Area SEND Manager

Surrey County Council; Horsell; On-site; GBP 54,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional government authority is seeking an Area SEND Manager to oversee a busy SEND team. You will manage Education, Health & Care Plans, ensuring compliance and high-quality support for vulnerable children. The role requires strong communication and relationship-building skills, along with a deep understanding of SEND legislation. A competitive salary and hybrid working options are offered.

Benefits

26 days' holiday, rising with service

Employee Assistance Programme

Local government pension scheme

Lifestyle discounts

Paid volunteering days

Qualifications

• Experience in administering the statutory SEND framework.
• Proven ability to communicate effectively with diverse stakeholders.
• Competence in applying evaluative judgement in casework.

Responsibilities

• Manage the annual review process for Education, Health & Care Plans.
• Build professional relationships with schools and families.
• Directly manage EHCP Coordination Managers.

Skills

Critical analysis

Communication skills

Problem-solving

Relationship building

Knowledge of SEND legislation

Education

Professional qualification in special education

Tools

Microsoft Office

Database management systems

Job description

• Location: Victoria Gate, Chobham Road, Woking, GU21 6JD

Description

The starting salary for this full-time, permanent position is £53,713 per annum based on a 36-hour working week.

We're excited to be recruiting a newArea SEND Manager to join our fantastic SEND service base at Victoria Gate in Woking.

This role is open to hybrid working. As a team we split our time between collaborating together in the office for a minimum of two days per week, and working from home. We also aim to visits to schools and settings on a regular basis, as we continue to build upon our collaborative working with schools.

Rewards and Benefits

• 26 days' holiday (prorated for part time staff), rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years' service
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependants leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
• 2 paid volunteering days per year
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources

About the Role

At Surrey County Council, we are committed to ensuring that all children and young people with SEND receive an outstanding service, and we are well on our journey towards offering this. Our SEND and Inclusion Services work collaboratively in affecting timely and purposeful casework; ensuring the best possible outcomes for vulnerable children and young people. Relational and restorative working underpin all our practice with stakeholders, partners, clients and customers.

We're looking for compassionate, knowledgeable, and proactive individuals who can build trusted relationships and communicate clearly.

Day to day, the Area SEND Manager has responsibility for managing a busy area SEND team which is primarily focussed on the statutory annual review process. You will ensure that your team can consistently deliver timely, high quality and legally compliant Education, Health & Care Plans through the annual review process. You will also ensure that your team can secure special educational provision and appropriate education placements.

You will build professional and productive relationships with colleagues, partners and stakeholders, such as school leaders and families, and have the resilience to work positively, in solution-focused way, with families who may be experiencing anxiety or frustration about their children's circumstances. You will model these behaviours to your team, maintaining high standards of customer care as you advise on a range of complex SEND casework.

Our young people want adults who listen, explain things honestly, and keep them at the centre of every decision. Parents and carers value empathy, strong organisational skills, and a deep understanding of SEND legislation and diverse needs. Schools need consistent, accessible professionals who are experts in SEND and can guide them through the system with clarity and confidence.

As our Area SEND Manager you will be involved in the following key areas of responsibility:

• Statutory aspects of Education, Health & Care Plans (EHCPs), EHCP writing, annual review management and securing special educational provision and placements
• Promoting and ensuring the team's proactive communication with customers
• Direct line management of EHCP Coordination Managers
• Providing advice and unblocking complex casework through solution-focused approaches
• Attending multi-disciplinary discussion meetings and contributing to statutory decision making
• Monitoring and managing budgets in accordance with financial procedures
• Ensuring complaints are handled effectively and that the team learns from these
• Using performance data to report progress, forecast demand and drive forward improvements

This is a challenging role but, by working in collaboration with children's Social Care, Health, parents/carers and families, as well as schools, your impact will help us to achieve the best outcomes for the children we support. If you're committed to collaboration, advocacy, and making things happen, we'd love to hear from you.

Shortlisting Criteria

To be considered for shortlisting, your CV and personal statement will need to clearly evidence the following:

• A professional qualification and relevant registration with post qualification practical experience, or relevant and practical experience in administering the statutory SEND framework or closely related work
• An ability to apply critical analysis and exercise evaluative judgement appropriately
• Proven written and verbal communication skills, with good negotiation and influencing skills, as well as the ability to work collaboratively
• Deep knowledge of SEND and related legislation
• High-level problem-solving skills with the capacity to devise and implement innovative solutions
• Demonstrable experience in successful recruitment, management, coaching and development of staff
• Competence in a range of IT tools including MS Office and database management systems

The role involves working in, and visiting, venues across the locality to build professional working relationships, therefore you will need to be willing and able to travel across the county as required.

Contact Us

Please contact us for any questions relating to the role. This could be to discuss flexible working requests, transferable skills or any barriers to employment. For an informal discussion please contact Natalie Callaghan via email at [e-mail]

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 7th September with interviews to follow.

An enhanced DBS 'Disclosure and Barring Service' check for regulated activity (formerly known as CRB) and the Children's and Adults' Barred List checks will be required for this role.

Local Government Reorganisation

Surrey County Council is preparing for Local Government Reorganisation which will allow us to implement the Government led policy of devolution, which is all about giving more powers to local areas.

Currently, Surrey has a two-tier council system, with 11 district and borough councils and a county council, all responsible for different services. All these councils will be reorganised into a smaller number of new unitary councils which will come into effect in April 2027. At this point, this role will be transferred, with all existing terms and conditions intact into one of the new unitary councils.

The Surrey Way behaviours are a guide that supports our council to work together effectively and deliver our best for our customers and communities, and for each other. Discover more about our behaviours.

Before submitting your application, we recommend you read the job description. Our Life at Surrey handbook also provides insights of the culture at Surrey and how as a valued employee, you can help shape our Council.

Our Commitment

Surrey County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. A guaranteed interview will be offered to all disabled applicants where:

• The candidate has evidenced the minimum criteria for the role through their application
• The candidate has chosen to share that they have a disability on the application form

Our application form and onboarding process will provide an opportunity to request any reasonable adjustments for the interview and/or the role.

We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all underrepresented groups.