MAIN LOCATION: COGNUS OFFICE, FIRST FLOOR, CANTIUM HOUSE, WALLINGTON, SM6 0DZ

Cognus Limited is a Local Authority Traded Company, which is commissioned by the London Borough of Sutton to provide education services to early years providers, mainstream schools and specialist education settings in Sutton. Wholly owned by the local authority, we deliver a wide range of high-quality services to deliver excellent practice that improve the lives of children, young people, and families in Sutton and beyond.
Cognus are seeking to appoint an enthusiastic and innovative member of staff to support the School Admissions Team. The key focus of the role is to coordinate in-year secondary school applications, tracking children into education effectively. Sutton works as part of a pan-London admissions process and the role is also support the main admissions rounds for starting school, junior school and transfer to secondary school, ensuring exchanges of accurate data to enable the allocation of places to run correctly.
The successful candidate will need to be able to communicate effectively, handling telephone and email enquiries, to provide support to those accessing our services. They will also have a good IT and data literacy, using Microsoft Office products, and maintain accurate information in our pupil database.
As part of the wider Cognus team, they will be asked to assist with various administrative tasks depending on business needs, including support to our collation and reporting of performance and business planning data and collating progress reports on annual workplans, as well as attending meetings and recording notes/actions.

You will give us great commitment and in return we offer an excellent package including:

• Salary from £27,222.81 to £29,037.66 per annum (pro-rata from £33,574.80 Cognus Band 2, SCP 32)
• Workplace pension scheme 4% to 8% matched contributions
• 28 days annual leave (plus Bank Holidays)
• Regular manager support and supervision
• Hybrid and Flexible working
• Staff benefits package, currently including Employee Assistance Programme, Perkbox and (upon completion of probation) Sovereign Healthcare Cashback plans. Cognus reserves the right to adjust these additional discretionary benefits to improve quality of their services provided, maintain affordability for the Company and to ensure benefits remain fit for purpose with staff needs.
• Staff Equality, Diversity and Inclusion group and Mental Health First Aiders to support wellbeing and inclusion.
• Cognus Coaching Programmes
• An ambitious culture with friendly and supportive colleagues.

JOB DESCRIPTION

POSITION: School Admissions Officer – In Year Secondary - Main Round Support
DIVISION: School Admissions
REPORTS TO: School Admissions Coordinator
SALARY: £27,222.81 to £29,037.66 per annum (pro-rata from £33,574.80 Cognus Band 2, SCP 32)
MAIN LOCATION: Cognus Office, First Floor, Cantium House, Wallington, SM6 0DZ

JOB SUMMARY:

1. To process applications for In Year Secondary admission for Sutton schools in accordance with Sutton’s scheme and protocols.
2. To monitor the vacancy position in Sutton schools and neighbouring local authorities.
3. To issue outcome letters/emails in relation to In Year admission applications.
4. Ensuring access to education for all children, monitoring and tracking applicants into education.
5. To be familiar with the principles of safeguarding and data protection.
6. To provide administrative support for the School Admissions Team, with application processing and dealing with calls and emails from applicants and schools.
7. To run the allocation process for the Primary Pan-London co-ordinated scheme and Support Team manager for Transfer to Secondary School and Junior schemes. *
8. To understand national and local protocols to facilitate this.
9. To lead in the annual review and update booklets, leaflets, application forms and website information.
10. To support and deputise for the School Admissions Coordinator.
11. Attending independent admission appeals hearings representing the Local Authority, preparing a verbal statement for the panel and appellant regarding decisions made, responding to detailed questions on the admissions process, admissions law, the school capacity and the case for the school being unable to admit additional students.
12. To be a synergy lead in admissions raising and progressing team queries.
13. To maintain effective working relationships with Headteachers and school staff.
14. Collate data and prepare/maintain summary reports.
15. Assist with the maintenance of accurate website information.
16. To investigate any misleading or fraudulent information on applications and to take appropriate action as necessary.
17. To work effectively and flexibly as part of a team.
18. The post holder is a role model of the professional behaviours outlined in the Company Code of Conduct and Leadership Capability documents.
19. A proven ability of managing and prioritising a caseload and of working under pressure to meet statutory deadlines.
20. To show understanding in difficult and complex situations.
21. Effective written, verbal communication and interpersonal skills that have been honed to deal with a diverse range of customers and partners.
22. Problem solving skills and ability to undertake process or practice improvement.

CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT:

a) During the course of your employment, you will have access to and knowledge of Company confidential information and trade secrets.
b) Disclosure of any of this confidential information and/or trade secrets could have serious financial consequences and/or create serious competitive disadvantages for the Company. There may be material damage, financial or otherwise, deliberate or otherwise, to the Company’s legitimate business interest.
c) Under the terms of this confidentiality agreement, you agree to keep secret and shall not at any time, either during employment or post-employment, use, communicate or reveal to any person any trade secret or confidential information relating to the Company or any Associated Company.
d) You are aware of the Company’s policies in relation to compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation and undertake to act in accordance with these at all times. Any breach of these policies will be dealt with under the Company’s disciplinary procedure and action taken can include dismissal without notice.
This job description and person specification outlines the summary of key accountabilities and is not an exhaustive list of duties and, is subject to periodical review and changes in line with the business needs.

