Head of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
Job Summary
Working Pattern:
Full time
Advert Start Date:
28/06/2019
Advert End Date:
Closed for applications on 14/07/2019 22:59
Salary:
Soulbury £68,883 - £72,322 per annum (plus 3 SPA points)
Job Category:
Executive / Managerial
Employment Location:
Newcastle upon Tyne
Further Information
People Division – Education & Skills
Newcastle City Council is proud, fair and ambitious and these values underpin everything we do.
Newcastle is a great place to work. The recent devolution deal with government to create the North of Tyne Combined Authority also means that the strong relationships that we have with our near-neighbours of North Tyneside and Northumberland will become even more fruitful in the coming years. What an exciting time to come and join us!
We have high aspirations for the educational services that we offer to children and young people in the city, and our schools and academies have high expectations of us. Together, we are implementing a new sector-led approach to education in the city where all of our schools and academies have a voice in deciding how we raise standards, improve attendance and work towards our 2020 target of every child and young person in Newcastle attending a good or outstanding school.
To achieve this, we need to improve our offer to those children and young people who are facing difficult educational and personal challenges in their lives. This post of Head of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) is a critical role in ensuring that we can do this quickly, effectively and in a sustainable way.
As the appointed post-holder, you will lead on shaping and implementing our strategy for special educational needs. As the number of school-age children and young people continues to increase in Newcastle, we are trying to meet the demands of a growing number of pupils who exhibit the full range of special educational needs that you would expect to meet in a major city. As a consequence, we are looking for an advocate and champion of those with special educational needs and their families. You will ensure that their voice is heard loudly at the council and will raise awareness of their needs and ambitions with all of our partners.
You will be a key decision maker in the Education & Skills Division and play a key role in designing and supporting the strategic direction of the service. You will ensure the effective co-ordination and leadership of the council’s statutory and strategic responsibilities for those with SEND, as well as playing an active role in senior strategic and commissioning boards with health and children’s and adults’ social care services. You will be responsible for the effective delivery of the council’s education service responsibilities for children and young people with SEND by holding directly and indirectly managed services to account for their performance. In addition, you will be working closely with the Schools Forum and supporting officers to ensure the effective oversight and management of the High Needs budget so that it effectively discharges the council’s related statutory duties, and enables the delivery of strategic priorities whilst remaining within budget.
It’s a tough role within the current educational financial climate but you will have the support of all the senior leaders and elected members of the Council who have highlighted improvement in the educational achievement of vulnerable pupils’ education as one the key priority areas for the council over the next five years in order to ensure that Newcastle is:
‘…the best place in the UK to live …with communities that are attractive and safe and where people, particularly the most vulnerable, get the help they need.’ (Newcastle City Council Plan, 2017).
In return for your hard work and enthusiasm, we promise to stretch, challenge and develop you as a professional and, more importantly, you will working as part of a dedicated, highly supportive and highly skilled team all focussed on ensuring that no child is left behind.
If you’d like an informal conversation about this role please contact Mark Patton, Assistant Director: Education & Skills on 0191 2115300.
Application deadline: 22:59 on Sunday 14 July 2019
Shortlisting: week commencing Monday 15 July 2019
Recruitment process, involving panel discussions, a presentation and a formal interview: Tuesday 23 July 2019
Apply online at www.northeastjobs.org.uk.
Please note
This job is closed for applications.