Senior Admissions (Caseworker) Officer in Kingston upon Thames

About the role

This senior admissions (Casework) Officer role is one of two such posts in the team: one focusing on admissions in Kingston and one on admissions in Richmond. The successful applicant will work with the Head of School Admissions, the other Senior Admissions (Casework) Officer, the Senior Admissions (IT) Officer, schools and other stakeholders to implement school admission arrangements for each council; and in so doing assist the planning and management of the allocation of primary and secondary school places, including using discretion regarding more complex admissions applications where highly developed judgement is required, such as queries relating to where applicants and their children are living.

Responsibilities

• Managing four members of the School Admissions team.
• Ensuring the processing of school admissions applications.
• Drafting responses to complaints, FOI requests and queries from councillors and MPs.
• The development of admissions policies and procedures.
• Representing the authority at formal admission appeal hearings and fair access panels as the need arises.

About you

The ideal candidate will have a commitment to providing a highly professional standard of work, together with strong organisational and interpersonal skills. You will be expected to be a quick learner, have previous experience of school admissions, dealing with both internal and external customers, be able to prioritise your own workload and work to tight deadlines. You will be expected to manage a large and diverse workload under pressure, and will be required to work flexibly to meet service needs.

Candidate will demonstrate

• Knowledge of statutory legislation, policy, guidance and procedures in relation to School Admissions.
• Proven ability to effectively use data, intelligence and evidence to create meaningful insight to inform decision making in complex school admission cases.
• High oral and written communication skills, including the ability to use different communication styles, ICT and techniques to present ideas and influence others.
• Proven ability to work methodically, analytically and accurately under periods of sustained pressure.
• Strong organisational abilities including: time management, creative‐thinking, problem‐solving and multitasking.

About our benefits

We are focused on creating a positive supportive environment, where you will have access to a really wide range of resources, as well as a competitive salary and all the perks to enable hybrid working. In AfC you will also have access to:

• 29 days annual leave, increasing to 33 days after 2 years and 35 days after 4 years with an additional day off in your birthday month (Or for term‐time workers, your leave entitlement consists of the non‐working periods in your contract).
• Tailored induction sessions commencing on the date you start working for AfC.
• Local Government salary and pension scheme (LGPS or Teachers Pension).
• Flexible working options - helping to keep a good work life balance.
• A comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme.
• A range of staff benefits and discounts.
• An excellent learning and development offer to support your career pathway.

Important Information

• Start dates: Achieving for Children have set start dates meaning successful candidates join on a set date in each month. Candidates are advised to prepare for this should a job offer be accepted to ensure eligible continuous service is not affected.
• Right to work: The UK has introduced a new points‐based immigration system affecting EU and Non‐EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance.
• Equality: We particularly welcome applications from sections of the community who are currently underrepresented within our teams. Achieving for Children are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions and can improve the way we deliver services. We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer.
• Safeguarding: We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Therefore, it is strongly advised that you complete and return your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.