DESCRIPTION (CRITERIA)

a. Experience in delivering customer care through oral and written communications to a high standard. (E, S, I)
b. Experience of using a wide range of IT packages in a business environment, and to use these to deliver a cost-effective and customer-focused service. (E, S, I)
c. Excellent communication skills and the ability to communicate complex matters clearly and concisely. (E, S, I)
d. Ability to work in a detailed task-oriented environment, delivering high accuracy results to excellent standards. (E, S)
e. Ability to manage time effectively, to work on own initiative to manage and prioritise own workload, setting appropriate objectives and deadlines and good attention to detail. (E, S, I)
f. Ability to analyse information, and consider alternative solutions, adapting to new ways of working where necessary. (E, I)
g. Ability to provide a customer-focused approach to service delivery and participate in identifying and implementing opportunities for improving the service. (E, I )
h. To have working experience in school admissions. (E, S, I )
i. A basic understanding of the principles of safeguarding. (E, S, I)
j. Willingness to undertake ongoing learning, training and development. (E)
k. Honours and upholds the Company’s Equal Opportunity Policy, Dignity at Work Policy, Safeguarding and Protection of Children, Health and Safety and Data Protection Policy at all times. Understanding of confidentially, GDPR and information governance issues and how these are observed and maintained. (E)
KEY: D: Desirable; I: Evaluated at interview; E:Essential; S: Short listing criteria;
T: Subject to test
Job Types: Part-time, Permanent
Pay: £27,222.81-£29,037.66 per year

Benefits:

• Company pension
• Flexitime

Work authorisation:

• United Kingdom (required)

Work Location: In perso

THE ROLE IS PART-TIME, AND THE NATURE OF THE ROLE MEANS THAT WE WOULD WANT SOMEONE TO WORK OVER 5 DAYS.

If you are interested and would like to be considered, please apply to recruitment@cognus.org.uk with the completed application form, downloaded from https://www.cognus.org.uk/work-with-us/current-vacancies/cognus-application-form/, outlining your suitability for this role. The deadline for receipt is midnight, 31st August 2025. Candidates are requested to be available for interview on 8th September 2025.
For an informal conversation about the role, please contact Ann Potter, School Admissions Coordinator on 020 8323 0437 or at ann.potter@cognus.org.uk.
All offers of employment are subject to successful completion of recruitment formalities which includes an enhanced DBS check. These checks must have been completed before the commencement of employment. We expect our staff to have due regard for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and to follow the child protection procedures adopted by the Company and Sutton’s Local Safeguarding Partnership.
We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES:

a) To gain a good understanding of the School Admissions Code (statutory guidance), the underpinning admissions regulations, non-statutory guidance, London protocols and local guidance. Maintaining an up to date knowledge of these when updated.
b) Understanding of additional needs and rights that some children have, such as Special Educational Needs (including SEND), exclusions from school, safeguarding, Looked After Children (CLA), parental rights and residence of children.
c) To administer school admission applications in accordance with the above.
d) Respond to a wide range of admissions related enquiries from parents/carers and schools by telephone or email in accordance with our Customer Care Standards and providing advice and guidance in accordance with policies and admissions law as above.
e) Liaise with other local authority admissions teams to maintain accurate cross borough school application information.
f) To input, check, access and accurately maintain school admission applications and related data on a pupil database.
g) To provide support and guidance to team members, schools and carers with complex applications.
h) Assess applications according to published school admissions criteria (Children Looked After status, sibling priority, assessment of social or medical needs, home to school distance).
i) Maintain waiting lists for Sutton community schools, determining the correct rank order, and offering places where vacancies occur.
j) Determine suitable offers of places in other Sutton schools for unplaced children where alternative vacancies exist.
k) To issue outcome letters/emails in relation to In Year admission applications, providing accurate outcome information and statutory appeal rights.
l) To monitor children with no school place to track them into education, working with other team members to refer through the borough’s Fair Access Protocol where necessary.
m) Making Children Missing Education referrals for families who do not take up offers of education or who fail to complete admissions processes, both through Sutton protocols or with other resident local authorities.
n) Log safeguarding concerns through company policies, taking advice as necessary.
o) Provide support to schools with enquiries on procedure, admissions guidance and law, and use of admissions IT systems, in order to ensure that statutory processes are followed, and appropriate placement is secured for all pupils.
p) Maintain good working relationships with school staff and headteachers, to enable the effective and timely processing of school applications, and that schools follow admissions law, national and local guidance, challenging their decisions where necessary.
q) Provide support to collection of key performance indicator data, and quality assurance activity.
r) To support the maintenance of service delivery plans and updates from service leads.
s) To deliver core tasks under the direction of a more senior member of staff to ensure services run efficiently and accurately following defined standard operating procedures.
t) To provide support and cover for other team members during absences and during transitions phase (main round) processes.