Senior Inclusion Lead

• Full time (37 hours per week), all year-round position
• Hybrid working model with a balance of home, locality and office working
• Based in a locality but with the expectation that casework is needs based and can be across Somerset
• 33 days’ annual leave (plus bank holidays).
• Permanent contract.
• Grade 8, £49,282 per annum

Join us on our mission to make a real difference in Somerset!

As a Senior Inclusion Lead, you’ll be at the forefront of shaping the future for young people (CYP) with acute and complex special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and wider vulnerabilities.

You’ll lead from the front: setting direction, inspiring teams and delivering a more inclusive educational landscape. You will lead key initiatives, chair critical meetings, and ensure that every CYP potential is recognised and nurtured. Your leadership will be instrumental in removing barriers and supporting CYP navigate transitions in adulthood.

You will lead our operational response to supporting children and young people (CYP) with complex SEND, and those who are NEET or at high risk of becoming NEET. This includes ensuring timely advice, guidance, and robust interventions that help CYP move towards education, employment, or training pathways.

Senior Inclusion Lead Opportunities – Virtual School Team

This vacancy is within our Preparation for Adulthood phase supporting children and young people from KS4 up to the age of 25.

We are seeking educational leaders with KS4 or post-16 experience with skills leading and managing through change, project managing and with specialist knowledge in areas such as SEND, post-16 education and supported employment.  

Here’s what your role will involve:

• Collaborate with leaders and partners: work hand-in-hand with multi-agency teams and senior leaders to design and implement actionable strategies to support inclusion and reduce NEET figures in Somerset.
• Inspire an inclusive environment: partner with educators, parent carers, and external agencies to foster academic, social, and emotional growth for every child and young person. 
• Drive improvement: monitor, evaluate, and refine inclusion practices, offering innovative recommendations to make them even more effective.
• Lead with expertise: take ownership of a specialist area, providing professional development and supporting colleagues. Join forces with other Senior Leads to shape a more inclusive system for all.
• Lead complex situations: attend key meetings such as Team Around the Child and PEPs, and provide insightful, solution-focused advice that empowers families, children and young people, and educators.
• Management Responsibilities: Provide line management and support to team members, act as a positive role model, and take a lead in key internal meetings to drive collaboration and best practice.
• Partnering with Families Through Clear Communication: Build trusting, collaborative relationships with families by maintaining open, honest, and empathetic communication. Your ability to communicate clearly and compassionately ensures families feel heard, valued, and empowered.

We’re committed to helping you thrive with ongoing support, training, and professional development. To hit the ground running, we’d love for you to bring:

• Specialist knowledge of post-16 pathways and supported employment.
• Expertise in SEND: a solid understanding of working with children and young people with SEND, along with a deep knowledge of the SEND Code of Practice.
• Leadership experience: a proven track record in a leadership role within an educational setting and supporting through change.
• Policy development skills: experience in writing and implementing impactful inclusive education policies and practices.
• Collaborative mindset: experience of working effectively with parent carers, external agencies, and key stakeholders to achieve shared goals.
• Relevant qualifications: a degree or equivalent professional experience that demonstrates your expertise and dedication.

We’re proud to be here for the people of Somerset. And that means everyone in Somerset. An important part of this is ensuring that we are as diverse and inclusive as the people and communities we serve.

We welcome applications from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences to enrich our team. You can always contact the hiring manager for a chat if there’s anything you want to talk about before you apply.

We are proud to offer an environment that is supportive and rewarding, working as part of a team who are passionate about the work they do to improve the lives of people in Somerset.

We offer great training and development opportunities, with supportive management. As well as this, we have some fantastic employee benefits available:

• We promote a healthy work-life balance and offer flexible working arrangements wherever possible, including working from home.
• Generous annual leave allowance, with the opportunity to purchase additional leave
• Staff discounts in gyms.
• Employee Assistance for the times you may need some support and a variety of employee wellbeing services.
• Auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme and optional pension enhancement through our Additional Voluntary Contribution scheme.
• A Flexible Benefits Scheme via salary sacrifice to obtain a cycle for work and health screenings.
• My Staff Shop offering discounts in shops, online shopping, restaurants, cinema tickets, insurance benefits and more

The Salary for the Senior Inclusion Lead is Grade 8, ranging from £49,282 per annum.

For an informal chat about the role, you can contact Poppy Tuck, Senior Expert Advisor – Preparation for Adulthood  

Email: poppy.tuck@somerset.gov.uk

Interviews are likely to take place on the w/c 24^th November.

If you have everything you need, just hit the apply button. We can’t wait to hear from you.

In this role, you will require a criminal background check via Disclosure and Barring Service.