Finance Assistant - The Island Free School

Job Posted: 23 January 2026

• Contract Term: Maternity Cover
• Location: Ventnor, Isle of Wight
• Contract Type: Full or part time
• Salary: £24,671 FTE
• Industries: Administration Banking & Financial Education

Applications are welcome from those with a genuine interest in education.

The Island Free School is a small, state funded secondary school on the Isle of Wight offering a fully academic curriculum. It is expected that all pupils will follow the English Baccalaureate, plus three option subjects, to achieve a minimum of eight good GCSEs. Our vision is of a comprehensive grammar school: a school that combines the rigour and standards of an old-fashioned grammar school with a genuinely comprehensive intake. This vision has proved popular with local parents and the school has been oversubscribed every year since opening in 2014.

We take pupils from all backgrounds and give them the confidence and ambition to succeed in a competitive world. To balance our academically rigorous curriculum we have invested heavily in the development of a wide ranging extra-curricular enrichment programme and our school has a Performing Arts Specialism.

This is an exciting opportunity for the right individual to join a high-performing and collaborative team and play a key role in delivering an outstanding learning environment.

The successful candidate must:

• Have excellent attention to detail.
• Have an organised and methodical approach. 
• Have an appetite for learning and development.
• Be a facilitator, and a problem solver.
• Be a team player and have a flexible approach to work.
• Be professional at all times.
• Be computer literate, with Excel and spreadsheet experience.
• Preferably have finance experience and have Accounting Package/Sage experience.

Job Purpose: 

The Finance Assistant will provide professional financial administration and support vital to the operational running of  the school, supporting the finance department with day to day administration to ensure compliance with financial policies and procedures.

The Finance Assistant will:

• Ensure efficient processing of supplier invoices, including appropriate authorisation, accurate nominal coding, reconciliation and timely payment by BACS, as well as chasing and processing credit notes. They will also deal with any supplier queries, and ensure the accuracy of receipt of the goods.
• Ensure all transactions are properly recorded and entered into the computerised accounting system (Sage 50 Professional).
• Assist the Finance Officer with sourcing value for money purchases as requested and required for the operational running of the school for goods and equipment. 
• In the absence of the Finance Officer will take responsibility for any Rew Valley external bookings, ensuring any changes are communicated with the appropriate member of staff in a timely manner, and updating where required any invoices to reflect these changes.
• Support the educational trips and visits team from a financial administration perspective, including Arbor payment and enquiries and debt collection. 
• Provide routine administrative support in the finance office. This includes monitoring and processing the finance mailbox, general correspondence with suppliers and parents, placing small orders with suppliers, filing of information and invoices, and ensuring a continuous supply of finance based forms to other staff.
• Assist pupils at breaktimes with balance enquiries and finance questions.
• Assist with the audit process.
• Assist the Finance Officer with the maintenance of financial records to ensure the smooth operation of all finance matters and compliance.
• Maintain confidentiality of information to ensure compliance with all requirements related to the Data Protection Act/ General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).

The Island Free School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and we expect all our staff to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references.

In line with Safer Recruitment, we are unable to accept applications without the completed application form. To apply, or for more information on the role please visit our website: https://theislandfreeschool.org/vacancy-finance-assistant-maternity-cover/