Admissions Assistant

We are looking for a highly organised and customer-focused Admissions Assistant to join our established Admissions Service team.

The post holder will play a vital role in supporting families and schools across the city by helping to manage the school admissions process, ensuring every application is handled accurately, fairly, and within statutory deadlines.

About the Team

Our Admissions Service is experienced, supportive, and committed to delivering a fair and transparent admissions process for families across Portsmouth.You’ll be joining a collaborative team dedicated to making a positive impact on children and young people’s education.

About the Role

You will act as a first point of contact for parents, schools, and partners, responding to enquiries via telephone, email, and the council helpdesk.You will handle a high volume of pupil data, ensuring it is accurately inputted and maintained within the admissions database.

In this role, you will apply admissions criteria to applications and support the allocation of school places, ensuring all statutory deadlines are met. This includes managing waiting lists and keeping records up to date.

You will regularly produce and send correspondence to parents and stakeholders, as well as liaise with schools and other local authorities to communicate pupil allocations and any changes.

You will also support the preparation of statistical reports and summaries for the Admissions Officer, maintain electronic filing systems, and assist with the smooth running of the service through general administrative support.

Occasionally, you will attend school open evenings and advice sessions to provide guidance to parents, which may require up to three evening commitments during peak periods.

We are keen to hear from candidates who:

• Have experience dealing with customer enquiries in a busy environment
• Are confident using ICT systems including Word, Excel, Outlook, and databases
• Can process large volumes of data with accuracy and attention to detail
• Thrive under pressure and can meet tight deadlines
• Have strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Are organised, adaptable, and a strong team player
• Have a good understanding of customer service and inclusive practices

Knowledge of school admissions processes or education services would be an advantage.

Please ensure that you read the full job profile attached for the details and expectations of this role, paying particular attention the section 'Who is the person' as you will need to refer to this when completing your Personal statement.

Working Arrangements: Office based with opportunity for hybrid working 2 days per week at home when trained/experienced.

Contact Details for an Informal Discussion:If you have any questions, or would like an informal discussion about the role, please contact Sarah Rich -sarah.rich@portsmouthcc.gov.uk

About Portsmouth City Council

Portsmouth City Council is a unique organisation, committed to making a difference, and is guided by core values that set who we are as people, what we stand for, and how we act.

We are committed to our values of respect, integrity, collaboration, inclusivity and being people-focussed. These values set out how we can contribute to the success of the council and our own success as individuals. Learn more about our values and behaviours.

Application process

We anonymise applications during application & shortlisting to ensure only relevant information is considered.

As part of your application, we ask that you complete a personal statement, this statement is crucial and is where you must demonstrate how you meet the requirements of the job against each of the points described in the 'Who is the Person' points on the Job Profile using examples from your experience or transferable skills. This might be through qualifications or descriptive examples from your work / personal experience.

We are a disability confident employer and Armed Forces Covenant gold standard. More information can be found at Equality, diversity and inclusion - Careers portal

We are committed to offering an interview to all those candidates that qualify under our corporate commitments and meet the minimum criteria, however, for roles that receive a large number of applications, we will select the candidates that best meet the minimum criteria.

You will need to demonstrate that you have the Right to Work in the UK. No post will be offered without it.

Please note : We are not able to offer sponsorship for this position.

Should you require any support in completing the application form please contact recruit@portsmouthcc.gov.uk or call the recruitment team on 023 92 616 800.

Safeguarding

Portsmouth City Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and young people, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Every post is subject to PCC and Portsmouth Safeguarding Children Partnership safer recruitment procedures.

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) at Standard/Enhanced level will be required prior to any offer of employment and this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Please read the relevant DBS privacy notice before submitting any information.