Area Alternative Education Manager

Make a Real Difference to Young People

We're looking for an experienced education leader to oversee our alternative provision programmes across the South Coast.

As Area Alternative Education Manager, you'll provide leadership for 6-8 sites across Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex and Dorset at our Team Sport Go Karting tracks, ensuring the consistent delivery of high-quality teaching, learning and safeguarding. You'll support and develop a team of instructors, drive educational excellence and build strong partnerships with schools, local authorities and other stakeholders to improve outcomes for young people.

This is a varied, field-based role combining educational leadership, quality assurance, operational oversight and stakeholder engagement. Working patterns may occasionally vary to support site visits, meetings, training, events and programme requirements.

About the Role

You'll oversee the quality, consistency and growth of our Fast Forward Alternative Education provision across your region of 8 sites. Working closely with instructors, operational teams and senior leaders, you'll ensure learners receive engaging, effective and inspiring educational experiences that support both personal and academic development.

You'll play a key role in developing and supporting instructors, ensuring teaching quality, safeguarding standards and learner outcomes remain consistently high across all locations.

What You'll Be Doing

• Leading the delivery of our educational programme across your allocated sites
• Managing, developing and supporting instructors through coaching, mentoring and performance management
• Conducting lesson observations and providing constructive feedback to improve teaching and learning
• Driving consistency and quality of delivery across all Fast Forward programmes
• Monitoring teaching, learning, assessments and learner outcomes
• Supporting curriculum development, lesson planning and differentiation strategies
• Reviewing learner attendance, progress, educational records and intervention plans
• Using learner data and performance metrics to identify trends and drive continuous improvement
• Supporting instructors with behaviour management strategies and complex learner cases
• Ensuring high standards of safeguarding, inclusion, wellbeing and learner welfare
• Acting as a regional safeguarding lead, supporting referrals, record-keeping and safeguarding decision-making
• Supporting EHCP targets, SEND strategies and individual learner support plans where appropriate
• Managing educational compliance, quality assurance activity and internal audits
• Ensuring compliance with awarding body requirements and educational standards
• Building strong and trusted relationships with commissioning schools, local authorities and external stakeholders
• Supporting recruitment, induction and ongoing professional development of instructors
• Preparing reports, updates and reviews for senior leaders and commissioning partners
• Supporting the growth and development of the provision across the region
• Providing session cover when required to maintain continuity of provision
• Working closely with education, people and operational leaders to achieve positive learner outcomes

What We're Looking For

Essential

• Significant experience within alternative provision, SEND, SEMH or a similar educational environment
• Experience leading teaching teams and driving improvements in educational quality
• Strong understanding of safeguarding, SEND, SEMH and alternative provision
• Experience managing colleagues across multiple locations
• Strong knowledge of classroom practice, learner engagement and behaviour management strategies
• Experience coaching, mentoring and developing education professionals
• Ability to analyse learner data and implement effective improvement plans
• Experience supporting learners who have faced barriers to mainstream education
• Strong organisational and time management skills
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
• Experience maintaining educational records, reports and compliance documentation
• Full UK driving licence and willingness to travel regularly

Desirable

• Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), PGCE or equivalent teaching qualification
• Education leadership qualification
• Experience leading alternative provision, vocational education or post-16 programmes
• Knowledge of Functional Skills delivery and assessment
• Understanding of quality assurance frameworks, self-evaluation and educational improvement planning
• Experience working with schools, local authorities and commissioning bodies
• Knowledge of…