June 2016
16th June 2016 - 1497869
Pupil Place Planning Adviser, School Place Planning, Strategy and Intelligence Division, Education Funding Agency
Contents
Introduction
Department for Education Priorities
About the Strategy and Intelligence Division
Terms and conditions
Equal opportunities
How to apply
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June 2016
Dear Applicant
Thank you for your interest in the post of Pupil Place Planning Adviser, School Places Team, Capital Strategy and Intelligence in the
Education Funding Agency (EFA). The EFA is part of the Department for Education (DfE).
Making sure that we have sufficient school places is a priority for the department. This role sits within a team of local authority advisers,
who form the link between the department and local authorities, in order to ensure that authorities are creating the places needed.
The Pupil Place Planning Team is responsible for making sure local authorities are creating the new school places needed, and holding
them to account if they are not. The team uses the data it collects to target engagement and intervention with local authorities, to
understand their strategies for providing sufficient school places, the key risks this presents, and the mitigations LAs have in place.
The principal function of the Pupil Place Planning Adviser has two key elements as it is both inward and outward facing in its nature.
Inwardly it acts as the core expertise within the department on pupil place planning, and proactively provides a service to colleagues
across the department to support broader aims and policies. Outwardly it provides, advice, challenge and support to local authorities in
their place planning
It is a challenging and satisfying role that enables the holder to influence the provision of school places where they are needed. If this
challenge appeals to you I look forward to receiving your application.
Lindsay Harris
Deputy Director for Strategy and Intelligence
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June 2016
Department for Education priorities
The Department’s vision is to ‘provide world-class education and care that allows every child and young person to reach his or her
potential regardless of background.’ To achieve this vision the department has three core objectives:
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Safety and wellbeing: all children and young people are protected from harm and vulnerable children are supported to
succeed with opportunities as good as those for any other child.
Educational excellence: everywhere: every child and young person can access high-quality provision, achieving to the best
of his or her ability regardless of location, attainment and background.
Prepared for adult life: all 19-year-olds complete school or college with the skills and character to contribute to the UK’s
society and economy and are able to access high- quality work or study options.
The Government Equalities Office (GEO) is also the responsibility of DfE, following its transfer from DCMS.
Further information about the Department can be found at: www.education.gov.uk
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June 2016
About the Infrastructure and Funding Directorate (IFD) and the Education Funding Agency, Capital Group
The DfE is responsible for education and children’s services. The ambition of the DfE is to be a centre of excellence for policy making in
Whitehall.
IFD, with its delivery arm, the Education Funding Agency, is the main engine of the department’s reforms to create a school-led system.
That is a system where academies and free schools embody the ideals of front-line autonomy, where school funding is determined by
pupil needs, where sufficient school places are created where they are required, and where the school estate is well maintained.
The EFA was established on 1 April 2012. It has over 700 staff based in 11 offices, as well as a number of remote workers. Its principle
responsibilities are – to distribute the Dedicated Schools Grant for the education of pupils up to the age of 16 in local authority
maintained schools, to provide funding for all 16-19 education and training, to provide funding for all academies, to provide funding for
learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities ages 16-24, and to support the delivery of capital programmes. The EFA is arranged
in four groups to achieve this: Academies; Young People; Capital; Finance, Systems and Performance Management.
The Pupil Place Planning Team sits within EFA Capital Strategy and Intelligence team and is responsible for making sure that local
authorities are creating the new school places needed, and holding them to account if they are not. The PPP team uses the data it
collects to target engagement and intervention with local authorities, to understand their strategies for providing sufficient school places,
the key risks this presents, and the mitigations LAs have in place.
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June 2016
Terms and Conditions
Contract
The role of Pupil Place Planning Adviser is offered as either a permanent appoint to the Civil Service.
Reward
The Pupil Place Planning Adviser will be Grade 7 with a starting salary range of £50,323-£58,373 (London) or £46,833-£54,293
(National).
Applicants currently holding a permanent post in the Civil Service should note that, if successful, their salary on appointment would
normally be determined by applying the usual Cabinet Office salary progression rules.
Pension
Pension schemes are available and more information will be provided to successful candidates. For further information on these
schemes please refer to the following website http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/pensions/.
Location
The post will be located on any departmental site (London, Sheffield, Darlington, Manchester, Nottingham or Coventry). The appointee
will be expected to travel between locations as required.
