School Appeals Manager

Organisation: Leicestershire County Council

Work Location: County Hall, Glenfield, LE3 8RA

Salary: £36,621 - £40,458 per annum (pro rata for part-time)

Working Hours: 37 hours per week

Contract Type: Permanent

Closing Date: 26/10/2026

Interview Date(s): TBC

The School Admissions and Pupil Services team is seeking to recruit a full-time Appeals Manager to lead and oversee all aspects of the School Appeals Service. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced professional to lead a vital service that supports children, families, schools, and academies across the local authority area.

We are looking for a highly motivated and organised individual ideally with experience and understanding of school admissions appeals, tribunal processes, or significant experience in a senior school leadership or management role.  The successful candidate will lead a small Appeals Team, working collaboratively with schools, academies, and a range of partner agencies to ensure the effective delivery of a high-quality appeals service.

• Experience in managing and developing a School Appeals Team or a similar service, including leading, supporting, and developing staff through regular supervision, performance management, annual appraisals, and professional development activities.
• Knowledge and experience of preparing and presenting appeal or tribunal documentation, including drafting comprehensive appeal statements, liaising confidently with schools and other stakeholders to gather and analyse information, and presenting cases effectively.
• Experience of working within a legislative, regulatory, or policy framework, with the ability to interpret and apply legislation, guidance, and procedures appropriately and provide professional advice, support, and constructive challenge to schools and academies in accordance with national legislation, local authority policies, trust policies, and best practice.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build effective working relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Experience of handling sensitive, complex, and confidential information, with a sound understanding of data protection requirements and information governance.
• Strong organisational skills, including the ability to prioritise workloads across the team, monitor performance, and report directly to the Service Manager.
• Experience of operational planning, including the annual scheduling and coordination of school admission appeal hearings.

In addition, we also expect you to share our commitment to our values and to delivering accessible and inclusive services which meet the needs of all of our residents.  You will be asked to demonstrate your understanding of these commitments as part of the selection process.

Reasonable adjustments will be considered for applicants with a disability. We are a Disability Confident Employer.

Interested in Flexible Working?

We are open to discussions about flexible working, which may include part time working, job sharing, term-time working, flexible start and finish times, and hybrid working, depending on the requirements of the role and the service. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below.

For more information or an informal discussion, please contact:

Gurjit Singh Bahra, Service Manager - Admissions

Telephone: 0116 305 6324

Email: Gurjit.Bahra@leics.gov.uk

At Leicestershire County Council we’re looking for top talent from all walks of life. Whoever you are, wherever you’re from, and whatever your background - we care about what you bring to our organisation, not just what’s on your CV. That’s why we’ve designed a recruitment process that’s fair, accessible, and focused on potential. And with benefits that support people at every age and stage of life, we make sure you can thrive - both personally and professionally.

If you share our passion to make a difference for the people of Leicestershire, we’d love to hear from you. Click the apply button to submit your application, ensuring that you upload a supporting statement that explains how you meet the criteria listed in the ‘About You’ section above. Without this information, we won’t be able to assess your suitability for the role, and your application will be rejected. For tips on how to write your statement, see the How to Apply section on our career site.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

If you have any technical issues when trying to apply for this post or you want to request an application pack in an alternative format, please contact our Employee Service Centre by telephoning 0300 3030222 (select option 2) or raising a ticket via our online portal: https://emss.org.uk/support.

By applying for this post, you agree to our Terms and Conditions.

About Leicestershire County Council

At Leicestershire County Council, we're committed to making a real difference in people's lives. Our aim is to work with communities and partners to deliver public services that make Leicestershire the best possible place to live and work for everyone.

Our employees play a key role in supporting this goal and helping us deliver the vital services we provide to the people of Leicestershire. Whether you're starting your career or looking for your next challenge, you'll find a place with us where your ideas are valued, and your work has purpose.

For further information on what it’s like to work for us and the benefits we offer, please refer to the following:

Our Recruitment Process

Our Organisational Values

Our Employee Benefits

Working for Us