Virtual School Education Consultant - REQ005739

INTERNAL ONLY VACANCY. This post is open to existing Leeds City Council employees only. Applications will not be considered from external candidates.

Job title: Virtual School Education Consultant

Salary: PO6 £51,356 - £54,495

Hours: 37 hours per week

Contract: Permanent

Location: Tech North / Other council and social care buildings / Hybrid

The Virtual School is excited to be seeking an Education Consultant to join our passionate, experienced and skilled team working to promote the education of children who have, at some point in their lives, needed the support of a social work intervention to keep them safe. That might mean children who currently have a child in need or child protection plan, those in our care or care experienced, children living in kinship families and those who are adopted.

As a Virtual School Education Consultant you’ll thrive on being an advocate for some of the most vulnerable children in our city, working across schools, settings and services in a trauma informed way to ensure our children are included, feel that they belong and can attend, attain and achieve at every stage of their learning journey. You will be making a difference every day and will be skilled in evidencing the impact of the work you do on outcomes for our children and young people.

It’s not about an on-line learning service! The Virtual School team will need you to be able to provide high support and challenge to individuals, schools, settings and services. You will hold onto ambition and aspiration when others might be lowering their expectations about our children’s potential. You will challenge language and approaches that stigmatise. Your knowledge and skill will improve and promote inclusive practice and provision. You will be an enabler between education and social care, bringing together the practice so that our children get better outcomes.

Leeds City Council is one of the largest employers in the region with over 14,000 employees. We seek to recruit and develop talented individuals who embody our council values and ambitions.

About you

As a Virtual School Education Consultant, you will bring to the role:

Knowledge of developments, best practice, professional and legislation relating to Children Looked After
Proven ability to develop personal and professional credibility with partners and stakeholders
Experience of working in a multi-agency environment and forging and driving successful partnerships
Experience of working effectively in teams and promoting a ‘can do’ attitude within an environment of continuous improvement and positive outcomes for children and young people
Knowledge of current local and national issues impacting upon the service and be able to demonstrate a clear linkage with the needs of children and children and young people across the city

About the role

As our next Education Consultant you’ll be knowledgeable and highly skilled in understanding the complex needs of children and young people in our cohorts, especially their social, emotional and mental health needs You’ll use this to influence the care and education services that support them. Whilst your role will not involve direct work with children, you will have a proven ability to shape and influence practice will ensure they can enjoy learning, feel included, make progress and achieve their potential from whatever their starting points. You will be able to build personal and professional credibility with schools, social workers, SEND services, foster and kinship carers, placement services and residential teams, adopters, special guardians and children and young people. You will be driven by promoting inclusion and equality of opportunity and outcomes for our children, making sure that care experience as a protected characteristic has meaning and impact. You will encounter a vast range of different types of education provision both in Leeds and around the country that will stretch and challenge you. With our support, you will do this whilst keeping children at the heart of everything you do.

The role is integral to our Virtual School team and you’ll be working alongside four other skilled and knowledgeable consultants. You’ll provide direct line management and supervision to our Personal Education Plan Co-ordinators and help us deliver our duties across all our cohorts. You’ll report to an experienced Education Adviser and be engaged in a whole range of different activities, working collaboratively within our team and with teams and services in the wider council and external partners. You will need to be skilled at managing a high and variable workload where priorities can change on a daily basis and where being able to account for the difference you make is key.

What we offer you

We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:

a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays
membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions
flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements

a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities
a range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further

How to apply

Please complete the online application form.

Read our guidance for further advice on completing your application.

If you have any queries or would like an informal chat about the role please contact Jancis Andrew 07891272298 or Sarah Cowley 07891272670 or email jancis.andrew@leeds.gov.uk/ sarah.cowley@leeds.gov.uk

interview dates: 4th and 5th June, Venue to be confirmed.

A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check against the Children’s or Adults’ barred list as applicable will be carried out on preferred candidates. Read our recruitment of ex-offenders policy.

We welcome applications from everyone and actively seek a diverse range of applicants from all backgrounds and cultures. We particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to, women, carers, veterans as well as LGBT+, ethnically diverse, disabled and care experienced people.

This role is based in the UK. Home Office guidance states that candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK prior to commencing employment, either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa.

