Home School Services ECT Manager

HR Business Partner - Full-time

City of Rochester School, Cliffe Woods

  • Ref:KCC887-6011-115L
  • Posted:19/05/2025
  • Pay:Negotiable - depending on experience
  • Start Date:September 2025
  • App Close Date:31/07/2025 at 10:00
  • Interviews:TBA

Advert

“A good school with outstanding Pupil Personal Development and Behaviour and Attitudes” Ofsted 2024

City of Rochester School is a specialist independent school for children and young people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This role will be based across two sites one at Cliffe Woods and at City of Rochester School Vocational College which is based on Medway City Estate. 

Our ambition at City of Rochester College is for pupils to develop self-confidence, independence and resilience through an engaging and holistic curriculum. This will provide the skills, life experiences and qualifications pupils need to participate successfully in wider society 

The Role:

As our HR Business Partner, you will play a key strategic and operational role in shaping and supporting the school’s people agenda. You’ll work closely with the Headteacher and senior leadership team to provide high-quality, professional HR guidance and to ensure compliance, wellbeing, and best practice across all HR functions.  This is a full time role, across 52 weeks.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Act as the first point of contact for all HR-related queries, offering expert advice and guidance

  • Lead on recruitment, onboarding, and retention strategies

  • Support staff wellbeing and performance, including absence management and employee relations

  • Ensure all HR policies are compliant with current legislation and reflective of our values

  • Provide HR data and reports to inform strategic decision-making

  • Work closely with external providers (e.g. payroll, occupational health, legal advisors) when necessary

About You:

  • CIPD qualified (Level 5 or above) or equivalent experience/willingness to work towards

  • 3-5 years proven experience in an HR Business Partner or HR Manager role, ideally within an educational or special needs setting.

  • In-depth knowledge of employment law, HR best practices, and relevant policies in an educational or similar environment.

  • Experience in managing employee relations issues, including complex disciplinary and grievance cases.
  • Strong communication, interpersonal, and advisory skills, with the ability to work effectively with a wide range of stakeholders.
  • Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion.
  • Strong organisational skills and attention to detail.
  • A proactive, solution-focused approach to HR issues.
  • Commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace.
  • Experience of mediation and conflict resolution

 DEVELOP YOUR CAREER WITH US! 

We offer:

  • Fantastic pupils and staff team

  • A welcoming, values-driven school community

  • Opportunity to make a real impact on the lives of pupils and staff

  • Collaborative and supportive leadership team

  • Up to 8% Pension Contribution

  • Employee Assistance Programme

  • Professional training and development

You are advised to submit your application as soon as possible as we reserve the right to close posts at any time, and interview at any time, once we have received sufficient applications.

Information about the school

I am delighted to introduce you to City of Rochester School. We provide specialist education for children and young people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), aged 5 to 18. We are incredibly proud of our unique children, our supportive parents and carers and our dedicated staff where we all work together to make City of Rochester School a safe, happy and inspirational place to learn.

We are a small school offering an individualised and bespoke curriculum that enables pupils to thrive, shaped by our principles of Confidence + Resilience = Success. Our curriculum is both academic, offering accreditation of learning programmes from KS3 through to GCSEs and BTECs in KS4 and KS5 together with the experiential and vocational offering. In addition to mastery of the core subjects such as in English, Mathematics and Science, pupils participate in a range of exciting off-site learning opportunities that support the curriculum for example – horse riding; farm school; forest school and practical and vocational work such as film making, robotics and photography. We are across two sites, the main site accommodating pupils up to sixth form, and our Vocational College for post 16. Pupils from across the school have an opportunity to use the facilities at our Vocational College and learn vocational/practical skills.

Our pupils’ neurodiversity means that we focus on their social and academic development. This is reinforced by powerful pastoral and family engagement programmes. In addition, we have a highly experienced therapy team – for example Speech and Language, Play Therapy, Counselling and Occupational Therapy to address our pupils’ individual needs. Our specialist staff know all our pupils, parents and carers very well and this forms the bedrock of our approach.  The ambition for all our pupils is for them to learn and develop their social skills so that they can embed and apply their learning and create the foundation for further education, training and employment. Where appropriate, work attachments and experiences are provided. We aim to provide holistic learning opportunities with clear outputs and outcomes, working closely with parents and carers to identify and develop the talents and skills of our very special children.

It is our duty and responsibility to provide the right environment to nurture our pupils’ confidence; to give them the necessary skills to be resilient and responsible citizens and to create and celebrate their paths to success.

I extend a warm welcome to you.

Alicja Emmett Headteacher 

Job Contact Information

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We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all our students. You are advised that this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and therefore this post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure Application to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). Please be aware that schools are also required to undertake online recruitment checks on shortlisted candidates under changes to Keeping Children Safe in Education.