Alternative Provision Practice Lead

Number of Vacancies: 1

Time Type: Full time

Worker Type: Regular

Proposed Interview Date: Thursday, December 10, 2026

Hours of Work: 37

Hiring Manager: Hayley O'Grady

Contact Number:

This is a Full Time, Permanent position.

We are seeking an ambitious, experienced and passionate leader. As Alternative Provision Lead, you will provide leadership, oversight and challenge across a diverse network of Alternative Provision providers. You will play a pivotal role in ensuring the Local Authority meets its statutory responsibilities and delivers provision in line with Department for Education guidance, ensuring some of the city's most vulnerable children achieve the best possible outcomes.

You will lead on the commissioning, quality assurance and performance management of Alternative Provision services, ensuring agreed Key Performance Indicators are achieved and that provision delivers measurable impact for children and young people.

Managing a team of two Quality of Education Officers, you will oversee the monitoring of individual pupil journeys and ensure children, young people and families receive consistent support throughout their placement. Working collaboratively with schools, Alternative Provision settings, SEND services and wider partners, you will champion a coordinated, child-centred approach.

A key priority of the role will be strengthening inclusion across the education system. Working closely with primary and secondary outreach services, you will develop a joined-up approach to early intervention and support, working alongside school leaders to build capacity, reduce exclusions and enable more children and young people to remain successfully in mainstream education wherever possible.

You will have proven experience of leading change, driving improvement through performance management and building effective partnerships that deliver better outcomes for children and families.

This is a unique opportunity to influence strategy, shape services and make a lasting difference to the lives of children and young people across the city.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all employees to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to an Enhanced DBS check and all relevant pre-employment checks.

If the postholder requires a Standard or Enhanced DBS disclosure the candidate is required to declare full details of everything on their criminal record unless the conviction/s and/or caution/s are considered "protected" in line with filtering rules for DBS checks.

Reporting to the Head of Access and Inclusion, the post holder will provide leadership, challenge and support to both registered and non-school settings to ensure that statutory duties under the Children and Families Act 2014, SEND Code of Practice and Equality Act 2010 are consistently understood and applied, enabling needs to be met at the earliest opportunity. Ensure compliance with exclusion legislation and Section 19 duties and sufficiency of places to ensure the Local Authority can meet 6th day provision.

To lead the development, implementation and continuous improvement of alternative provision standards and inclusive practice across alternative provision settings, ensuring that children and young people receive timely, effective support through high-quality ordinarily available provision and the graduated response.

To manage and monitor Alternative Provision (AP) contracts on behalf of the Local Authority, ensuring providers deliver high-quality educational outcomes, meet contractual Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), safeguard children and young people, and support successful reintegration into mainstream education…