School Admissions Officer

West Northamptonshire Council; Northampton; Hybrid; GBP 26,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Friendly team environment

Career development opportunities

Job summary

West Northamptonshire Council is seeking a School Admissions Officer to help families secure the right school place and guide them through the admissions process. You will support parents with queries, work with schools on places, and process applications to ensure fair consideration for every child.

The role combines administration, problem-solving and customer service, with a focus on accuracy, meeting deadlines and delivering a practical service to local families.

Qualifications

• Experience in administration, customer service, education, or another busy office environment could be valuable.
• Patience, empathy and good judgement are key.
• Ability to work through information accurately and stay organised during busy periods.

Responsibilities

• Help families understand the admissions process and what happens next.
• Process applications and ensure they're handled accurately and fairly.
• Liaise with schools and colleagues to answer queries and find solutions.
• Manage records, data and school place information and meet deadlines.

Skills

Administration

Customer service

Problem solving

Organisational skills

Tools

Spreadsheets

Job description

The following content displays a map of the jobs location - Northampton

West Northamptonshire Council 2.44K subscribers

Have you ever helped someone navigate a process that felt overwhelming? That's exactly what this role is all about.

As a School Admissions Officer, you'll help families secure the right school place for their child and guide them through the admissions process with confidence. From supporting parents with queries to working with schools and processing applications, you'll play an important role in helping local children access education.

It's a varied role that combines administration, problem-solving and customer service, making a real difference to families across West Northamptonshire. We're looking for someone organised, approachable and naturally good at finding solutions. If you enjoy working with people, love a good spreadsheet, and get satisfaction from keeping things running smoothly, we'd love to hear from you.

This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore subject to an enhanced DBS certificate. It is also a regulated activity and will be subject to a Children and Adults Barred List check. West Northamptonshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

What will you be doing?

You'll be the person helping to make sense of the school admissions process for families across West Northamptonshire.

That might mean talking a parent through their options, helping a family that's recently moved into the area, liaising with schools about available places, or working through applications to make sure every child is considered fairly and accurately.

A big part of the role is keeping everything running smoothly behind the scenes. You'll be managing applications, checking information, working with data, and making sure important deadlines are met.

You'll spend your time:

• Helping families understand the admissions process and what happens next.
• Processing applications and ensuring they're handled accurately and fairly.
• Working closely with schools and colleagues to answer queries and find solutions.
• Managing records, data and school place information.
• Applying admissions policies consistently and confidently.
• Keeping everything organised during busy periods and meeting key deadlines.

Most importantly, you'll be doing work that has a genuine impact. Behind every application is a child and a family counting on your support.

Why work for us?

This is a team that genuinely enjoys what they do. You'll be joining experienced colleagues who are supportive, knowledgeable and always willing to help each other out. Roles within the team don't come up very often, which says a lot about the people and culture here.

In return, you'll benefit from:

• Hybrid working, with a mix of office and home-based working.
• A friendly, welcoming team environment.
• Opportunities to learn new skills and develop your career.
• A role with real purpose and impact in the local community.
• The chance to help children and families at important moments in their lives.

About you

Organisation comes naturally. Whether it's managing competing priorities, keeping track of the finer details, or making sure nothing falls through the cracks, there's a real sense of satisfaction in keeping things running smoothly.

A background in school admissions isn't essential. Experience gained in administration, customer service, education, or another busy office environment could be just as valuable. What's important is the ability to work through information accurately, stay organised when things get busy, and provide a great service to the people who need support.

Patience, empathy and good judgement are key. Families often reach out at important moments in their lives, so being able to listen, explain things clearly and find practical solutions makes all the difference.

The team would love to hear from someone who enjoys working collaboratively, isn't afraid to ask questions, and takes pride in doing a job well. A calm approach, a keen eye for detail and a genuine desire to help others will go a long way in this role.

About us

At West Northants Council, it’s about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.

Our vision is ‘to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive’. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services.

We are committed to ensuring diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion is woven into the fabric of WNC and everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and maximize their full potential. We are a disability confident employer, a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and a Care Leaver Covenant partner

The following film was created by us to communicate our intentions - watch WNC colleagues explain what DEI means to us .

If you need additional support or reasonable adjustments during the application process, including needing the job description in another format or language, please email [e-mail] for support.

Please notewe reserve the right to close the advert early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications, so we recommend applying as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

West Northants Council, where careers thrive.