Education Support Officer - Surrey County Council : Job Details

The starting salary for this position is £35,730 per annum based on a 36-hour working week.

The role is offered on a two-year fixed-term basis or secondment opportunity.

We are excited to be hiring a new Education Support Officer (Post 16) to join our fantastic Surrey Virtual School team based in Woking, but with hybrid working options supported.

Rewards and Benefits

• 26 days' holiday (prorated for part time staff), rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 30 days after 5 years' service
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
• 2 paid volunteering days plus 1 team volunteering day per year
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources

About the Team

Surrey Virtual School (SVS) works with schools, social workers, carers and a range of services to help improve the educational experiences and outcomes of children and young people in the care of Surrey.

A 'Virtual School' is a way of bringing together the educational information about children and young people who are cared for by the local authority as if they were a single school - no matter where in the country they may live.

We work together with education settings, carers, social workers and a range of other stakeholders and professionals to improve educational outcomes, in line with our statutory duty and role as educational advocates of children looked-after. As a Virtual School we continually strive to improve arrangements and outcomes for our young people. Surrey Virtual School has been on a development journey and has secured significant improvements across a number of key areas, particularly the quality and timeliness of personal education plans (PEPs), increased school attendance and a reduction in the number of children awaiting a school place.

About the Role

You would be joining a strong and stable team of professionals who are totally committed to improving educational experiences and outcomes of children and young people in the care of Surrey.

The Education Support Officer (ESO) for Post-16 is a county wide role which sits within the Virtual School's Post 16 team. The main purpose of the role is to ensure every young person in the care of Surrey is supported to transition smoothly to a sustainable Post-16 education, employment or training (EET) provision when they leave secondary education and that they remain EET. This can often involve working with the wider network of professionals to address barriers young people have to participation.

In this role you will manage a caseload of over 100 looked-after young people in Years 12 and 13, some of whom have complex needs. You will be responsible for tracking the education, employment and training of each young person, swiftly intervening alongside the young person's allocated Social Worker and/or Personal Advisor where they need additional support.

In our Post-16, Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children and Progression to Independence team, you will be working alongside one other ESO for Post-16, two for our unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and young people and another who is dedicated to supporting young people who are over 18 to progress into further learning and/or employment.

The following areas of knowledge and understanding are required in the role of Education Support Worker - Post-16:

• An up-to-date knowledge of Post-16 education and training providers which cover Surrey, with contacts and networks in other local authorities
• A successful track record of working proactively and effectively to support young people in care in Years 12 and 13 and a strong understanding of strategies to reduce the number of young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) within this cohort
• A thorough understanding of the Personal Education Planning (PEP) process for looked-after children and young people and the significance of the PEP for young people and their progress
• An understanding of the potential impact of trauma and attachment difficulties on the development, behaviour and educational achievement of young people who are care experienced

Shortlisting Criteria

To be shortlisted to interview for this position your application will clearly evidence the areas outlined above together with:

• Excellent time management and organisational skills, with the ability to manage and progress multiple tasks so that young people access education, employment or training with minimal disruption or delay
• Experience of building and maintaining strong relationships with education settings, to ensure that our young people are properly supported
• A track-record in advocacy and support for vulnerable young people
• A flexible approach and positive, can-do attitude, modelling these behaviours for young people as well as providers, services and stakeholders
• Educated to Level 3 or above or equivalent

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 4th August with interviews to follow.

An enhanced DBS 'Disclosure and Barring Service' check for regulated activity (formerly known as CRB) and the Children's and Adults' Barred List checks will be required for this role.

Our Commitment

Surrey County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. A guaranteed interview will be offered to all disabled applications where:

• The candidate has evidenced the minimum criteria for the role through their application
• The candidate has chosen to share that they have a disability on the application form

Our application form and onboarding process will provide an opportunity to request any reasonable adjustments for the interview and/or the role. We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all underrepresented groups.