Virtual School Send Lead

**Team: Virtual School**

**About the role**

Are you passionate about securing brilliant outcomes for Children and Young People with SEND?

Do you want to make a real difference to the lives of some of our most vulnerable learners?

Do you understand the trauma and difficulties care-experienced young people face on a daily basis?

Do you like a challenge?

If so then this exciting opportunity to join us at Bury Council as the Virtual School SEND Lead is for you.

As the SEND Lead in the Virtual School, you will play a strategic role in the team, supporting the Virtual School Headteacher and Deputy Headteacher to lead, support and challenge internal and external schools and partners to secure the best possible educational outcomes for children and young people in the care of the Council who have Special Educational Needs and Disabilities..

We are looking for someone who has experience working as a SENCO in a school, college or has equivalent experience in a Local Authority role supporting children with SEND. You will have a passion for promoting the inclusion and educational achievement of children in care and care leavers. You will be a champion of the children and young people you are responsible for and you will seek to celebrate their successes. You will be able to demonstrate the impact of your work on improved educational outcomes for children.

You will have excellent understanding of the social care, SEND and educational legislation pertinent to children in care, previously looked-after children and children with a social worker, and you will use initiative and imagination to overcome barriers to the educational success of these children and young people.

Joining the Virtual School team, you will work closely with the Senior Leadership Teams for Education and Social Care, the SEND teams in the LA and other stakeholders. We have excellent relationships with our partners in schools.

For this role you will need:

- Experience of working with vulnerable children, including those with SEND
- Excellent understanding of trauma-informed practice and the barriers to learning often experienced by children in care, previously looked-after children and children with a social worker
- Substantial current or previous experience in improving outcomes for children and young people in an education or Local Authority setting
- Knowledge and understanding of educational issues for children and young people in care and care leavers
- Experience of successful partnership working
- Qualified Teacher Status
- The NASENCO award or equivalent NPQ
- Knowledge and understanding of relevant legislation and guidance regarding Education and children and young people in care
- Experience of working closely with and leading multi-agency teams
- Experience with large-scale organisational change

Travel is an essential part of this job and therefore it would be extremely difficult for you to do your job effectively if you did not use a car for all or most of the time. It is essential that you hold a full and valid driving licence, and it is expected that you will use your own car (exceptions can be made for disabled applicants).

The role is based at 3 Knowsley Place, Bury and operates in accordance with the Council's Agile Working Policy.
Normal hours of work are 37 hours per week based around the usual business working week.

**About Bury**

As a Corporate Parent, ensure that the work and services you deliver considers our care experienced young people, promotes their life chances empowers them to influence the policies, services, and decisions that affect them, champions their rights, and ensure they grow up in the best possible way.
**Benefits of working for Bury Council**
To hear about the benefits for working with Bury Council, please visit A good employer | greater jobs
We support employees to work with agility, where appropriate for the post and service requirements.
We are committed to Bury being an equal society that recognises values and embraces all people, regardless of any difference, for the skills, abilities and experiences they bring into the workforce and the wider community. Therefore we guarantee an interview for disabled people, looked after children/ care leavers, armed forces personnel (including reservists and veterans) and carers of adults or disabled children if they meet the essential criteria.

**Next steps**

Interviews will be held in September for this role.