Head of SEND
Permanent Position
Salary: £63,280 - £75,805 per annum, plus Special Allowance of £5,769
Location: Medway and Chatham (with flexible working)
Hours: 37 hours per week
This is a pivotal moment for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) nationally and within Medway. We are seeking an exceptional Head of SEND to lead our statutory services and play a central role in shaping a stronger, more responsive local system for children and young people aged 0-25. This is not a steady‑state leadership role. It is a unique opportunity to lead improvement, build confidence with partners and families, and deliver sustainable change at scale.
Responsibilities
* Ensuring statutory duties are met with consistency, timeliness and quality
* Embedding child‑centred, relational and outcome‑focused practice
* Driving transparent, evidence‑based decision making and robust quality assurance
* Leading service performance, sufficiency planning and resource management
* Managing specialist teams, including complaints and tribunals
* Strengthening multi‑agency accountability and partnership working
* Driving early identification and intervention
* Shaping local provision and sufficiency planning
* Influencing strategic commissioning and financial sustainability
* Ensuring the voices and lived experiences of children, young people and families are central to service design and delivery
* As a visible and influential leader, working closely with schools, parent and carer groups, health partners, elected members and senior leaders to build trust, provide constructive challenge and drive collective ownership of SEND outcomes
About You
* Significant senior leadership experience within SEND, education or children’s services
* Extensive knowledge of the SEND Code of Practice and relevant statutory frameworks
* A proven track record of leading improvement within complex systems
* Experience managing performance, risk and inspection readiness
* Strong partnership‑working skills with the ability to influence across organisational boundaries
* Expertise in using data, insight and intelligence to drive service improvement
* Confidence operating within politically sensitive environments and working with elected members
* A genuine commitment to improving outcomes and life chances for children and young people with SEND
Recruitment is done in line with safe recruitment practices. We are an equal opportunity agency
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