Virtual School Education Support Officer

Education Support Officer

Band 5 – full time. Fixed term for one year initially.

Northumberland County Council is recruiting an enthusiastic and motivated Education Support Officer to join our multi‑disciplinary Virtual School.

As an Education Support Officer, you will support the education of children in care and care leavers working with schools, education settings and care teams to ensure children in care have a high‑quality PEP (Personal Education Plan) in place, within statutory timescales.

• Oversee cared‑for children in Year 11 living in and out of authority who may have complex behavioural difficulties, SEND or attendance issues, supporting them to attend education, preparation for exams and journey into Year 12.
• Ensure pathways into EET are appropriate, supportive and meet their individual needs.
• Support Designated Teachers and care teams to create stable learning environments, break down barriers and provide professional challenge where needed.
• Monitor and promote attainment and progress of children in care, including appropriate use of PP+ (pupil premium plus).
• Work with schools, challenging where needed, and provide direct work with cared‑for children, including 1:1 mentoring, behaviour support, attendance support and delivering therapeutic interventions (e.g., Thrive, Lego therapy).
• Support education of children in care and care leavers working with schools, education settings, and care teams to ensure high‑quality PEPs within statutory timescales.

• Experience of working with children and young people in KS4/5 is essential.

Virtual School, County Hall, Morpeth. For an informal discussion, please contact Shelley Wilson, Lead Education Support Officer, .

• 26 days annual leave plus public/bank holidays, rising to 31 days after 5 years of service (pro rata for part‑time employees)
• Automatic enrolment into the Local Government Pension Scheme
• Flexi scheme (if applicable) – up to two days flexible leave available per month (pro rata for part‑time employees)

We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria. If you have a disability and would prefer to apply in a different format, please see the alternative methods below. This information will be treated as confidential and will only be used to check that you meet the essential requirements of the post.

• British Sign Language – nort
• Speech difficulties or hearing loss – Text relay service dial  623930