Virtual School Education Officer (VSEO)
Salary £44,685 to £48,003 pa (inclusive)
6 months maternity cover from 1 March 2026 – fixed-term contract for external applicants and/or secondment opportunity for LBE employees
What is Ealing Virtual School?
Ealing Virtual School exists to champion and secure the best possible outcomes for Children Looked After and Care Leavers. We work across teams to support young people, ensuring that statutory functions such as Personal Education Plans and attendance & engagement in learning are of the highest standards.
The outcomes for Ealing’s children looked after and care leavers who are engaged in education are some of the best in the country. We have excellent engagement for care leavers who reach university, and we are hungry for more success for those who have left care and need further support in their educational journey.
The Role
Are you ready to nurture professional relationships in support of the educational success of Ealing’s children looked after?
We are looking for an enthusiastic and committed individual to join Ealing Virtual School in our work to support children in care, specifically to support us to improve their educational achievement.
You will join other members of the team who work with schools, social workers and carers – the list is long – however the goal is the same. Your role is to ensure everyone has the information, advice, guidance and support they need to prevent any drift or delay in ensuring each child or young person has access to appropriate education, is engaged in their learning and confident to access the opportunities available to them. Your own actions will be varied and will require determination to secure outcomes. You will provide direct advice, support and training to a range of professionals and through this ensure that the termly PEP is completed by all.
There will be differences and complexities in situations so you will need to be creative and innovative to ensure the best next step is identified and taken. You will be managing information from different sources to ensure that information is up to date and readily available; responding to general enquires and providing specialist advice.
You will join a changing team, forming part of a new structure that includes an operational Deputy Head teacher. In this you will be well supported as you learn your new role
An attention to detail is required to support the personal education plan process and also to ensure that attendance is maintained at education provisions.
The successful post holders will:
- Be motivated to secure the best outcomes for Ealing’s most vulnerable young people
- Have the knowledge, skills and ability to work with professionals in planning meetings and to build effective relationships with young people and professionals alike and ensure that plans and support for education are implemented and maintained
- Have the flexibility to, on occasion, work outside of typical hours to support enrichment activities.
We accept candidates may not be able to tick all of these boxes but if you feel you can make a difference, we would encourage you to apply. At Ealing we have an open and flexible working culture and will seek to accommodate different working arrangements and needs wherever possible.
We would encourage a conversation about the role, please contact the Virtual headteacher, Andrew Martin, through ealingvirtualschool@ealing.gov.uk
Information about the Virtual School is here: Virtual school for children looked after and care leavers | Ealing Grid for Learning .
You must have the right to work in the UK. Evidence for the right to work in the UK will be requested at the interview stage.
It is an exciting time to join us, here at Ealing Council. If you would like to make a positive difference to our residents and borough, then we are looking forward to hearing from you.
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Ealing Council is committed to creating good jobs and delivering on its connected communities’ agenda. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive.
We therefore welcome applications from all residents of the borough, we particularly welcome applications from candidates who are entering the employment market in the early stages of their career and mid-career professionals, who are currently underrepresented in Ealing’s workforce.
Please note all applications will be determined on merit.
Ealing council is committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff to share this commitment. Ealing follows safer recruitment practices to protect children and vulnerable adults. The post holder will be subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) chec
This post is subject to Ealing’s enhanced vetting process.
The position is for a fixed period of six months. External applicants will be offered a fixed-term contract and existing Ealing Council employees will be offered the opportunity of a secondment. Ealing Council employees must ensure that a secondment release form is signed by their line manager before applying and emailed to Recruitment@ealing.gov.uk by the application closing date
Interviews will be held on 22 December 2025
TO APPLY FOR THIS ROLE, PLEASE RETURN TO THE EALING COUNCIL VACANCY SEARCH PAGE AND CLICK ON ‘APPLY ONLINE’ IN THE RELEVANT JOB SUMMARY BOX.
Salary range
- £44,685 - £48,003 per year