Description

• Applications close: 5pm, Wednesday 10th March 2021
• Starting salary: £21,000 rising by £1,000 after 6 months and £1,000 after 12 months subject to performance
• Contract: Permanent
• Working days: Monday to Thursday: Two days in each of two schools in West Midlands *Friday: The Access Project’s West Midlands Office: The Big Peg, 120 Vyse Street, Birmingham B18 6NF [occasional travel to London office during working hours also required] *home-based on Fridays until Covid-19 restrictions are lifted
• Please note these roles are NOT restricted to term-time only, as professional development often takes place during school holidays)
• Job Location: West Midlands
• Academic requirements: University degree or significant professional experience
• Interview date: Monday 15th March 2021. (All interviews will take place online and will consist of a panel based interview, a student facing activity and an in-tray task)
• Start date: As soon as possible

About The Access Project

The Access Project is an innovative education charity that helps bright young people from disadvantaged backgrounds gain places at top universities. Our volunteers are trained and supported to be effective tutors who work with our students for an hour a week to raise their grades. In addition, a dedicated school-based staff member mentors the students so they have the knowledge and support to make strong university applications. Our results show this approach works.

About the role

University Access Officers manage the day-to-day running of the programme in The Access Project’s partner schools. They work closely with students, staff at all levels, tutors, and with the rest of The Access Project’s team to ensure that the delivery of the programme is optimised. The programme has been carefully designed with the intention that all interactions have a positive impact on a student’s chances of getting into a top university. It is the responsibility of the University Access Officer to deliver all the activities which make up our programme. This includes managing tutor and student pairings as well as delivering and recording in-school activities.

Successful candidates will have the opportunity to work on the front line of addressing educational disadvantage, as well as benefiting from opportunities to become involved in the wider work of The Access Project as it continues to expand.

This is a challenging role, which involves a high level of organisation. It is well-suited to resilient individuals looking to pursue a career in education and/or the social enterprise/charity sectors. UAOs are the sole representative of The Access Project in school and therefore must be comfortable working alone (although they will build relationships and work closely with school staff).

All University Access Officers are line managed by a Programme Manager from The Access Project, who visits the school once per week for line management meetings, as well as being available via email and phone. Each school also nominates a Programme Supervisor, who focuses on the performance of their in-school programme.

Duties and responsibilities of our University Access Officers:

University Access Officers are the case managers for all key stakeholders who interact with the programme including students, tutors, teachers and TAP staff.

1. Students

• Building strong mentoring relationships with students to drive awareness of and enthusiasm for the programme.
• Delivering The Access Project’s programme of university support activities at the school, including one to one meetings, workshops and assemblies
• Assessing student progress towards being able to make successful university applications by uploading all interactions to our CRM system: Salesforce
• Recruiting students onto the programme in line with our student enrolment criteria
• Matching students with volunteer tutors
• Managing difficult conversations
• Monitoring student attendance to tutorials and devising innovative solutions to encourage attendance
• Using the schools’ existing reporting on students’ academic and pastoral progress to monitor the impact of tutorials, and intervene as appropriate
• Collecting and uploading various data sets relating to a student’s eligibility or performance on the programme. This ranges from consent forms to individual UCAS applications.

2. Tutors

• Building and managing relationships with tutors to ensure they have a positive experience of the programme, deliver good quality tutorials, and continue volunteering with us year-on-year
• Liaising with tutors and managing any day-to-day requests that they have regarding The Access Project or their tutee
• Managing tutor attendance to tutorials through weekly monitoring systems
• Observing tutorials and giving tutors any necessary feedback

3. School Staff

• Working with school staff to ensure their cooperation and timely completion of activities contributing to the smooth running of the programme.
• Chairing and presenting at termly school meetings with Senior Management to report on programme progress.

