Virtual School Lead - East

Due to the promotion of the current post holder with Dorset Virtual School, we have an exciting opportunity to be part of our team working to improve educational outcomes for Children in Care and Care Leavers in Dorset, aiming to set up high quality teaching and learning experiences for our children and young people across Early Years, schools and Post-16 Providers.

As the ideal candidate, you demonstrate:

• A child-focused approach: Prioritising the well-being and interests of children, ensuring their needs guide decision-making.
• Effective communication: Exceptional verbal and written communication skills enabling successful collaboration with diverse individuals and agencies.
• Experience of setting targets and monitoring and reporting on progress against these targets.
• A proven track record of successful work with children and young people in a school/ education and/or social care context as well as experience of supporting children where professionals have been unable to engage them with education.
• An awareness of quality assurance
• A proven track record of monitoring and reporting on progress, attendance and attainment.
• The ability to work in a trauma informed way to support our children and young people to achieve.
• The ability to work flexibly within a team environment.

You will need to be an education or social care worker and an experienced, flexible team member, committed to supporting some of our most vulnerable children and young people.

Learning and development opportunities linked to the strategic priorities of the Virtual School will be made available to our Virtual School Leads.

A willingness to work flexibly to meet the needs of the Virtual School is important. As some children are educated outside of Dorset, there is also some requirement to travel and so a full driving licence is essential. You must have a vehicle (or transport we deem suitable) available for use as needed.

Your centre of duty will be in Ferndown Local Office. There will be a hybrid approach to your work, which supports working from home and in the office. You may also be working in different locations across the county according to your work.

At Dorset Council, we are working together to create a fairer, more prosperous, and more sustainable Dorset for everyone, now and in the future.

We: 

• provide essential services that support over 380,000 residents 
• work in partnership to make a real difference 
• value every role and the impact it has on our communities 
• support our employees to grow, develop, and thrive 

You will: 

• be part of a team that works together for a better Dorset 
• have access to a range of benefits and support 
• have access to range of training opportunities which will help with your personal development and career progression 

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation where different skills, perspectives, and backgrounds strengthen both our council and the communities we serve. 

We welcome applications from everyone and are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. If you declare a disability and meet the essential criteria for the role, we will offer you an interview. We also want our recruitment process to be accessible. If you need any reasonable adjustments, just let us know on your application. 

This role is UK-based, and we will need to confirm your Right to Work as part of the appointment process. We use generic job descriptions and person specifications, so the job title in any attachments may differ from the advert. If needed, we will provide additional details in a context statement. 

If you’re passionate about making a difference, we’d love you to join us. 

Find out more about how to apply.