Head of SEND Improvement

Contract Type: Permanent

Salary: Grade M. Scale 52 - £72,845 to Scale 55 - £80,165

Hours Per Week: 36

Base Location: Hyde Town Hall, Market Street, Hyde, SK14 1AL

Assessment Date: Monday, 30^th November 2026

Are you passionate about making a real difference in the lives of children and families? Do you bring compassion, curiosity, collaboration, conversation, and courage to your practice? If so, Tameside is looking for you.

The Role

Following the promotion of the current postholder, Tameside has an exceptional opportunity to appoint a new Head of SEND to help shape and lead the next phase of our SEND improvement journey.

As Head of SEND, you will provide strategic leadership across our SEND system, leading statutory services, driving inclusion and transformation, and working collaboratively with education, health and care partners to deliver sustainable improvement. You will play a key role in implementing national SEND reforms, shaping local provision and embedding a culture of high aspiration and continuous improvement.

Tameside is on a significant improvement journey that has accelerated considerably in recent months. We have strengthened leadership, sharpened our focus on outcomes and inclusion, and built momentum across the local area partnership. Our governance is strong and we are making positive progress against the requirements of the Department for Education Improvement Notice, with this progress recognised in recent feedback from the DfE.

While we remain ambitious and clear about the work still to do, there is a growing confidence across the partnership and a shared determination to deliver lasting improvement for children and young people with SEND.

You will be joining a supportive and experienced leadership team, with all senior posts recruited and a collective commitment to improvement. There is a strong sense of shared endeavour, openness and ambition across the service, providing a strong platform from which to lead and succeed.

This role offers the opportunity to build on the progress already made and lead the next phase of improvement, helping to shape a high-performing, inclusive SEND system that makes a genuine difference to the lives of children, young people and their families.

Please see the Job Description and Person Specification for further details about the role and requirements.

About You

We are looking for an exceptional leader with the energy, vision and resilience to lead SEND services through the next stage of their development.

You will be passionate about improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND and bring the strategic leadership skills needed to deliver lasting change across complex systems and partnerships. You will have the credibility to work effectively with families, schools, elected members, health partners and regulators, building confidence and driving collective improvement.

You will be an inclusive and collaborative leader who understands the importance of relationships in delivering sustainable improvement. We are looking for someone who can bring people together around a shared purpose, strengthen trust across all parts of the partnership and create the conditions for others to succeed. Your ability to build strong professional relationships will be as important as your technical SEND expertise.

This is a role that requires commitment, energy, resilience and determination. SEND leadership is rewarding, impactful and deeply meaningful work, but it is also complex, demanding and highly visible. We are seeking someone who can navigate challenge with confidence, maintain focus through periods of pressure, and inspire others with optimism and purpose.

You will thrive in a high-performing leadership environment where success is shared, challenge is welcomed and relationships matter. We are looking for a leader who is generous in their leadership, committed to developing others and motivated by collective achievement rather than individual recognition. The ability to build confidence, foster strong partnerships and contribute positively to team culture will be as important as technical SEND expertise.

Most importantly, you will recognise both the challenges and achievements of the past whilst maintaining a clear focus on what comes next, bringing the pace, fresh thinking and drive needed to help realise our ambitions for the future.

If you are motivated by making a difference and excited by the opportunity to shape one of the most important improvement agendas in local government, we would love to hear from you.

About Us

Message from Jill Colbert, Director of Children’s Services

“I joined the council at the beginning of 2025 and was instantly charmed by the warmth, openness, and energy of colleagues.

“I came to Tameside for one reason; because I know we can do fantastic things for our families here.

“We’re a children’s service on a significant improvement journey. We know what needs to be different for our children and families and we’re ambitious to deliver that change.

“We have a growing range of specialist services for children, where you can test and grow your skills and practice. We have a Social Work Academy that is led by people who bring passion to learning and who know that the DCS’ of the future are right in front of them. We are working on our progression pathways so that staying in Tameside is rewarded and recognised. We have investment in innovation and improvement from the council so that we can grow services and support for families that we can sustain, from family hubs through to complex safeguarding.

“I am so certain that we can build a proud, inclusive and safe climate for great practice to flourish in Tameside. I’d love you to join me on the journey here at Team Tameside.”

Our Heart of Support Practice Approach

At Tameside, we believe in:

• Compassion understanding the lived experiences of children and families.
• Curiosity asking questions that lead to deeper insight and better outcomes for children.
• Collaboration working together across services to deliver joined-up support.
• Conversation listening and engaging meaningfully with children, families and professionals.
• Courage leading with courage, making bold and compassionate decisions that put children first.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults and expect all staff to share this commitment. This position is subject to Enhanced with Barred List Disclosure Procedures.

This post is a designated customer facing role under the fluency duty and requires a specified level of spoken English.

If you have completed the GM Elevate (Leadership Development) Programme, please indicate this within the ‘About You’ or ‘Supporting Statement’ section of your application.

Unfortunately, at this time we are not able to offer sponsorship.

We are committed to developing a culture which respects individuals, appreciates difference and allows everyone regardless of background to reach their full potential. We are proud to be an accredited disability confident employer. Reasonable Adjustments will be considered in accordance with the Equality Act 2010 in relation to the Job Role Criteria.

Our rewards and benefits package can be viewed here

We have made a commitment to improve the employment opportunities for people with disabilities, care leavers, carers, and ex-military personnel. Please click here for more information on our guaranteed assessment scheme.

Should you wish to have an information conversation about the post with Emlyn Wright, Assistant Director o Education and Inclusion please contact Sian Protano sian.protano@tameside.gov.uk for an opportunity to do so.