At a Glance
- Tasks: Support the educational achievement of looked after children and young people in Leicester.
- Company: Join a dedicated team focused on improving lives through education.
- Benefits: Generous annual leave, pension scheme, flexible working, and training opportunities.
- Other info: Enjoy a healthy work/life balance in a supportive environment.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in the lives of vulnerable young people while developing your career.
- Qualifications: Experience with looked after children and strong communication skills required.
The predicted salary is between 35412 - 38220 £ per year.
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 and young people tend to do less well at school than their non-looked after peers and therefore, 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 our young people all have access to full-time education while supporting the delivery of the key priorities of the Virtual School for Looked After Children.
This 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. Appointment to this role is subject to an Enhanced Children DBS.
What you’ll be doing:
- Working closely with the Virtual School Head Teacher and Senior Leadership Team as the link officer responsible for promoting the educational achievement of a case load of looked after children and young people.
- Spending time in the office, in schools, or meeting with carers, young people, Social Workers, school staff, or other professionals, as well as some time working from home.
- Managing your own diary and attending meetings with members of the Local Authority, your team, schools, carers, and learners as required.
- Developing strong working relationships with schools and other professionals to identify and respond to queries regarding the education of children and young people.
- Organising and overseeing 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.
- Experience of making complex decisions impacting services for children and young people.
- Ability to effectively promote a range of interventions designed to address the complex needs of these young people.
- Proficient IT skills, including applications such as Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.
- Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal skills to present complex issues and produce clear, well-reasoned reports.
- Evidence of effective partnership working with a range of agencies, including multi-agency teams.
What we can offer you:
- A work environment that encourages a healthy work/life balance.
- Generous annual leave and membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme.
- Options for flexible working and opportunities for training and development.
- Access to several flexible benefits, including discounts on city buses and trains.
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.
