Admissions & Transport Officer

Job Title: Admissions and Transport Officer

Starting Salary: £27,694 progressing to £31,022 per annum

Hours: 37

Location: Farnham House, Stevenage (hybrid working)

Contract Type: Fixed Term - 12-month contract

Directorate: Children's Services

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.

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.

• Act as the main point of contact for school admissions and transport queries.
• Make informed decisions on school placements and transport entitlements based on published guidelines.
• Collaborate closely with schools to provide support, guidance, and accurate information to parents on admission procedures, transport criteria, and the Independent School Appeal process.
• Address 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.

• Excellent communication skills: demonstrated 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.

• Knowledge of 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.

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.

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.

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.

To hear more about this opportunity please contact Joanne Scrase (Joanne).