School Admissions Officer

The starting salary for this position is £29,291 per annum based on a 36 hour working week. The role is offered as a fixed-term contract until 1st July 2024, covering an existing secondment within the team.

The School Admissions Officer sits within the School Admissions team, which has responsibility for:

• Delivering the mainstream school admissions service for all schools
• Co-ordinating normal rounds admissions
• Managing the in-year admissions service
• Arranging placement of challenging and vulnerable children under the Fair Access Protocol
• Tracking and monitoring applications up to the date children start school
• Identifying and referring children who might be missing education

These are complex areas of work which are heavily regulated. The admissions process has statutory application and offer dates which must be met, creating a pressurised environment. Relevant statutory guidance is issued by the Department for Education including the School Admissions Code, the School Admissions Appeals Code, guidance on the admission of summer born children, guidance on applications for overseas children, guidance on Fair Access Protocols, Home to School Travel and Transport Guidance and Children Missing Education.

To be successful in this role you should have the ability to communicate with stakeholders; in writing, over the phone and face to face. This includes parents, headteachers and other school staff, other internal Surrey teams and other local authorities. In addition, you must have the ability to provide comprehensive advice on individual school applications and to give accurate information and advice on Surrey’s school admission policies and the current availability of school places with regard to admissions and transport legislation and Surrey’s policies and processes.

The main duties of the role are:

• Processing in-year school applications
• Being involved in the annual new round process for allocating school places
• Preparing the written case for school appeals, particularly in the summer term
• Working closely with the other School Admissions officers to ensure that weekly tasks are completed and statutory deadlines are met
• Communicating with parents and schools by email, letter, in person and over the telephone

To be shortlisted to interview for this position your application will need to clearly evidence:

• Practical knowledge and experience of working within the service area of school admissions
• Understanding of relevant legislation, processes and procedures governing admissions and appeals
• A proven ability of managing and prioritising a caseload and of working under pressure to meet statutory deadlines
• Ability to show understanding in difficult and complex situations
• Effective written, verbal communication and interpersonal skills that have been honed to deal with a diverse range of customers and partners
• Competent IT skills, including Word and Excel and database management systems
• Ability to work effectively and flexibly as part of a team
• Familiarity with the principles of safeguarding and data protection

Does this sound like a career you'd be interested in? If so, we look forward to receiving your application!

At Surrey, our values and behaviours are just as important as our skills and abilities. They shape who we are as an organisation. Find out more about the values we follow.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on Wednesday 14th December 2022 with interviews to follow. 

Contact Details

For an informal discussion about this role please contact Ishbel Bouchez by email at ishbel.bouchez@surreycc.gov.uk

Benefits

From flexible working to job sharing (where possible) we are committed to providing a healthy work life balance. You will benefit from 26 days annual leave, rising to 28 days after 2 years’ service, a generous local government salary related pension, as well as the option to join our car lease scheme. For more information about the wide variety of benefits you can take advantage of please visit MyBenefits for Surrey County Council staff.

Our Commitment

Surrey County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer of first choice reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all under-represented groups.