If you do not have the right to work in the UK, you must consider your own eligibility for sponsorship for a particular role through the Skilled Worker visaroute before applying. To be eligible for sponsorship you'll usually need to be paid the standard salary rate of at least £41,700 per year or meet one of the other eligibility criteria. Ensure you are eligible before applying.

Job Description

Job purpose

To assist the Virtual School Education Adviser in raising the educational attainment and achievement of Leeds Children Looked After (CLA).
To contribute to improving educational outcomes for CLA by working in partnership with designated teachers, settings and services for CLA.

Responsibilities

To ensure that care planning and review processes comply with the statutory duty of the local authority to promote the educational attainment of CLA.
To work with designated teachers, services for children looked after, foster carers to ensure that all CLA have a quality Personal Education Plan that supports them to fulfil their educational potential.
To support training and development for designated teachers and social workers in quality planning processes for PEP.
To work closely with social workers, admissions, headteachers and designated teachers to ensure that all CLA have a school place or provision in settings that are good or outstanding including those CLA who are educated out of authority.
To assist schools and social workers in the completion of PEPs.
To advise schools and social workers on the effective use of CLA Pupil Premium to impact on attainment and achievement.
To use monitoring data to target any CLA who are at risk of underachievement, working with schools and carers to provide additional activities and support.
To check all CLA have access to a wide range of extra curricular activities to suit their individual interests, to increase confidence, widen their friendship base and to expand their future career choices.
To assist in transition across all phases of a child’s education.
To assist in the collation of educational memories.
Ensure that CLA have a voice in planning their education and the services that support them.
The duties outlined are not meant as an exhaustive list and will also comprise any other duties within the spirit of the post commensurate with the job evaluation outcome for this post.

Qualifications Qualified teacher status

Essential requirements Candidates will only be shortlisted if they can demonstrate that they meet all the following essential requirements.

Excellent communication skills with the ability to form positive relationships.
Proven ability to develop personal and professional credibility with partners and stakeholders.
Ability to work on own initiative and as part of a team.
Ability to prioritise workload and work with a minimum of supervision.
A high degree of sensitivity.
Ability to pass on vital information to line manager.
Ability to anticipate issues, plan solutions and make informed decisions by being creative, innovative and forward thinking.
Ability to work under pressure and to tight deadlines.
Relevant technical qualification and membership of relevant professional bodies and evidence of ongoing professional development within specific application age group.
Demonstrate a clear understanding of the Child Friendly City concept and the voice and influence of children and young people to underpin this.
Knowledge of developments, best practice, professional and legislation relating to Children Looked After.
Knowledge of the complex needs of Children Looked After.
Knowledge of current local and national issues impacting upon the service and able to demonstrate a clear linkage with the needs of children and children and young people across the city.
Demonstrate an understanding of the Child Friendly City concept and the voice and influence of children and young people to underpin this.
Extensive knowledge of developments, best practice, professional and legislation relating to Children Looked After.
Detailed working knowledge and understanding of Outcome Based Accountability (OBA) and Restorative Practice (RP).
A high level of understanding of involvement of young people in Service design and governance arrangements.
Experience within the relevant Children’s Services environment (schools, colleges or local authority)
Experience of working in a multi-agency environment and forging and driving successful partnerships.
Experience of working effectively in teams and promoting a ‘can do’ attitude within an environment of continuous improvement and positive outcomes for children and young people.

Essential behavioural and other characteristics

Understand and embrace Leeds City Council values and behaviours and codes of conduct
Committed to continuous improvement in all areas and work towards delivering the Leeds Ambitions of health and wellbeing, inclusive growth, thriving strong communities, and a resilient sustainable city
Able to understand and observe Leeds City Council policies and procedures
Carry out duties having regard to an employee’s responsibility under Health, Safety and Wellbeing
Participate in appraisal, training and development activities to ensure up, to date knowledge and skills
Be aware of and support difference and ensure equality for all working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding equality and diversity of Leeds City Council
Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, and any form of abuse, reporting any concerns to the appropriate person
Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade.
The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol and the role will be expected to work within these parameters

Desirable requirements Candidates are not required to meet all the following desirable requirements however these may be used to distinguish between candidates

Experience of working within a Virtual School team

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