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Job Title: Admissions and Transport Officer
Starting Salary: £27,694 progressing to £31,022 per annum per annum
Hours: 37
Location: Farnham House, Stevenage (with hybrid working)
Contract Type: Fixed Term - 12-month contract
Directorate: Children's Services

About the team

As one of ten Admissions and Transport Officers, you will play a vital role in ensuring that the 30,000 Hertfordshire residents who submit phase transfer applications for their children each year receive accurate and timely school allocations in accordance with national timescales. Additionally, you will be responsible for conducting assessments for home-to-school transport eligibility in line with relevant policies.

Admissions and Transport Officers are crucial in providing parents with clear and precise advice, assisting them in navigating the admissions process and accessing necessary transport services. You will collaborate closely with a lead officer, departmental team managers, schools, and other colleagues across Hertfordshire County Council to ensure the accuracy of information and the correct processing of all applications.

About the role

The Admissions and Transport Officer serves as the primary contact for Hertfordshire County Council regarding school admissions for primary and secondary phases within a designated area or group of schools. This role involves making decisions in line with established rules and policies, such as allocating school places and determining eligibility for free home-to-school transport.

Key responsibilities include:

• Acting as the main point of contact for school admissions and transport queries.
• Making informed decisions on school placements and transport entitlements based on published guidelines.
• Collaborating closely with schools to provide support, guidance, and accurate information to parents on admission procedures, transport criteria, and the Independent School Appeal process.
• Addressing a wide range of correspondence, including explaining complex admission rules, managing parental responsibility cases, and handling sensitive issues related to children's medical or social difficulties.

About you

Essential:

• Excellent Communication Skills: Demonstrate outstanding written and verbal communication abilities to effectively support and advise parents/carers and collaborate with a diverse range of professionals and agencies.
• Confidence and Diplomacy: Exhibit confidence, diplomacy, and the ability to remain calm in sensitive situations, such as discussing children's disabilities or special needs, and when handling complex complaints.
• Organisational Skills: Be highly organised and methodical, capable of working systematically to meet tight statutory and corporate deadlines.
• Attention to Detail: Maintain exceptional attention to detail and accuracy, even when managing a high volume of work.
• Workload Management: Efficiently manage and prioritise your own workload while being a strong team player with a flexible and adaptable approach.
• Customer Service Experience: Possess experience in delivering high standards of customer service in a pressurised environment.
• Problem-Solving Skills: Demonstrate strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
• IT Competency: Be proficient with IT packages, including word processing, spreadsheets, databases, and email.

Desirable

• Knowledge of Policies and Legislation: Familiarity with policies and legislation related to school admissions and home-to-school transport entitlement.
• Statistical Experience: Previous experience in producing and manipulating statistics, particularly using tools such as Excel.

If you thrive in a fast-paced environment and enjoy making a difference in a customer service role, the Admissions and Transport Officer position is perfect for you. This role provides an excellent opportunity to enhance your customer service skills while expanding your knowledge of school admissions, appeals, and transport legislation. Additionally, you will have the chance to build strong relationships with schools and collaborate with colleagues across Hertfordshire County Council.

We welcome applications from candidates who currently reside in the UK with established proof of right to work documentation. We are not able to offer sponsorship at this time for this role.

This job role is Level 7. Please locate the job profile here:

Job profiles - Community services

To hear more about this opportunity please contact Joanne Scrase (Joanne.Scrase@hertfordshire.gov.uk)

Interview Date: Monday 17th August and Wednesday 19th August

Benefits of working for us

How to apply

As part of your application, please upload your most recent CV. Ensure your CV is up to date with your employment history (including any employment gaps), and including any training/qualifications. We encourage you to include examples of where you have demonstrated the requirements/criteria in the advert / job profile to allow the panel to fully recognise your skills and abilities. You will have the opportunity to include a short covering paragraph within your application to give us a little more information about your skills, knowledge, and experiences.

Secondment
This role is open to secondments for eligible employees who work for HCC. If you wish to apply on a secondment basis, you must have your line manager’s approval before submitting your application. You will be asked to confirm this within your application form. If you are not eligible for a secondment (e.g., you are currently on a fixed‑term contract that would end before this positions ends) or you indicate that your manager cannot support a secondment, your application will be considered on a fixed‑term contract basis instead.

Additional information

We are changing
Hertfordshire County Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation (LGR). If you are employed by Hertfordshire County on 1 April 2028, it is expected that most roles will transfer to the newly-created unitary councils on existing terms and conditions under TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings – Protection of Employment) principles.

LGR is one of the biggest changes we will face in a generation. It will reshape how we work and how services are organised and gives us a real opportunity to build something better. To find out more, visit https://www.hertfordshire-lgr.co.uk/

Disability Confident
We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

English Fluency
The ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post (for those whose language is a signed language the provision of a sign language interpreter who speaks English to the necessary standard of fluency will be required). Further information about the legal requirement can be found here.