Job Description

Job description
Democratic Services are looking for motivated and organised individuals to support the school admission appeals process and the independent appeal panels in this public facing role. The independent appeal panel is a statutory body set up to hear parental appeals against the refusal of the admission authority to admit a child into a preferred school. The panels perform a quasi-judicial function and are supported by clerks who offer advice to enable the panels to undertake their judicial function. The current panel members consist of school governors, retired headteachers and other professional individuals.



The role of the clerk is to respond to queries from parents in advance of the hearing; give independent advice to the panle on procedure; to keep accurate record of the appeal hearings; to provide the parties with written notification of the panel's decision and to respond to queries from parents, schools, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman and the Department for Education after the hearing with support from the Lawyers and Professionsl Officers. The clerks will also receive ongoing advice and support from the Lawyers and Professionsl Officers.



The successful applicants will need to be very organised, have great attention to detail, be an excellent note-taker and be able to translate notes into official formal letters. Template letters are provided.



You will also need to be assertive, confident in giving advice and be able to stand your ground under pressure. You will need to have the energy and ability to learn quickly and work under pressure. Training and ongoing support will be provided to the successful applicants.



If you have any questions about the role, please contact Abby Hodgetts, Democratic Services Team Manager on abby.hodgetts@sheffield.gov.uk or call 0114 2735033



We are investing in our workforce and are promoting opportunities to our under-represented groups. We value equality, diversity and inclusion and are focused on increasing the diversity of our workforce, particularly the number of Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic, Disabled and LGBTQ+ people, so that our teams reflect the communities in the city we serve. We are also supporting staff with unpaid caring responsibilities to work flexibly.



It is a great time to join us and we welcome your application.



Under the Disability Confident Scheme, disabled applicants, who meet the essential criteria of this job, are guaranteed an interview.



Full-time employees work 37 hours for 52 weeks of the year and we offer a generous holiday entitlement. We are open to discussions about a wide range of flexible working opportunities which benefit you and the Council, including reduced hour contracts, working part time or as a job share.



If you are appointed to this role, your starting salary will be at the bottom of the grade. If you provide payslip evidence that your basic pay is greater than the bottom of the grade, we will consider starting you at the point of minimum advantage within the grade.



Equality of pay is extremely important to us. All roles at Sheffield City Council are going through an evaluation process which may result in changes to some pay arrangements from 2026. Find out more on our Sheff news page.

Job details

---------------


Job reference
REQ003601
Date posted
01/08/2025
Application closing date
17/08/2025
Location
Sheffield
Salary
Grade 6 32,115 to 36,124
Package
Temporary Position till 31/07/2026
Contractual hours
37
Basis
Blank
Job category/type
Democratic and Electoral