atmosphere is full of happiness and enthusiasm with a sense of purpose and achievement as both pupils and staff aim high. We are seeking someone who mirrors this approach and is a model for best practice, as we look forward to a new chapter in the School’s life. The theme is continuity and development – to build on the School’s culture and many achievements to date, not least of all its most recent ISI report issued following inspection in January 2025. Applications are invited from candidates who are CIPD qualified (Level 5 or 7 or equivalent), with excellent communication and organisational skills. You will need a proven track record in your previous roles and will need to show dedication and commitment to develop in this role.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone to broaden their experience in human resources, manage an HR Assistant and work alongside other teams including the Governing Body, the Head, the Bursar, the Finance Team, the Communications Team as well as other leaders and staff within the School. The successful candidate will benefit from excellent facilities and resources combined with a competitive salary. The successful candidate will be subject to child protection screening, including a DBS check and barred list check.

Main Duties & Responsibilities

The main duties of the HR Manager include:

Employee relations:

• Lead on all Employee Relations cases working closely with the Head, Bursar, Deputy Heads and line managers; including but not limited to investigations, disciplinary, grievances, capability, redundancies, restructures and dismissals.
• Follow up on sickness absence triggers, including referrals to occupational health when required, advising and working closely with line managers and occupational health where applicable. Ensure compliance with UK Employment law and best practice in Human Resources
• Manage and advise employees and managers on leave of absence, family leave and other leave requests in line with School policies and procedures

Employment law, regulatory compliance, contracts and policy:

• Ensure the School’s compliance with all aspects of employment law applicable to Schools incorporated as a limited company, The Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014, the school’s status as a UKVI sponsor in relation to employees, other regulations, DfE requirements, insurance requirements and best practice
• Manage the school’s Single Central Register, including conducting at least termly audits with the Bursar to ensure that it is up to date and accurate so that we are ever ready for any inspection
• Comply with all aspects of safer recruitment and Keeping Children Safe in Education
• Organise safer recruitment training for the School on a cyclical basis
• Lead annual reviews and updates of the School’s suite of employment contracts and HR policies Keep up to date with future employment regulation and law applicable to the School, and prepare for changes in ways that mitigate risk
• Update policies and procedures in line with employment law changes, submitting proposed changes to the Governing Body via the Bursar Liaise with the School’s legal advisors on staff related issues together with the Governing Body

Manage the employee lifecycle from attraction to exit:

• Manage recruitment, including the production of adverts, job descriptions, person specifications, shortlisting processes, interview schedules and safer recruitment processes
• Keep up to date with labour market trends and how this affects the School’s ability to recruit, including the use of AI (for example, in assisting drafting)Ut