Lead Education Advisor

The role is initially temporary with the view to making it permanent.

Interviews will take place on Tuesday 20th October.

Lead Education Advisor for children with a social worker

37 hours per week

We are pleased to be extending the Dudley Virtual School team and are looking to appoint a dedicated and passionate professional to support some of our most vulnerable children and young people. This is an exciting opportunity to make a meaningful difference to the educational outcomes of children who have previously been looked after, those with a social worker, and children living within formal kinship arrangements.

Job Summary

The postholder will support the Head of Virtual School in championing the educational needs of children who are previously looked after, have or have had a social worker, or are living within formal kinship arrangements.

The role will promote the education and achievement of children previously looked after and those in kinship care by providing advice, guidance and challenge to schools, professionals and families. Through collaboration and partnership working, the successful candidate will help ensure that children receive the support they need to overcome barriers to learning and achieve their full potential.

The postholder will contribute to the ongoing development and continuous improvement of Dudley Virtual School through supporting and challenging professionals working with children who have or have had a social worker or have formal kinship arrangements. The aim is to enhance educational outcomes, raise aspirations, and drive improvements in attainment, attendance and engagement.

The successful candidate will have:

Significant experience of working with vulnerable children, young people and families, alongside a strong understanding of safeguarding, child protection and early help processes. Applicants will have experience as a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL), or in a comparable safeguarding leadership role.

Experience of working effectively across multi-agency partnerships, including schools, social care, health services and other stakeholders.

The ability to analyse and interpret data to identify need, monitor performance and drive service improvement.

Experience of providing professional challenge and support to schools and practitioners to improve attendance, attainment, inclusion and educational stability.

A strong commitment to working with families and carers to strengthen engagement in education and improve outcomes for children.

Excellent communication, influencing and relationship-building skills, with the ability to engage confidently with stakeholders at all levels.

A degree-level qualification or equivalent professional qualification, together with evidence of ongoing professional development.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a forward-thinking Virtual School and make a lasting difference to the educational experiences and outcomes of children and young people across Dudley. If you are committed to championing vulnerable learners, driving educational excellence and working collaboratively to improve lives, we would love to hear from you.

Workplace Attendance:
Working in the office 3+ days a week (pro-rata)
or Onsite full time

So that we can demonstrate Dudley's commitment to diversity and inclusion and to improve bias in the recruitment process that could create barriers for candidates. Your personal data will be anonymised when you apply, to ensure that you comply with our anonymisation process, please ensure you have removed your name and date of birth from any attachments prior to uploading them to your application.

All applicants must be able to provide documentation to prove their right to work in the UK.

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