Wirral Council is a place where you can genuinely make a difference, guided by strong organisational values that shape everything we do. Our values, ambitious, professional, resident‑focused and accountable, act as our organisational DNA, influencing how we work, lead and support one another every day. We take pride in delivering great services, acting with integrity, building positive relationships, and always putting residents first, creating a supportive and inclusive culture where everyone can “be the best we can be”. With our beautiful surroundings, ambitious future plans, and a commitment to empowering staff to #BeTheDifference, Wirral Council offers an inspiring environment to grow your career and make a lasting impact.

Education Progress Officer (12 month FTC) 

Wirral Virtual School

About the Role

Wirral Virtual School is seeking a motivated and committed Education Progress Officer to support the educational success of our Children Looked After across secondary education.

In this role, you will work in close partnership with secondary schools, colleges, social workers, foster carers, and residential settings to ensure that children and young people achieve positive educational outcomes. You will monitor and track attendance, engagement, and progress, identifying learning gaps and supporting the planning of targeted interventions to raise attainment.

You will support young people throughout their secondary education, with a particular focus on Key Stage 4, helping them to achieve success at the end of Year 11 and to plan effectively for their post‑16 education, training, or employment pathways.

A key part of the role is acting as an advocate for the educational rights and needs of Children Looked After by Wirral Local Authority. You will contribute to, and quality‑assure, high‑quality Personal Education Plans (PEPs) that are aspirational, child‑centred, and outcome‑focused.

You will be part of a dedicated and supportive team committed to improving educational outcomes and life chances for children in care in Wirral.

About the Candidate

We are looking for a passionate and proactive professional who believes that every child deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential.

You will have a strong understanding of the barriers faced by Children Looked After and be able to apply effective strategies to support their academic progress, emotional wellbeing, and engagement with education. You will be a creative problem‑solver with a child‑centred approach and the ability to adapt support to meet individual needs.

You will be a confident and skilled communicator, able to build positive, trusting relationships with young people, colleagues, and key adults across education and children’s services. You will be comfortable working collaboratively within multi‑agency settings and able to advocate firmly and effectively for children’s educational needs.

A commitment to improving outcomes for Children Looked After, strong organisational skills, and a genuine passion for secondary education are essential for this role.

If you wish to discuss this role or require any further information, please contact Sarah Dacey, Head of Service Virtual School - sarahdacey@wirral.gov.uk

This post is subject to an Enhanced DBS check, including a check of the relevant Barred List(s). The Safer Recruitment & Employment Policy and the Disclosures for Recruitment Procedure can be found at : https://www.wirral.gov.uk/jobs-and-training/job-vacancies/safer-recruitment-and-employment

Please be advised it is our understanding that this role does not meet the requirements of a skilled worker visa as set out by UK Visa and Immigration  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/skilled-worker-visa-eligible-occupations/skilled-worker-visa-eligible-occupations-and-codes . For details regarding the salary of a skilled worker visa please visit Home Office:  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/skilled-worker-visa-immigration-salary-list/skilled-worker-visa-immigration-salary-list

If you’re already a Wirral Council employee, and as part of our Talent Strategy, we’re committed to strengthening opportunities for our people to learn, grow, progress and thrive. For many of you, this may be preparing and applying for your next role with us, and we're passionate about ensuring you feel supported throughout your internal recruitment experience. Please get in touch if you want to know more about some of the ways in which we could support you by emailing recruitment@wirral.gov.uk

If you are a Wirral resident, are unemployed or out of work, and require help with your application, please contact Involve Northwest’s employment and skills team on info@involvenorthwest.org.uk or contact 0151 644 4500 or 0151 652 4349.

Working at Wirral

You’ll also want to know what it’s like to work here so, as a start:

Our values are more than just pieces of paper on our walls! We’ve all played a role in developing these, so they reflect the immense pride we have in what we do, what matters to us, what inspires us and inform how we think, approach things and behave.

We believe in ensuring staff are well looked after, staff wellbeing is a priority for us. We’re serious about recognising and rewarding people for the great things they do. You’ll benefit from our track record of developing, growing and investing in our people.

We have a range of staff benefits including staff discounts, an excellent pension scheme which includes a generous employer contribution rate, immediate life cover and ill-health protection. We have a strong flexible working approach, hybrid working, family-friendly employment initiatives and an annual leave package starting with 28 days leave plus public holidays.

We have an inclusive, engaged culture, everyone has a voice, everyone is valued for their contribution and understands the role they play in delivering our strategic priorities.

Each voice is heard, each contribution valued. We embrace diversity in our workforce and recognise it is critical to our success. We support an inclusive culture that champions differences and nurtures a sense of belonging. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds, who share our values and our commitment to inclusion to apply for roles with us.

We want you to be your best at work, we create the conditions to help you thrive and we mirror this in our recruitment process. If you’d like us to do anything differently during the recruitment process to make it barrier-free and as accessible as possible please contact recruitment@wirral.gov.uk

Please note that in accordance with the Council’s policy, employees who are in a formal redeployment situation will be considered in the first instance for all vacancies.

It is Council policy not to re-appoint any employee who has left under the terms of the Council's Early Voluntary Retirement (EVR) scheme or who have left with a voluntary severance (VS) package, unless in exceptional circumstances.

Applications will be accepted until midnight on the closing date.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy earlier than the specified date should we receive sufficient applications.

Applications can only be accepted through the Jobs page following registration.  Forms received via the post will not be processed.

All applicants invited to interview must evidence their right to work in the UK.  Details of required documents can be found by clicking the link at the bottom of the Jobs page.

The job description and other supporting documents will not be accessible once the vacancy closing date has passed so if a copy is required you should download it now.

We do not accept applications or CV’s from recruitment agencies, unless otherwise stated. Therefore, any candidates submitted via a recruitment agency will not be considered for this role.