The West Sussex County Council Education and Skills department delivers the County Council's statutory and strategic duties in relation to education through working in partnership with other council services, school leaders, sponsors, Trusts, and Diocesan leads.

The Fair Access Team sit within the wider SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) and Inclusion Special Advisory Teaching Service, carrying out all statutory and strategic functions relating to children and young people who have been excluded from school, are at risk of exclusion, or have a health need which prevents them from attending school.

Additionally, the team are responsible for managing the West Sussex Fair Access Protocol (FAP), and the placement of any pupils who meet FAP criteria.

Please note: You will need to be able to travel independently to other locations across the County, for example to attend a variety of local and County level meetings.

Benefits

Upon joining us you will have access to a range of benefits including:

An excellent local government pension scheme Generous holiday entitlement of 27 days (plus opportunity to buy additional leave)A range of flexible working options, depending on your job roleMaternity, paternity, dependency and adoption leaveVolunteering opportunitiesTraining and development opportunities, including coaching and mentoringFor a full list this can be found at our Rewards and Benefits page.

The Opportunity

As a Senior Fair Access Officer working within our Fair Access Team, you will play a key role in delivering professional customer service in all areas of Education and Skills.

You will be working with complex access and inclusion services, where your collaborative working skills will be valuable.

You will establish and maintain effective relationships and influence across the organisation, within a political environment. You will be accountable for ensuring the County Council adheres to its statutory requirements by ensuring senior schools' staff and governing bodies comply with the statutory guidance on exclusion from school and the Fair Access Protocol under the School Admissions Code.

Responsibilities of this role include:

Liaising with schools, families, agencies, and colleagues on inclusion support for children.Training school leaders and governing bodies on exclusion processes.Ensuring effective pro-active support and robust adherence to statutory guidelines relating to suspension and exclusion.Analysing complex and sensitive data to make informed decisions.Adhering to confidentiality and security of information.Assessing referrals for, and commissioning of, places in the Alternative Provision College.Developing solutions to challenges and problems to create the best outcomes for children and their families.For more information on the Key Skills as well as the Qualifications and/or experience required, please refer to the Job Description attached.

About you

We are looking for someone who understands fair access, alternative provision, and school exclusion, with experience of the education system.

You will need to prioritise and organise your own workload, using your initiative to solve problems and make decisions.

If you are passionate about children having fair access to education, enjoy advising others and working in a flexible manner, we would love to hear from you.

Further Information

The reference number for this role is CAFHE04907.

For further information regarding the role, please contact

To apply, please follow the links below to upload your CV and Cover Letter.

In your cover letter please outline your motivations for applying and explaining the skills and experience you can bring to the role (please refer to the key skills) ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV. Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.

This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check, 5 years referencing and an occupational health check.

Equity, inclusion, and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.

We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our application help page.