Reference: REQ7917
Description: Full Time / 37 Hours Per Week / Permanent. The Virtual School for Looked After Children oversees the learning and progress of Leicester’s looked after children and young people, wherever they are placed. Looked after children tend to do less well at school than their non‑looked after peers, so we aim to close the attainment gap and remove any barriers to learning. The Virtual School Team has 20 members of staff in a range of roles to oversee the education of looked after children and young people. We ensure all young people have access to full‑time education while supporting the delivery of the key priorities of the Virtual School for Looked After Children.
Appointing for this role is subject to an Enhanced Children DBS. It is a full‑time, permanent role working 37 hours per week from Monday to Friday. Occasionally you may need to attend events outside usual office hours.
Location: New Parks House, Central
Salary: GBP 35,412 – 38,220 per year
Contractual Hours: 37 hours per week
Basis: Full time
What You’ll Be Doing
Working closely with the Virtual School Head Teacher and Senior Leadership Team, you will act as the link officer and be responsible for the promotion of the educational achievement of a case‑load of looked after children and young people. Your time will be spent in the office, in schools, or meeting with carers, young people, social workers, school staff or other professionals, and also working from home. Each day may be different, depending on what needs to be done, and you will be expected to manage your own diary. You will attend meetings with members of the Local Authority, with your own team and with schools, carers and learners as required. You will develop strong working relationships with schools and other professionals to identify and respond to queries regarding the education of children and young people. You will organise and oversee the running of Personal Education Plan meetings for the young people on your case‑load.
What You’ll Need
Experience of working with professionals to support looked after children and improve their educational attainment, confidence to provide support and challenge in schools or settings, and experience of making complex decisions that significantly impact services for children and young people. Proficient IT skills, with a working knowledge of applications such as Word, Excel, Outlook, etc. Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to present complex issues and produce clear, well‑reasoned reports. Evidence of effective partnership working with a range of agencies and multi‑agency teams.
What We Can Offer You
As well as the satisfaction of helping to improve lives across Leicester, you can look forward to a work environment that encourages a healthy work‑life balance. You will enjoy generousannual leave, membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme and the option of flexibleworking. We will also give you the chance to develop your skills and expertise with a variety of trainingand development opportunities. In addition, you can choose from severalflexible benefits, including discounts on city buses and trains. For an illustrative value of your benefits package, take a look at ourbenefits calculator.
Join us
We’re committed to recruiting a diverse and highly‑talented workforce as we continue to build a council that is fitting and representative of our great city. That’s why we’ve designed our recruitment process to put you at your ease, make you feel welcome and bring the best out of you. We’ll do all we can to make our recruitment process as fair as possible. To help you with your application, take a look at the ‘our approach to recruitment’ page.
For an informal discussion about this post, please contact either Kevin Kinsella, Virtual School Deputy Head, via email to kevin.kinsella@leicester.gov.uk or Mandy Cannon, Lead Officer, via email to mandy.cannon@leicester.gov.uk.
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