Interim Assistant Director, Education Strategy, Access and Inclusion

Interim Assistant Director, Education Strategy, Access and Inclusion

Responsible for: Education provision quality and sufficiency in the borough; pupil facing services including: Education Psychology service, Virtual School, Inclusion services, Outreach services, Special Education Needs & Disability Team, School Admissions Service, Vulnerable Pupils Data and Pupil Place Planning

Job Purpose:

• To report to the Director of Education and Learning with the Assistant Director, School Quality Assurance and Partnerships and be part of the senior management team in the Education and Learning Division as well as the wider Children�s Services Directorate and other client services.
• As strategic lead on Education Strategy to have oversight of pupil place planning and education provision, sufficiency and ensuring high quality is maintained; school access and admissions and services for vulnerable pupils including the SEND and inclusion services.
• To provide strategic leadership of services to vulnerable pupils in the context of the overall provision of services to children with Special Educational Needs and their families working closely with other teams across Childrens Services.
• To ensure a traded service with schools to provide non-statutory Educational Psychology services as well as non-statutory outreach services including behaviour, sensory support is maintained 
• To drive and implement the strategic and operational vision of the client and wider Childrens Services and to successfully manage the cultural change required to achieve excellent service delivery in relation to education inclusion and outreach. This will involve holding collective responsibility for developing the agenda of service improvement and the ongoing development with partners, including schools and voluntary organisations, to achieve effective and excellent multi-agency working focused around the child. 
• To lead significant aspects of school policy and performance and to maintain close links with schools including acting as a School Improvement Adviser to a number of schools.
• To ensure that School admissions, services for excluded pupils and Fair Access Protocols and Panels are managed appropriately and effectively
• To have full knowledge and experience of relevant education and childrens services national and local legislation, policy, procedure and practice requirements. To continually learn from best practice locally and nationally

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Key Knowledge

• Detailed knowledge of all national legislation, code of practice and statutory requirements & legal framework that underpin the responsibilities of the LA in relation to the provision of and oversight of sufficiency of school places and school admissions, high quality education provision, Educational Psychology, Virtual School and the managing of services to support children and young people with special educational needs.
• Broad understanding of the legal framework that underpins equalities and equitable delivery of Childrens Services particularly the requirements of the Children and Families Act 2014, Education and Inspection Act 1996, the Academies Act 2010

Relevant Experience

• Substantial senior experience in school/s and proven experience of managing professionally qualified staff at a senior level within a school, education authority or equivalent for example a large Multi- Academy Trust
• Successful track record of senior management and policy management skills which translates strategies and plans into operational realities.

Qualifications

• Educated to degree level or above; PGCE or equivalent 

Location: 6 Brixton Hill, London, Lambeth, SW2 1RW, United Kingdom