4. Other Activities

• University Access Officers are based in our partner schools, but they spend 1 day each week in The Access Project’s central office undertaking training, attending meetings, and feeding into internal projects to improve the quality of delivery of the programme.
• University Access Officers support the volunteering team by helping to deliver tutor training sessions, which take place on Saturdays and weekday evenings.
• University Access Officers will be required to support our Central Provision function including staffing our two annual university trips and our university society events.

5. Any other responsibilities reasonably deemed necessary by the Access Project’s Programme Managers or Director

Requirements

Person specification

Essential characteristics and experience:

• Able to communicate and influence with impact at all levels. The role involves building relationships with staff, students and tutors on a one-to-one basis and presenting information to/running workshops with groups of students and teachers: The University Access Officer will need to be professional, articulate and credible in a range of situations.
• Able to deliver projects and manage administration. The University Access Officer will need to be able to maintain accurate and up-to-date records.
• Able to effectively time manage. The role has a complex and varied workload, involving autonomous working and team-working, and managing tasks over different periods of time. The University Access Officer will need to be able to plan their time effectively to complete all tasks to pre-set deadlines.
• Able to lead and manage change. The University Access Officer will be the key representative of the programme in school and will need enthusiasm and vision to make this a success.
• Passionate about educational disadvantage. This is a demanding role which requires University Access Officers to be committed to our mission and values (see below) and motivated by and engaged with the work of The Access Project and our partner schools.
• Resilient and adaptable. The University Access Officer will need to adapt to a fast-moving environment in school, and react to challenges and requests from students, staff and tutors.
• Skilled in stakeholder management. The University Access Officer will need to be able to build and maintain excellent relationships with school staff as well as our volunteer tutors.
• Able to work some Saturdays and evenings. The University Access Officers run training sessions for our volunteer tutors as well as staff our university society events, many of these take place on Saturdays and evenings. The University Access Officers are compensated for their time through an additional holiday allowance. There are some periods of the year where no Saturday or evening work is required.

Desirable

• Knowledge/experience of working and/or volunteering in schools or the education sector.

Please note, as a minimum requirement, applicants will:

• Have a university degree or significant professional experience
• Have the right to work in the UK

Covid 19

Please note: University Access Officers are currently working remotely to deliver the activities listed above. This is constantly under review and we cannot at this time confirm whether this role will be in-school or home-working at the start of the next academic year.

Notice period

University Access Officers can terminate their employment by giving written notice at least two months before the end of term in the autumn and spring terms, and at least three months before the end of the summer term. We highlight this as it is a standard notice period in schools but more unusual in the charity sector.

Safeguarding statement

"The Access Project is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and will expect the all volunteers and staff to share this commitment."

Essential characteristics

Applicants must be committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and will expect the all volunteers and staff to share this commitment.

Disclosure of a Criminal Record

The Rehabilitation of Offenders 1974 (Exceptions) (Amendment) Order 1986 does not apply to posts where there is access to children. This means that applicants for employment which involves working with children and young people must disclose any criminal record. If you are selected for appointment you will be subject to this procedure. All Disclosures are carried out in the strictest confidence and are made only in connection with your application for employment and for no other purpose. The application for an Enhanced Disclosure will be activated before your first day of work.

Guidance for candidates applying for a job with The Access Project. Please read this carefully before you start to fill in the application form.

General

• The application form plays a crucial part in the selection process, both in deciding whether you will be invited to an interview and at the interview itself. It is vital that you complete this form as fully and accurately as possible. We will not make any assumptions about your experience, knowledge, skills and abilities to do the job.
• Read the full vacancy details carefully before you start. All parts of the application form must be completed.

Application form

Complete this section fully. All successful applicants will be required to produce documentary evidence of their eligibility to work in the UK*. Verification of identity is required before confirmation of appointment.

Present or most recent employment

It is important to give full information, including the organisation you work in, or most recent employment if not currently working, full dates, address and explanation of any gaps in employment.

References

All appointments are subject to verification of employment and suitability of the candidate for the post applied for. We reserve the right to approach any previous employer for a reference and to verify their identity, but will request your permission before doing so. If you have experience of working with children please include this as one of your references.

