Education Officer

PRIMARY JOB FUNCTION

To contribute to raising the standards of educational attainment, achievement and attendance of Children Looked After (CLA) holding responsibility, overview and tracking of allocated class list of pupils on roll at the Virtual School.
To be responsible for education progress, attainment and attendance of allocated ‘classroom’ and class list.
To support children and young people in care to have full access to a range of educational opportunities; including post 16 options and choices.
To attend and contribute to multi- agency and other meetings to ensure that children and young people have education prioritised in all planning

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

To work with schools and other agencies to raise the awareness of the challenges faced by children and young people in care.
To maintain and update all attainment and attendance information on Virtual School database systems.
To contribute to and provide reports to weekly ‘Child in Focus’ (CIF) meetings chaired by Head teacher.
To work with school to support development of school policies, procedures and practice which supports the attainment and attendance of CLA.
To report pupil progress to Advisory Teacher at regular meetings.
To devise and negotiate alternative education programmes where necessary on behalf of CLA and monitor their effectiveness, including use of Pupil Premium Plus.
To attend PEP meetings and other school meetings to support and challenge plans and actions where necessary.
To attend Children’s Social Care meetings as required.
To audit PEPs and provide reports to Advisory Teacher and Head Teacher.
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To liaise with Local Authorities on behalf of children and young people wherever they are placed to ensure school provision and effective support is in place.
To record in the relevant places and in a timely manner (within 5 working days) detailed case notes on all correspondence and decisions concerning young people.
To liaise with other Virtual Schools in other boroughs to build working relationships and facilitate good practice.
To participate in and deliver training organised by the Virtual School for Corporate Parents.
To help analyse collate, evaluate and report on education data across the Virtual School
Work alongside the Head Teacher and other staff members to support events, projects and celebrations to enhance the work of the Virtual School and young people.
Facilitate and further develop and strengthen links with various young people participation groups; including In Care Council and Childrens Active Involvement Service (CAIS)

ADDITIONAL:
To achieve agreed service outcomes and outputs, and personal appraisal targets,
as agreed by the line manager.
To undertake training and constructively take part in meetings, supervision, seminars and other events designed to improve communication and assist with the effective development of the post and post holder.
To carry out duties and responsibilities in accordance with the council’s commitment to customer service excellence and ensure compliance with the customer care standards.
To be committed to the Council’s core values of public service, quality, equality and empowerment and to demonstrate this commitment in the way duties are carried out.
To ensure that duties are undertaken with due regard and compliance with the Data Protection Act and other legislation.
To carry out duties and responsibilities in accordance with the Council’s Health and Safety Policy and relevant Health and Safety legislation.
At all times to carry out responsibilities/duties within the framework of the Council’s Dignity for all Policy. (Equal Opportunities Policy).

PERSON SPECIFICATION

The person specification is a picture of skills, knowledge and experience required to carry out the job. It has been used to draw up the advert and will also be used in the short-listing and interview process for this post.
You should demonstrate on your application form how you meet each of the following essential criteria. Please ensure that your address each one of the criteria as this will be used to assess your suitability for the post.

EDUCATION and EXPERIENCE

Level 4 NVQ or above in relevant field work experience, e.g. social work, teaching, youth work, counselling, learning support assistant or proven extensive field experience working towards NVQ4 level.

Knowledge of the education system.

Knowledge and understanding of how being in care impacts on education.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS and ABILITY

Knowledge and experience of working with vulnerable young people including those with SEN statements.

A knowledge and understanding of relevant education legislation, the Children Act, Guidance and policies and current research with regard to children and young people in care.

Excellent communication skills.

Experience of working in a multiagency environment or educational setting.

Ability to prioritise tasks, deal with pressure and manage time effectively

Experience to maintain strict confidentiality and appropriately secure confidential information.

Excellent analytical skills, able to make sound judgments.

Commitment to Equal opportunities and Children’s rights and participation

Commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.

Willingness to work flexibly

Ability to adhere to the Council’s Dignity for All policy

This post requires an enhanced clearance from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), formally known as a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB)

Please Note:
Our positions are subject to pre-employment checks including employment references.
Please apply if your previous experience meets the above criteria. Our recruitment team will consider whether or not your application is suitable for this vacancy.
If you do not hear from us within 14 days of your application, please be aware that in this instance your CV does not meet requirement for this position. If we are able to take your CV forward to the next stage we will contact you by phone.

Positive Employment do not discriminate on grounds of Disability, Race, Age, Gender, Sexual Orientation and Comply with all relevant UK legislation.