Education Support Officer

Role Responsibility

Term time only – 39 weeks per year

Our Vision 

Virtual School Kent (VSK) supports children and young people in care to Kent to achieve in education and to be able to go forward to contribute positively to their communities now and in the future. We are a diverse and rapidly developing organisation working across the whole county as one virtual school working with children and young people from the ages of 3 – 18 years. We value their voice in contributing to and shaping our policies and services.

Your opportunity

To be part of a team who support our children and young people in care to achieve great things.

To be part of our virtual school where you can work creatively to help our children and young people overcome barriers in order to make good educational progress

To bring new ideas to help our young people thrive

To contribute to a multi-agency partnership working in the best interests of the child/young person

What we are looking for ?

A person who is:-

- motivated, supportive and has inclusion at the heart of what they do.

- experienced in supporting young people in Post 16 educational settings - and can bring their knowledge/approaches to working at VSK

- able to work independently out in education settings and as part of a team

- understanding about safety being paramount for our children/young people

- flexible and adaptive to the different needs of our children and young people

For further details please read attached Job Description and Person Specification. An Enhanced DBS will be required for this role.

This is a Term Time only contract.  The post is for the South Kent area covering Folkestone, Hythe and Dover.  

A significant part of the working week will be spent in different educational settings across the area so the ability to travel across the area in a timely and flexible manner is essential.

What’s in it for you?

- To work in a friendly environment with professionals who want to make a difference for our children and young people in care.

- Plenty of training opportunities and a very supportive team

- No week is the same at VSK, there is lots of variety!

This post is considered by KCC to be a customer-facing position. The Council therefore has a statutory duty under Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016) to ensure that post holders have a command of spoken English/Welsh sufficient for the effective performance of the job requirements. The appropriate standards are set out in the Job Description/Person Specification. 

This post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure Application to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Interviews will be held on Friday 12th September 2025 at Brook House, Reeves Way, Whitstable, Kent, CT5 3SS

For further information about VSK, please visit our website: https://virtualschool.lea.kent.sch.uk/

Contact Details

For further information about this vacancy, please contact:-

 Marian Smith (South & East Kent Deputy Head)  on 03000 412777 Or

 Catherine Thompson (Assistant Head Teacher Post 16) on 03000 415221

About the Company

Work that works for you and us - let's talk flexibility!

KCC is committed to building a workforce which reflects the diversity of the county's working residents, encouraging applications from people of all ages, abilities, genders, sexual orientations, ethnic backgrounds, faiths and those with caring responsibilities, and aspires to create an inclusive workplace where everyone can be themselves at work.

Please note - if you are interested, please apply soon as possible as the closing date for this advert may be earlier than stated should a number of suitably qualified candidates apply.