School Appeals and Complaints Officer

Newcastle City Council; Newcastle upon Tyne; Hybrid; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

Newcastle City Council is seeking a Schools Appeals and Complaints Officer focused on Children and Families and SEND. You will coordinate complaints, FOIs, and appeals, working with education, SEND and social care teams to respond clearly, confidently and compassionately.

The role requires exceptional organisation, strong communication, and the ability to balance sensitivity with deadlines. You will help turn learning from complaints into service improvements that benefit children and families.

Qualifications

• Experience in education, SEND or social care.
• Experience with school admissions and/or exclusions appeals is desirable.
• Ability to coordinate a complex workload and meet deadlines.
• Ability to prepare clear, family-focused responses.

Responsibilities

• Oversee processes for receiving, recording, managing and reporting on Children and Families and SEND-related complaints and FOIs.
• Support managers to respond clearly, confidently and compassionately.
• Monitor actions and learning from complaints to drive improvements.
• Collaborate with education, SEND, social care, legal and corporate services to resolve issues.

Skills

Excellent organisation

Clear communicator

Analytical thinking

Collaborative working

Job description

Are you highly organised, great with people, and motivated by making a real difference for children, young people and families?

Do you thrive in a fast-paced environment where no two days are the same? If so, we’d love you to join our growing Complaints and Customer Relations Team.

We are looking for an Schools Appeals and Complaints Officer with a focus on Children and Families and SEND who will play a key role in helping the Council deliver high-quality, timely and fair complaint handling at a pivotal time of change. This is a fantastic opportunity for someone with experience in education, SEND or social care who wants to shape how services listen, learn and improve.

About the role

In this role, you will be the central point of coordination for Children and Families and SEND-related complaints, working closely with managers across education, SEND and social care services to support them in responding clearly, confidently and compassionately.

You’ll bring structure and calm to a complex and busy workload, helping services navigate sensitive cases, keep tight control of timescales, and ensure concerns are handled consistently and fairly. Crucially, you’ll help turn learning from complaints into meaningful improvement for children, young people and families.

You will:

• Oversee effective processes for receiving, recording, managing and reporting on Children and Families and SEND-related complaints and FOIs.
• Knowledge or experience of school admission and/or exclusion appeals would be particularly valuable, including an understanding of the importance of fair, impartial and well-organised appeal processes.
• Support managers to prepare well-reasoned, family-focused responses that are clear, proportionate and outcome-focused.
• Monitor actions and learning arising from complaints, helping services embed improvements and strengthen practice.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues across education, SEND, social care, legal and corporate services to support effective resolution.
• Prepare reports, summaries and insight to support performance management and service learning.
• Build strong, trusted relationships across the organisation — offering support, advice and constructive challenge where needed.

About you

We’re looking for someone who is:

• Exceptionally organised – able to manage competing priorities, maintain oversight of complex work, and meet deadlines.
• A confident communicator – skilled at explaining complex issues clearly and working sensitively with a wide range of colleagues.
• Relationship-focused – able to influence, advise and support without authority.
• Solution-oriented – motivated by improvement and confident in suggesting change.
• Curious and analytical – able to spot patterns, draw learning from casework and help services improve. We welcome applicants with experience in education, SEND or social care who understand these systems and are passionate about improving outcomes for families.

Why Newcastle City Council?

This is an exciting time to join us. SEND reform and changing expectations mean there is a real opportunity to strengthen how services respond to concerns and resolve issues earlier. You’ll be at the heart of that work — helping shape practice, support services and improve experiences for children and families.

You’ll join a supportive, knowledgeable team that values professionalism, learning and collaboration. We’ll give you the tools, guidance and flexibility you need to succeed and grow in this role.

Please contact Ash Des-Forges, [e-mail] for more information about this role.