School Admission Appeal Clerk in Lewes

Do you have a passion for ensuring fairness, transparency and good governance? If so, we invite you to apply for the role of a school admission appeal clerk.

The role of a school admission appeal clerk is both challenging and rewarding. It’s a role that involves helping ensure school appeal hearings are conducted in a fair and transparent way and that clear, understandable Independent Appeal Panel decisions are relayed promptly to parents and admission authorities.

The key elements of the Clerk’s role are to:

• provide professional advice and practical support at school appeal hearings to all those attending; and
• record the Independent Appeal Panel’s decisions and reasons for its decisions and to then produce accurate draft decision letters.

The issues put before Panels are often complex and sensitive. Therefore, we are looking for someone who:

• has good analytical skills and a keen eye for detail
• has empathy and is naturally tactful
• has communication skills
• are able to act independently and problem solve although you will be provided with full training and have support from an appeals team

In recognition of the challenging nature of the role, clerks are paid a competitive hourly rate. Clerks work on a casual, demand-led basis, with days of work agreed by mutual consent.

Other duties include attending team meetings and participating in briefing sessions.

We are looking to recruit appeal clerks who will work at venues across East Sussex, but who would also need to be able to work from home and be comfortable with participating in hearings and meetings both remotely and in person. We estimate a clerk might work between 10 to 25 days a year. Although it should be noted that the busiest time of year is between April and July. During this period we need individuals who can commit to sometimes working up to four consecutive days (usually no more than two times a year).

To apply for this role, please follow the ‘Apply Now’ button above and upload your CV and a Supporting Statement. We will be using your Supporting Statement to shortlist so please be sure to address how you meet all the criteria in the person specification, drawing on any relevant work/life experience, education, or personal interests.

For guidance on how to write an application see our how to apply page.

Please download the Job Description and Person Specification for more information.

Interviews will take place in the week commencing 12 January 2026 at County Hall, Lewes. If you are unavailable on these dates let us know and we may be able to schedule an alternative date to interview you.

Candidates who meet certain criteria are given priority when we shortlist. See our priority status page for details.

Clerks play an active role at school admission appeal hearings by providing support and guidance to all the participants in the process.

If you would like to know more about this role, please call Summer Kelly, Governance and Democracy Officer, on 01273 336654 for an informal discussion.

We offer a diverse range of benefits to help and support you during your employment. More information can be found on our benefits page.

For work that makes a difference, choose East Sussex!