School Appeals Manager
Are you looking for varied, interesting and flexible work in management, which supports families and schools across Herts?
You can play the leading role in ensuring that the School Appeals Service delivers on its statutory responsibility to carry out the School Admissions Appeals process, Independent Review Panel (exclusion review) process and School Transport appeals process. A challenging role managing an experienced team, you will have the opportunity to undertake fascinating, varied work that really makes a difference to children and families across Hertfordshire.
Purpose:
Our highly regarded School Appeals Service is looking for an experienced and suitably qualified manager to lead the team whilst its own manager is on maternity leave.
Working remotely with occasional time in the office to support the team, this role involves working directly with parents, head teachers, admissions officers, legal representatives and colleagues across the County.
Responsibilities include:
• Management of an admin team of 4, a clerking team of 12, and around 80 volunteers who form the independent panels
• Budget control
• Acting as legal expert in school appeals
• Trouble-shooting issues in real time
• Working with various stakeholders and empathising with their differing viewpoints and conflicts to come to solutions in a pressurised environment
Challenges and Opportunities:
Each day as a School Appeals Manager is different. One day you may be concentrating on a complaint response from a school, ‘jumping’ on a Teams meeting to offer legal advice to a panel, and liaising with a councillor regarding a parental complaint. The next you might be agreeing the expenses of clerks/panel members, checking that the budget is as expected, completing a one-to-one with a clerk, and contacting a potential new volunteer to arrange an interview. It is varied, interesting work, that makes a real difference to the families with which the team works. It is also, at times very challenging, as you may face multiple issues at once, that all require an immediate response. Being able to problem solve quickly is essential, but at the same time, knowing when to take a step back and review the information being given to ensure an informed decision is important.
Technical Skills:
You will need:
• An in-depth knowledge of school admissions appeals/independent review panels processes and legislation
• Leadership skills, being able to manage a team who work mainly remotely, using different channels of communication
• Ability to communicate empathetically with all whilst remaining independent and impartial
• Ability to make decisions quickly and fairly
• Excellent written and spoken English
Hertfordshire’s School Appeals Service is very highly regarded across the country. The current role holder is a regional representative and is frequently asked for advice and support. We are very proud of the service offered, which is recognised as being high quality with low complaint rates. Volunteers enjoy working with the service, with many having worked for decades. You will be supported by a very able, experienced team.