School Advisor (Access and Inclusion)

The successful candidate will lead the Access and Inclusion team. In Newcastle, this team is responsible for managing the Fair Access and inclusion processes, providing safeguarding advice, supporting school attendance, managing permanent exclusions, supporting children who are electively home educated and ensuring that no child misses out on education. It is a strong, highly specialised team, recognised regionally and nationally for innovative approaches to challenges.

These are challenging times for education, so this is a high profile role within the School Effectiveness Service and within the Council. You will provide support to the Senior Adviser for Inclusive Schools as we continue to develop provision across the city. For our school leaders, you will be a key point of contact for advice about complex inclusion cases.

The role stretches across all schools in the city, but our most challenging cases are in the secondary sector.

You will be an experienced teacher, most likely in middle or senior leadership, with a strong knowledge of secondary school inclusion processes. You will have demonstrable and successful experience of ensuring that children and young people can access education regardless of their needs. You might not be an expert in all areas of access and inclusion, but you will be able to lead a specialist team to ensure that young people and school leaders receive the support and advice they need. You will be analytical, able to identify and address key issues. You will have a strong understanding of school processes and multi-agency working for the benefit of children and their families. You will have a first hand understanding of the challenges faced by schools.

Access and inclusion is one of the most challenging areas of education at the moment. You will need to be resilient and able to work with stakeholders who are under pressure. However, there are huge opportunities to lead change and innovate on a large scale. You will be a valuable part of a supportive and successful service, working in close collaboration with over a hundred schools. You will lead a high profile team. Most importantly, you will have an opportunity to make a positive difference across a vibrant, international city.