Admissions Team Manager

The Opportunity

Salary: NJC Grade 12 £46,731 to £49,764 per annum

Contract Type: Permanent

Working Pattern: 37 hours per week, full time

Location: County Hall North, Horsham

Please note:

• There will be a requirement for undertaking visits to schools, meeting with headteachers and governing bodies and parent / carer groups, sometimes outside of normal office hours.
• This role is highly demanding, where you will manage complex tasks within challenging timescales.
• You must be able to travel throughout the county including to locations that are not always accessible by public transport.

Closing date: 25 May 2025

Interview date: w/c 09 June 2025

Are you looking for a new challenge in your career?

Are you passionate about supporting children, their families, and schools?

Do you enjoy leading and advising?

Join us as a Team Manager on Admissions, where your role is key for managing the performance and delivery of the Admissions Team. Our Pupil Admissions Team deliver advice and support to families and schools, coordinating the admissions of children to primary and secondary schools across West Sussex.

You will be one of two Team Managers managing the work of the School Admissions Team. This post is responsible for three district and borough areas in the North of the county. You will also work as part of a wider team dealing with school place planning, capital projects and home to school transport where you are required to set high expectations for both personal and team performance.

You will collaborate with teams in other Directorates such as fair access, virtual school, SENAT, and other internal colleagues.

Key responsibilities of this role include:

• Implementing and evaluating strategies and policies for school admissions.
• Being up to date on legislation and statutory guidance.
• Building and maintaining effective communication and relationships with partners and organisations, particular schools and academy trusts.
• Leading on statutory information, guidance and support to schools, staff, and parents.
• On occasion, the role will involve talking to large groups of parents / carers who can be upset and/or distressed, for example at appeals and plenaries.

We are looking for someone with the ability to remain calm when speaking to or meeting with angry/upset clients and offer a sympathetic approach. You will need to be self-motivated whilst prioritising your personal workload to meet deadlines.

For more information on the Key Skills, Qualifications and/or Experience required, please refer to the Job Description attached. Please refer to the key skills in your cover letter as these will be used for shortlisting criteria.

Benefits

About Us

The Pupil Admissions Team coordinates the admission of children to primary and secondary schools across the county. The team provides high quality advice and support to parents, school leaders and governors on admissions policy and procedures.

The Team Manager for Admissions is part of the Organisation & Planning function within the Education & Skills Directorate. This function has responsibility for a number of Local Authority statutory and non-statutory functions including corporate Capital Programmes, Place Planning, Admissions, Home to School Transport, Children Missing in Education, Attendance and Investigations, Elective Home Education and SENDIAS.

BENEFITS

As an employer we recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance, and are rewarded for the work they do.

For a full list this can be found at our Rewards and Benefits page.

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

HOW TO APPLY

The reference number for this role is CAFHE05739.

For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact Leigh Hunnikin (Strategic Development Manager) at

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.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults.

This post is subject to five 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.