Community Engagement Officer

At Oasis Academy Shirley Park , Croydon

Salary: SP 20 –23 Outer London Pro Rata + Local Government Pension Scheme

Role: Full-time

Contract: Fixed Term Two Years – with a 1-year performance review

Start Date: TBC

Interviews: May

About our school and the role on offer:

Central to the ethos of Oasis Academy Shirley Park is the idea of a rich and balanced educational environment nurturing the whole student – academically, vocationally, socially, morally, spiritually, emotionally and environmentally. We achieve this by implementing our Hub model. The Hub model has a radical and genuinely distinctive vision of community, seeking to reconnect people to each other and to the services they need. Through the work of Oasis Hubs, we are actively engaged in creating communities that are characterised by: High-quality education – with schools that are good or outstanding, Opportunity – in terms of employment, volunteering and local enterprise, Good, integrated and sustainable local services – whether delivered by Oasis or other local agencies, Safety – low levels of crime, anti-social behaviour and bullying and resilience to people trafficking, Good health – low levels of addiction, obesity and teenage pregnancy and good levels of life expectancy, Cohesion and integration – communities where individuals feel included, connected and supported and in which they feel happy and proud to live.

In 2021, within six months of each other, Oasis Academy Shirley Park tragically lost two of its students to knife crime. Both Damarie Roye aged 16 and Zaian AimableLina aged 15 were innocent victims in the tragic events that led to them being two of the five young people murdered in Croydon in that year. These events gained national and regional attention and on the back of the tragedy, the Principal of Shirley Park, Saqib Chaudhri, set out to create a network of organisations committed to keeping young people safe not just inside the school but also in the community at large. In doing so, he created the role of the Community Engagement Officer who, through the prevention programme, identifies and then supports children and families who might be at risk of being exposed to criminality in the community. The Community Engagement Officer essentially became the bridge between ‘at-risk’ young people in school and effective community interventions and services available both in school and in the local community.

Job Description

A successful Community Engagement Officer will engage stakeholders and ultimately increase educational attainment and reduce exclusion by tackling core barriers faced by young people. The fundamental purpose of the role is to support with the planning, delivery and administration of the Prevention Programme at Oasis Academy Shirley Park. The Prevention Programme is a proactive initiative at OASP designed to engage young people in positive opportunities, support & interventions, both inside and outside of school, in-order for young people to build a bright future and maximise and fulfil their potential. Due to the scale and depth of the challenges young people in our community face, the Prevention Programme needs to constantly grow and improve its impact.

This role is part of that growth and will enable the Prevention Programme to increase its impact and scale. There will also be scope within the role to codesign projects and interventions that are needed but not offered by community groups or statutory services engaging with the school. The ideal candidate will have experience volunteering or working with young people in schools or in the community and must have a good understanding of the issues that young people in Croydon face currently. You must have a passion and desire for positive change in the community, and a belief that young people can lead change themselves.

The ideal candidate will have excellent verbal and written communication skills and be competent using Microsoft Excel and Word. Attention to detail, interpersonal skills and problem-solving skills are essential.

How to Apply:

Unfortunately we cannot accept CVs as an application for this role - you must complete the online TES form by 17th May 2024. We are actively shortlisting as applications are received, this recruitment drive may close early if the ideal applicant is found.

This post is covered by Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016) and therefore the ability to speak and write fluently in English is an essential requirement for this role.

Oasis is committed to making a difference to the lives of the communities it works in, and as such you must show a willingness to demonstrate commitment to the values and behaviours, which flow from the Oasis ethos. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. We expect all staff to share this commitment and to undergo appropriate checks, including enhanced DBS checks.