Personal Education Plan (PEP) Quality and Compliance Officer

Milton Keynes City Council; England; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in the UK is looking for a dedicated individual to support the education of looked after children. The role requires collaboration with various professionals, effective monitoring of educational plans, and expertise in the challenges faced by these children. Ideal candidates should have a strong background in education and excellent communication skills. Travel within and outside Milton Keynes is required, and a driving license is essential.

Benefits

28 days annual leave, increasing to 32 after five years

Excellent pension plan

Family-friendly policies

Employee benefits programme

Salary sacrifice car scheme

Qualifications

• Understanding of complex issues facing care experienced children.
• Ability to manage own caseload and set priorities.
• DBS Enhanced clearance required.

Responsibilities

• Work in an advisory role for school admissions.
• Collaborate to identify and support educational barriers.
• Monitor quality of Personal Education Plans (PEPs).

Skills

Experience with vulnerable children

Teaching and learning experience

Excellent communication skills

Job description

Overview

The Milton Keynes Virtual School promotes and champions the education of children who are looked after, previously looked after, who have a social worker or other care arrangements. We have clear policies, protocols and procedures to guide our work and enable us to act as advocates for the children we support. We're a small, focused and dedicated team who work with professionals who support children; providing advice and guidance, supporting the completion of Personal Education Plans (PEPs) and deploying resources to support educational achievement. We work wherever our Looked After Children are placed, so some travel outside Milton Keynes will be required, although much of our work is undertaken virtually. We continually seek to further develop high standards of education for our looked after children, and the successful candidate will contribute towards this goal.

Responsibilities

• To work in an advisory role to secure timely school admissions and/or Early Years educational provision for all looked after children on the allocated caseload.
• To ensure that all professionals work collaboratively so that educational barriers are identified and support is put into place to overcome them for looked after children on the allocated caseload.
• To effectively use data for monitoring and evaluation purposes for looked after children.
• To monitor and maintain an overview of quality of all PEPs on the allocated caseload and where quality is less than satisfactory, take corrective action.
• To contribute to the Virtual School training programme delivered to all stakeholders working with looked after children.

Requirements / Qualifications

• Experience of working with vulnerable children with an understanding of the complex issues facing care experienced children and how this can impact on their learning needs and academic attainment.
• Experience of teaching and learning, ideally with an understanding of children and young people with special educational needs. Experience within the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 curriculums is required.
• Ability to manage own caseload, set priorities and work to tight deadlines.
• Excellent communication skills to work both as part of a team and individually to build positive relationships with children, parents/carers, social workers and education settings.
• Travel to educational settings is an integral part of this role and therefore the ideal candidate would hold a driving licence. Evidence of the driving licence and vehicle insurance with business insurance will be required from the candidate should they be offered this position. Without this documentation the candidate will not be appointable.
• DBS Enhanced - as part of pre-employment checks an Enhanced DBS will be actioned (unless you are on the DBS Update Service).

About Milton Keynes City Council / Working with us

Milton Keynes City Council is a modern and friendly place to work. Find out more about working with us here: www.mkcounciljobs.org.uk

Milton Keynes City Council is a large, modern and financially stable employer with around 2,500 people working across our eight areas. Together we provide local residents and businesses with a wide range of important round-the-clock services and aim to make our city a better place to live. We work hard because of the demands placed on us, like protecting children from harm or preventing homelessness. However, working for the city is always rewarding and everyone has the opportunity to make a real difference. We’re very proud of our diversity and are committed to having a workforce that reflects the community we serve. Whatever your background, you will be welcome here if you share our values of being dedicated, respectful and collaborative. We offer great training and support and because of the size and scale of the organisation there are always new opportunities to explore when it’s time for a new role.

If you’d like to know more about how we do things and what matters to us, take a look at our short booklet What makes us Milton Keynes City Council.

Benefits

• Great holiday benefits - most roles include 28 days annual leave every year on top of public holidays, increasing to 32 days after five years. There is also a holiday purchase scheme allowing staff to purchase up to 5 additional days of leave each year.
• Excellent pension - as a Local Government Pension Scheme member, widely regarded as one of the best available.
• A full range of family friendly policies including enhanced maternity, adoption and paternity support and a childcare subsidy.
• Access to an award-winning employee benefits programme with a health cash plan, a low-cost bike purchase scheme and discounts on entertainment and travel.
• Salary sacrifice car scheme - low-cost leasing of electric and low emission vehicles.
• Blue Light Card - employees working within social care can qualify for additional discounts.