Education Entitlement Coordinator

About Us

North Somerset Council is committed to providing high-quality services to our community. We are committed to creating a fair, green, and more inclusive environment for all our residents. Join us and contribute to making a positive impact on our community.

The Role

We are seeking a dedicated and enthusiastic Education Entitlement Coordinator to join our Participation and Inclusion Service.

The Participation and Inclusion Service are responsible for school attendance, elective home education, children missing education, child performance licensing, and child employment. We also fulfil statutory duties for Post 16 young people, as well as supporting the achievement of GRT children. We are also responsible for school exclusions and ensuring provision for children who are permanently excluded, we also over see the local authority duty for children who are too ill to attend school. We have two very successful Inclusion Panels attended by schools in North Somerset and offer a reintegration service to support school transition. Our service works to support vulnerable children and has close working links with the SEND team, Virtual School, Children's social care and schools across the local area.

This is an exciting new role in the service and provides a great opportunity for development.

Working under the direction of the Head of Inclusion, working as part of the wider Inclusion Service, the role will support the Local Authority to meet its statutory duties on school attendance and ensure that all children, for whom the LA is responsible, who are without a school place or who are receiving less than their full-time entitlement of 25 hours of education are identified and have provision made to meet their needs and entitlement. This will include working with schools and other agencies to ensure that all information is communicated and recorded and that appropriate actions are taken to provide the necessary educational hours. The Education Entitlement Co-ordinator will act as the first point of contact for queries from schools, parents, and other agencies, they will be responsible for maintaining the Children's Services database and for tracking outcomes.

Key Responsibilities:

• Create and manage a comprehensive reporting and recording system to provide an overview of children receiving fewer than 25 hours of education a week, for whom the LA is responsible.

• Record and triage referrals ensuring that the correct paperwork has been received.
• Maintain system to log and track referrals from schools and other professionals to ensure appropriate details are available for meetings and then to follow-up actions from them within a given time scale. Contact schools to determine what actions have been undertaken to increase hours.
• Liaise with staff in the Inclusion Service, SEND Team, Social Care and Admissions to ensure all information is up to date.
• Collect and monitor data on children who are missing 15 days or more due to illness from school.
• Provide the necessary data when requested to respond to Service and Council meetings and DfE/ Ofsted requests for information and statutory returns and information to challenge schools in the provision of education.

This position is exempt under the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions) Order 1975 and is subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check.

Valid driving licence and own transport, or be able to provide alternative, suitable method of travel is an essential condition for this role.

Work Style

At North Somerset Council, we offer a hybrid working environment based on four distinct work styles. Depending on the role and personal circumstances, you will fall into one of these categories. However, please note that during the induction period, it may be necessary to spend more time in the office to support your learning and development. We are flexible and open to discussions about your preferred working style, and if you wish to be in the office more frequently, this can be negotiated.

This role falls into the category of Flexible Worker which means you can expect to work in the following way:

• 2-3 days in the office
• Works both from home and the office, depending on the task at hand.
• Training is provided to help balance work-life and manage time effectively, with an emphasis on communication for team touchpoints and planning in-office days for collaboration.

About You

We are looking for an individual who is passionate about improving outcomes for children and who possesses the following skills and experience:

Essential Criteria:

• Vocational qualification or experience to level 3 or 4 relevant to the service area or equivalent practical work experience in education services.
• Knowledge and understanding of technical standards, safe working practices and legislation for children and young people not in full-time education provision.
• Ability to make analytical reasoning and recommendations regarding prioritising and responding to schools and Children's Service professionals regarding individuals not in full-time education.
• Good level of skill in using ICT and Excel
• Knowledge and understanding of safeguarding protocols and threshold levels for children.
• Knowledge of key policy in areas of school attendance and knowledge in areas of children missing education.

Desirable Criteria:

• Knowledge of the local authority's statutory duties under section 19 of the Education act 2006.
• Knowledge of SEND (SEN support and Education, Health and Care Plans) and alternative provision.

What We Offer

At North Somerset Council, we value our employees and provide a supportive and inclusive work environment. We offer:

• Competitive salary and benefits
• Flexible working arrangements
• Local Government Pension
• Opportunities for professional development
• Inclusive Staff groups including Carers, Disabled, LGBTQ+, REACH (Race, Ethnicity, and Cultural Heritage), and Young Staff Forums
• Opportunity to purchase up to an additional 10 days annual leave each year
• Dedicated in house Wellbeing Team
• Salary sacrifice Cycle to Work and Electric Vehicle schemes

Further details of our excellent rewards package can be found in our Benefits booklet .

How to Apply

If you share our vision and values and are ready to make an impact to North Somerset, please select the apply online button below. If you are interested in this exciting opportunity, please submit your application by 11.59pm on the application closing date. When completing our online application form, please detail how you meet the essential criteria for the role.

Contact Information

For further information about the role, please contact Jaida Aldred Head of Participation and Inclusion, jaida.aldred@n-somerset.gov.uk or 07769956017.

Important Information

As a Disability Confident Leader, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the job role.

Interview Date: 28 th May 2025

Please note: We are currently only able to accept applications from candidates who have full permission to work in the UK and are unable to provide Sponsorship for this role.

Equal Opportunities

At North Somerset Council we want all our employees to feel valued and appreciated. We aim to ensure equality of opportunity and prevent discrimination irrespective of your sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion or belief, race, age, disability, including neurodiversity, if you are married or in a civil partnership or are pregnant or currently on maternity leave. We strive to create a workplace that reflects the communities we serve and where everyone feels empowered to bring their full, authentic selves to work.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

We reserve the right to close this advertisement early or extend the closing date depending on the number of applications received.