Previous employment

Ensure that you put in full dates, names, addresses and your job title. Be careful not to leave any unexplained gaps. Details of part time and relevant voluntary work should also be entered.

Education, Qualifications and Training

• Ensure you give all the information requested, including dates, establishment where you studied and make clear the level of any examinations e.g. GCSE, GCE 'O' Level or 'A' Level or equivalents etc. and the grades you obtained. Also include here any skills training you have had. You will be required to produce original documentary evidence of any qualifications relevant to the job, and these will be detailed on the person specification.
• Proof of qualification is required before the appointment is confirmed.

The Access Project’s mission

We work with high-potential students from disadvantaged backgrounds, providing in-school support and personalised tuition to help them gain access to selective universities.

Our Aim:

The Access Project is an education charity that works with schools in which 30% or more of pupils are on free school meals (50% or more of students receive pupil premium), to pair graduate volunteers with disadvantaged students for weekly one-to-one tutoring and an intensive programme preparing students for university applications.

The programme combats educational inequality and improves social mobility by raising students’ grades and supporting them to understand the pathway to a top university.

The Access Project has a network of over 1200 volunteer tutors and works with more than 1200 students in 28 schools in London and in the Midlands.

The Access Project’s values

• Community - We build a community of schools, volunteers and partner organisations that share a common vision.
• Motivation - We harness and reward motivation.
• Development - We promote a culture of excellence, improvement and innovation.
• Academic Excellence - We help students achieve their potential by matching them with tutors who have been given excellent resources and training.

Benefits

As an equal opportunities employer we welcome applications for all suitably qualified persons. However as Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) individuals are currently under-represented within the organisation, which does not reflect our diverse student body, we would particularly welcome applications from BAME candidates. All appointments will be made on merit.

• TAP offers:
  • A great working environment!
  • 25 days annual leave p.a. (pro rata) plus Bank Holidays and Christmas closure.
  • PerkBox Perks - offering nationwide shopping discounts, gym memberships, holidays, freebies, learning and much more.
  • Employee Assistance Programme, a 24 hour helpline for staff
  • Online Medical assistance - access 24/7 to a qualified GP within minutes, with referrals and prescriptions available same-day.
  • Interest-free travelcard loans
  • Cyclescheme loans
  • Employer’s pensions contributions (3%)
  • CPD options
  • TAP welcomes requests for flexible working arrangements
  • Monthly work-from-home days (when not in lockdown, obviously!)

Further information

Safeguarding statement

"The Access Project is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and will expect the all volunteers and staff to share this commitment."

Essential characteristics

Applicants must be committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and will expect the all volunteers and staff to share this commitment.

Disclosure of a Criminal Record

The Rehabilitation of Offenders 1974 (Exceptions) (Amendment) Order 1986 does not apply to posts where there is access to children. This means that applicants for employment which involves working with children and young people must disclose any criminal record.

If you require further information, please contact The Access Project.

References

All appointments are subject to verification of employment and suitability of the candidate for the post applied for. We reserve the right to approach any previous employer for a reference and to verify their identity, but will request your permission before doing so. If you have experience of working with children please include this as one of your references.

Previous employment

Ensure that you put in full dates, names addresses and your job title. Be careful not to leave any unexplained gaps. Details of part time and relevant voluntary work should also be entered.

Education, Qualifications and Training

Ensure you give all the information requested, including dates, establishment where you studied and make clear the level of any examinations e.g. GCSE, GCE 'O' Level or 'A' Level or equivalents etc. and the grades you obtained. Also include here any skills training you have had. You will be required to produce original documentary evidence of any qualifications relevant to the job, and these will be detailed on the person specification.

Proof of qualification is required before the appointment is confirmed.

Contact information

Please direct any queries to our website

Please ensure that you complete all of the application form questions. Resumes and CVs will not be considered.

TAP is a Living Wage Employer...