Summary
The HR Assistant plays a key role in delivering efficient, accurate and confidential support across the HR function. This is a varied role supporting recruitment, onboarding, payroll administration, data management and day‑to‑day HR queries — ideal for someone organised, proactive and committed to high-quality people operations.
What you will do at work
What you will do
- Recruitment support — Assist with advertising roles, managing applications, scheduling interviews and candidate communication
- Safer recruitment checks — Support safer recruitment and pre-employment vetting including references, DBS and Right to Work
- Onboarding coordination — Prepare induction materials, manage new starter documentation and ensure compliance steps are completed
- Performance administration – support probation process administration for new joiners, and review process administration for established employees
- HR system – support the HR Manager with the implementation and upkeep of the HR system, inputting and maintaining HR data, supporting holiday administration, and ensuring the HR system is accurate and up to date
- Compliance & record keeping — Help maintain the Single Central Record, ensure personnel files meet regulatory standards and support inspection preparation. Ensure HR processes reflect safeguarding best practice
- Contract changes — draft letters for changes including FTE, fixed-term contract extensions, and pay changes, recording payroll changes correctly
- Payroll and Benefits administration — work with the Finance team to support the administration of payroll, pensions and staff benefits
- Leavers – support leaver administration and offboarding processes
Employee relations admin —
- Support HR processes such as absence management and formal meetings through note-taking and document preparation
- General HR queries — Act as a first point of contact for routine staff queries, ensuring a professional and helpful service
- HR projects — Contribute to HR initiatives including well-being, engagement, policy updates and support with systems implementation
Training
Training and Development
As an apprentice, you will receive support through both on-the-job learning and formal training as part of your apprenticeship programme. This will typically include:
- Study towards a Level 3 HR Apprenticeship Standard
- On-the-job training and mentoring from experienced school professionals
- Regular review meetings to support progress and development
- Training in school administration, finance systems, and education-sector processes
Requirements and skills
Skills
- Communication skills
- IT skills
- Attention to detail
- Organisation skills
- Problem solving skills
- Presentation skills
- Administrative skills
- Team working
- Initiative
Qualifications
- GCSE English (4–9 (A*–C)) – essential
- GCSE Maths (4–9 (A*–C)) – essential
About this employer
Inspire ATA is an official Flexi-Job Apprenticeship Agency, licenced by the Department for Education. Currently ranked 1st in the Rate My Apprenticeship Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers in the UK Award 2024-2025. Inspire ATA specialises in creating apprenticeship opportunities, where we recruit and employ the apprentice on behalf of our host clients, enabling us to offer additional support and a better experience for both the apprentice and the client as the experts in the industry. We arrange the most suitable and appropriate apprenticeship training from one of our partnered training providers. If you are successful in securing an apprenticeship with Inspire ATA, it is important to understand that Inspire ATA will be your employer and the apprenticeship placement will be a separate organisation that simply hosts you as an apprentice. As a Flexi-Job Apprenticeship Agency, Inspire ATA performs an important role in developing the UK labour market and it is our responsibility to ensure that talent is recognised, developed, and matched with business needs, whatever the background of the individual, irrespective of gender, race, disability, age, religion or belief, relationship orientation, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity and gender reassignment. We are proud of the diverse nature of our business and work with clients to ensure that all candidates are treated with courtesy and respect.
After this apprenticeship
Potential full-time employment opportunities within school administration or finance for the right candidate upon successful completion of the apprenticeship.
Things to consider
Pre-employment checks: Please be aware that successful applicants will be subject to pre-employment checks, including enhanced DBS checks with child and adult barred list checks, right-to-work checks, and safeguarding procedures in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance.