Working in a school office puts your clerical skills to work in a meaningful way. You’ll work with teachers, students, parents, carers and individuals connecting with the education setting daily.

The good news is that this position is predicted to grow strongly in the next few years. So, it’s a great time to partake in a school administration course.

Future growth: Strong

Labour Market Insights predicts: Employment in Education and Training is projected to grow by 149,600 (or 13.4%), and General Clerks is expected to grow strongly by 311,400 by 2026 (or 12.9%)!

Unemployment: Low

Career pathways: Education and training account for almost 12% of the main industries for General Clerks.

What is a School Administration Officer?

A School Administration Officer is a school office position for primary and high schools that involves managing and organising a school’s calendar and maintaining correspondence with parents or guardians. The role also commonly consists in helping sick children rest in the sick bay and making arrangements for them to be collected by parents/guardians. You will also help teaching staff with administrative tasks to make their job easier. You will also be the face of a school, greeting visitors and signing them in on arrival.

Skills Important for a School Administration Officer

There are some common traits School Administration Officers need to be successful in their role, regardless of the individual school in which they work. The following skills will be valuable if you’re considering a career as a School Administration Officer.

Strong communication skills

You’ll need excellent verbal and written communication skills to liaise with school students, staff, parents/guardians and those engaging with the school.

Customers service

As a first point of contact for all school students, staff, parents and visitors, you’ll need a friendly and helpful disposition with strengths in customer service.

Organisation

You’ll need excellent organisation skills to keep track of school records, communications and orders for school supplies and services.

Time management

You’ll work across many tasks with competing priorities as a School Administration Officer, so you’ll need exceptional time management skills.

Computer skills

You’ll regularly use computers, related software and equipment in a school office. So, proficiency in computer and technical skills is essential.

Patience

You’re working with children daily, so patience is a must! You will also be involved in event planning and working with outside suppliers, which also calls for a great deal of patience.

How to Work in a School Office

You don’t need formal qualifications to work as a School Administration Officer, but relevant education and training can work in your favour. The following steps will help you gain entry into this field.

1. Complete a school administration course, such as our Certificate of Office and School Administration.
2. Gain administrative experience in an office environment.
3. Enrol in courses to improve skills using spreadsheets and word processing
4. Complete a Working with Children Check and Police Check
5. Apply for advertised positions

Fascinating Facts about Schools Around the World!

Education around the world is fascinating – here are our top most fascinating facts about schools worldwide!

1. The oldest school in the world is Shishi High School in China. It was established between 143-141 BC by the Han dynasty governor Wen Weng. Despite its age, it has the latest equipment and modern teaching facilities.
2. A school in the Philippines, aptly named Bottle School, is made up entirely of 9000 recycled soft drink bottles filled with sand!
3. The largest school in the world is the City Montessori School in Lucknow, India. The school is in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most students, with 56,000 current enrolments.
4. Lunchtime in France is part of the curriculum, with children learning to appreciate different types of foods, the nutritional value of foods and table manners and etiquette.
5. Children in Finland don’t start official schooling until 7! But they might be onto something because they also have one of the most successful education systems in the world!
6. In Bangladesh, there are 100 boat schools. These floating educational institutions ensure that children are educated despite flooding issues in the country. The boats have internet access, a library and solar panels.
7. Children in remote areas of Colombia travel to school by zipline! If they didn’t travel this way, they would have to traverse dense rainforests, seeing them walking for hours daily! Fun!
8. French children attend school only four days a week, with days off on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. They also have the shortest school year attending only 36 weeks. But have the longest school day, starting at 8.30 and finishing at 4.30!
9. In many countries worldwide, including Australia, there are Forest Schools. These schools, also known as bush or beach kindy, offer children immersion programs in natural wild spaces!
10. China is the country that gives the most homework, with up to 14 hours a week dedicated to schoolwork at home!

Why Study a School Administration Course?

Schools need administration professionals to handle administrative tasks and facilitate communication between the principal and teaching staff, parents and students. As such, a school administration course is crucial to learn the skills and knowledge required to ensure as school runs smoothly.

Our Certificate of Office and School Administration is a comprehensive program that provides the skills and knowledge required to organise and manage school administrative tasks.

In this school administration course, you will learn to comply with school policy and procedures, meet organisational and legislative obligations, design and produce business documents, operate business software and more.

In this school administration course, you will learn to:

• Work effectively in an education team
• Comply with school administration requirements
• Organise personal and work priorities
• Use business software applications
• Organise schedules

Learning outcomes

Outcomes achieved by undertaking our school administration course include:

• Relevant education team goals
• Team purpose and success
• High-performing teams
• Roles and responsibilities
• Teaching / professional staff
• Childcare workers
• Junior and primary classroom teachers
• Secondary teachers
• Specialist teachers
• Determining work requirements
• Goals and objectives of the team
• Record keeping for child care centres and schools
• Administration and curriculum records
• Linguistic and cultural differences
• Communication in a culturally diverse environment
• Accessing and selecting forms
• Forms used in schools
• Using templates from software, wizards and templates from Microsoft Office applications and available technology
• Hardware and software
• Creating electronic presentations
• Develop work goals and Key performance indicators (KPIs)
• Organisational objectives
• Technology and software applications
• Software suitable for specific tasks
• Layout and style
• Basic design principles
• Clarify format and style
• Purpose, audience, format and presentation
• Technology and software
• Functions of technology
• Scheduling new appointments according to timelines
• Negotiating arrangements for appointments
• Record and manage appointments and schedules

And more!

 

If you’re interested in becoming a School Administration Officer, talk to our Course Consultants about school administration courses such as the Certificate of Office and School Administration.