Restrictions
While in post there will be certain restrictions on political activities. Applicants should also note that there may be restrictions placed
upon their ability to move to some business appointments once they have left this position.
Annual Leave
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June 2016
There will be 25 days annual leave paid, increasing by 1 day for each year of service up to a maximum of 30 days, plus 8 days public
holiday and 1 day privilege holiday for the Queen’s Official Birthday.
Conflicts of Interest
If you or your partner has any actual or potential conflict of interest with the activities of the Department for Education, this should be
declared clearly in your application. Any indirect association of this kind through any other family member or partnership should also be
disclosed.
Appointment and Confidentiality
The offer of a job will be made subject to satisfactory references and security clearance. The successful applicant will be required to
adhere to the Official Secrets Act, and to the Civil Service Code and to exercise care in the use of official information acquired in the
course of official duties, and not to disclose information, which is held in confidence. You will be required to undertake the appropriate
security checks for the post.
If the role is a regulated post, then the job offer will be made subject to the receipt of a satisfactory enhanced CRB check. A regulated
post would have either: direct and regular contact with children or vulnerable adults, access to sensitive or personal information about
children or vulnerable adults or involve giving advice to children over the telephone or other form of electronic communication including
the internet and mobile telephone text messaging.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
The Department is committed to being an equal opportunities employer. We value and welcome diversity. We aim to develop all our staff
to enable them to make a full contribution to meeting the Department's objectives, and to fulfil their own potential on merit. We will not
tolerate harassment or other unfair discrimination on grounds of sex, marital status, race, colour, nationality, ethnic origin, disability, age,
religion or sexual orientation. We will promote and support the use of a range of flexible working patterns to enable staff to balance home
and work responsibilities; and we will treat people fairly irrespective of their working arrangements.
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June 2016
Under the terms of the Equality Act 2010 and the former Disability Discrimination Act 1995 we are legally required to consider making
reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled people are not disadvantaged in the recruitment and selection process. We are therefore
committed to meeting, wherever possible, any needs you specify in your application. We will also consider any reasonable adjustments
under the terms of the Act to enable any applicant with a disability (as defined under the Act) to meet the requirements of the post.
The Department, as a disability symbol user, offers a Guaranteed Interview Scheme (GIS) for all disabled applicants. We are committed
to interviewing all applicants with a disability who provide evidence of meeting the minimum requirements necessary for the post, as set
out in this information pack.
To be eligible, your disability must be within the definition laid down in the Equality Act 2010. Should you consider yourself eligible to
apply for this post under the GIS, please complete the relevant section of the application form.
How to apply
To apply for this post, please submit the attached application form and provide the following information:
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A completed Equality Monitoring Form. All monitoring data will be treated in the strictest confidence and will not affect your
application in any way;
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If applying under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme (GIS), please complete the relevant section of the application form;
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June 2016
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A completed Nationality and Immigration Form. This form is mandatory; and
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Please provide us with the details of two referees, and let us know whether you would be happy for us to contact them as part of the
process. Referees will not, of course, be contacted without your prior consent.
The closing date for applications is 30th June 2016
You can email your application to [email protected].
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June 2016
The Selection Process Timetable
Closing Date:
30th June 2016
Date sift taking place:
5th July 2016
Panel Interviews:
Interviews are expected to be held Week Commencing 25th July 2016
Panel Members:
TBC
The Selection Process
Applications will be sifted against the key competencies set out in the job description. A mark for each competency will be awarded
(ranging from 0-3, with 3 representing very strong evidence) and the top applicants with acceptable evidence invited to interview.
The interview panel will conduct a competency-based interview and will be score following the same system as the sift scoring. The
process will be carried out in line with the recruitment principles of the Civil Service Commission, available at:
http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2015/05/RECRUITMENT-PRINCIPLES-FINAL.pdf
COMPLAINTS
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June 2016
The Department for Education’s recruitment processes are underpinned by the Civil Service Commissioner’s Recruitment Principles
which outline that selection for appointment be made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition, which can be found at
http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/
If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the values in the Civil Service Code/if you feel the recruitment has
been conducted in such a way that conflicts with the Civil Service Commissioner’s Recruitment Principles, you may make a complaint, by
contacting Robert Brophy ([email protected]) in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you
receive you can contact the Civil Service Commissioners.
All Civil Servants are expected to carry out their role in accordance with the Civil Service Code and its core values of integrity, honesty,
objectivity and impartiality. Further information is provided on the Civil Service website - https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civilservice-conduct-and-guidance
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