Primary/Secondary Advisor- Virtual Schools

About the role

Primary/Secondary Advisor- Virtual Schools

Permanent, Full Time

£49,101 to £57,765 per annum (full time equivalent)

Location: Chelmsford

Please note this is a full time, term time only position, working weeks 39 per year with a pro-rata salary of between £42,424 to £49,910 per annum.

The Opportunity

Essex Virtual School (EVS) works across the ‘whole system’ to promote the education and improve outcomes for children of care experienced children and young people, children Previously in Care, in Kinship Care and those who are or have been known to Social Care (CIN/CP). The Virtual School supports and guides those working with our children and young people to ensure everyone has the highest aspirations for their educational success.

This is an exciting opportunity for experienced teachers looking to step into or further develop a leadership role, or for current school leaders who are passionate about using their professional knowledge and expertise to make a meaningful difference.

As an Advisor, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring these children have access to the very best educational provision—provision that accelerates progress, raises attainment, and ultimately enhances future life chances.

You will deliver high‑quality training and support to Carers and Designated Teachers, ensuring statutory duties are fulfilled and best practice is consistently embedded across schools. The role will have a strong focus on driving progress through accurate needs identification, improving attendance, implementing targeted interventions, and securing access to enriching opportunities that support academic, social, and emotional development. You will also work closely with schools to shape and develop effective strategies that raise attainment and lead to sustained positive outcomes.

To be successful in this role, you will hold Qualified Teacher Status and have proven experience in a senior leadership position. You will bring a strong understanding of current theory and research relating to the education of our cohorts of children, as well as the confidence and professional competence to positively challenge school practice where improvement is needed.

To read more about our business area, please visit: Education

Organisational Accountabilities

Operational planning and performance review to maintain exceptional service delivery and ensures the political objectives and priorities of the DfE and council are met.
Working collaboratively within and across a wide range of agencies to support the delivery of best possible outcomes for our children and young people.
Maintain and nurture collaborative relationships with other teams in the function and external organisations that support the delivery of education and statutory guidance.
Implementing changes and continually evaluating service to improve the area of work, while maintaining the highest possible levels of service quality are continually delivered.
Managing complex issues and resources to meet the needs of children and young people and the professionals working alongside them to deliver the best possible outcomes.
Effective utilisation of digital technologies and innovation across the function.
Equality and diversity is celebrated and considered as part of all decisions taken.
Using professional expertise to translate goals and plans into ways of working that comply with relevant legislation and statutory requirements and manages a level of appropriate risk.
Deliver exemplar interactions to individuals and communities which support strong relationships and a reputation for achieving outcomes and resolving issues

Service/Functional Accountabilities

Responsible for delivering the education vision, with particular focus on the political agenda and priorities and wider council and DfE objectives for our looked after children and raising their attainment.
Leading and Developing practice in key educational advances, sharing this best practice with schools to influence school performance against Ofsted and DfE requirements, including the raising of attainment of our cohorts of children.
Responsible for ensuring that practice and resources are meeting the needs of individuals, to improve educational outcomes within both mainstream and SEND services, through a deep understanding of the challenging and complex educational needs and barriers to education experienced by our children and young people.
Effective utilisation of digital technologies, data and innovation across the function.
Leading the way in Equality & Diversity within schools, ensuring that equal opportunity is given to all children, enabling them to achieve their potential.
Responsible for challenging existing ways of working and holding senior leaders across schools and the Local Authority to account.
Working collaboratively with the Education Senior Leadership team and senior Social Care leaders, identifying areas of opportunity, scoping, planning and delivering the strategic plans related to our ambition to transform Education in Essex.
Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework.

The Experience You Will Bring

Possesses Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and has senior leadership experience within a school setting.
Evidence of continuing professional development and expert knowledge in relevant professional areas.
Demonstrate a strong understanding of current theory and research relating to the education of our cohorts of children and young people, that informs effective practice.
Proficient experience of acting as an advocate and champion for children with the ability to positively challenge school practice where it falls short.
Evidence of incorporating the views of children and young people into strategic and operational decision making.
Proficient experience of effective implementation of school improvement strategies and initiatives together with successful outcomes.
Proficient experience of building strong networks across schools and partner agencies, to facilitate and support the sharing of expertise and best practice.

Interviews

Interviews are scheduled to take place on Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th April 2026 at Ely House, Basildon.

Please note that the job role requires you to be mobile throughout an operational area. Therefore, the post holder will need to have a driving licence and access to a vehicle, or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means.

Why Essex?

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we’re committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in Everyone's Essex. With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.

In February 2025, Greater Essex was accepted onto the Government’s devolution priority programme, which will see local authorities in Essex work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority by May 2026. You can read more about devolution and local government reorganisation (LGR) on our careers site.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

Once you’ve secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email resourcing.team@essex.gov.uk

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