Virtual School Education Advisor

All about the Role

Are you an experienced education professional, passionate about improving outcomes for the most vulnerable students?

Peterborough Virtual School is looking for a highly motivated and innovative individual to join our aspirational team as an Education Advisor who can work collaboratively to influence, challenge, engender motivation and support a range of stakeholders to make a positive contribution to educational outcomes for children who are, or have previously been known to social care.

This is a great opportunity to join a successful team and to have a significant impact on the lives of young people across a wide range of settings.

To maximise education outcomes for children who are known to social care, you will:

• Provide high quality support and challenge to schools, settings and other education providers in relation to children known to social care, to ensure school leadership, culture and curriculum design promotes high quality educational experiences and outcomes.
• Actively participate in approaches which specifically impact on provision for children who have or have had a social worker from 0-18 years, through child and/or school level targeted support. This will include delivering training.
• Work in partnership with the networks of professionals around children and schools including colleagues within the education and social care directorates, carers and partners beyond the local authority.
• Contribute to the City Council's effective delivery of its statutory and associated obligations in relation to care experienced children.

All local authorities in England have a statutory duty to promote the educational outcomes of children in care and children previously in care. Additionally, the Virtual School has a non-statutory strategic leadership role for children who have or have had a social worker (Ever-CiN) and children living in kinship care (from September 2024).

To find out more about the Virtual School please visit our website:
Welcome to Peterborough Virtual School

The successful candidate must be passionate about and have experience of improving the educational experiences of vulnerable young people. You will be a confident communicator who is outcomes driven. You will have knowledge of key performance indicators and effective interventions relevant to children known to social care and the breadth of assessment systems within education. You will have the ability to form and maintain positive working relationships with a range of professionals.

Alongside this, knowledge of specific barriers and vulnerabilities faced by children known to social care and experience of inter‑agency partnership work would be beneficial.

You will have up to date knowledge of the education system, recent experience of working in a school or virtual school and will be able to offer support and challenge to ensure that educational outcomes are maximised.

You will be familiar with legislation and national guidance relating to the education of children in care and children who have or have had a social worker. Knowledge of SEND and recent experience of delivering training and effectively supporting children in transition would be beneficial.

You will be efficient, organised and be able to work using your own initiative within a wider team.

This role is hybrid working - office and home working are supported in line with the needs of the service. Additionally, it is expected that there will be time spent visiting schools.

You must be able to drive.

This a fixed term post until March 2027.

The closing date is Wednesday 21st January and interviews are likely to take place week beginning 26th January 2026.

For further information and an informal conversation please contact:
Virtu

We value our colleagues and have developed a number of benefits in addition to our generous annual leave starting at 25 days + bank holidays, sick pay and local government pension scheme.

• Access to a range of benefits via our Employee Benefits Platform, including in-store and online discounts as well as our Cycle to Work and Home & Electronics schemes
• Buy up to 10 days additional annual leave (pro-rata)
• Access to car lease scheme
• Take your bank holidays flexibly to better suit your personal circumstances
• Make Additional Voluntary Contributions (Shared Cost AVCs) to your pension with tax and National Insurance savings
• Access to development opportunities including apprenticeships to support your personal and professional growth
• Paid volunteering hours each year so you can make a positive impact on our community during your normal working day
• Access to our equality, diversity and inclusion network
• Opportunities to receive Employee Recognition Awards

We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer, dedicated to fostering diversity, advancing equity, and building an inclusive workplace for everyone. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and…