Education Lead

Surrey County Council; Old Woking; Hybrid; GBP 71,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in Old Woking is seeking an Education Lead to support the Families First Partnership Programme. The role involves engaging education partners, facilitating communication, and promoting early intervention for children and families. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in education, proven leadership skills, and experience in service design. This full-time position offers a starting salary of £70,975 per annum with opportunities for hybrid working and a range of employment perks.

Benefits

26 days holiday

Generous pension scheme

Employee Assistance Programme

Qualifications

• Proven track record as a Senior Leader within education settings.
• Demonstrable success in multi-agency collaboration.
• In-depth knowledge of safeguarding and child protection.

Responsibilities

• Act as a liaison between education partners and services.
• Engage stakeholders in shaping developments in education.
• Support workstreams in reducing inequalities.

Skills

Senior Leadership

Multi-agency collaboration

Service design

Data analysis

Education

Extensive experience in education sector

Job description

We're excited to be recruiting an Education Lead to support the implementation of the Families First Partnership Programme (FFPP) in Surrey. This is a unique opportunity to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of social care in Surrey. If you're passionate about education, collaboration, and making a real difference in communities, we'd love to hear from you. The Families First Partnership (FFPP) is a multi‑agency programme focused on early intervention and prevention to improve outcomes for children and families. You can read more about the FFPP programme in the attachment to this advert. Working within the Children, Families and Learning Directorate, your role as an Education Lead will be to ensure education partners are engaged in reform initiatives, facilitate effective communication, gather feedback to inform proposed changes and report project progress to stakeholders. As a key liaison between Education, Social Care and the wider partnership, you will champion Education as a vital multi‑agency partner, promoting early intervention and prevention outcomes for children and families.

Responsibilities

• Act as a liaison between schools, colleges and early years education settings as well as with Education and Lifelong Learning services within SCC, social care, the Virtual School including links with ELL Early Intervention Prevention and Support Services and Mindworks Schools Based Needs Teams.
• Engage stakeholders (including school leaders, parents, children, and young people) in shaping developments within the education sector, including identifying the changes that will make the most difference to children and their families.
• Communicate and seek feedback to inform proposed changes and project progress to stakeholders.
• Be a key lead in the development of the new ways of working, building on the work of the Virtual School to improve educational outcomes of children with a social worker and the DFE's national evaluation of this.
• Make decisions on operational service delivery, such as design of new ways of working and structures.
• Support workstreams in reducing inequalities and overcoming systemic challenges.
• Support data flow from education and the Virtual School to inform the programme.
• Ensure appropriate services are accessed for reform initiatives.

Your role will work closely with the Assistant Director for Children's Services Innovation and Reform, as well as other partner leads, and be accountable to Surrey County Council.

Qualifications and Experience

• Proven track record as a Senior Leader within education settings, demonstrating strategic leadership and operational excellence.
• Extensive experience in the education sector, with a strong focus on cultivating high‑performance cultures and driving continuous improvement.
• Demonstrable success in multi‑agency collaboration and effective partnership working to support children and families.
• Experience in service design and policy development, with the ability to translate strategic objectives into impactful practice.
• In‑depth knowledge of safeguarding and child protection within schools and educational settings, with a clear understanding of statutory responsibilities and best practice.

Questions for Applicants

1. Please describe a time when you led a significant change initiative within an education setting. What was the challenge, how did you approach it, and what impact did it have on children and families?
2. How have you successfully worked multi‑agency partnerships to improve outcomes for children? What were the key factors in building effective partnerships?
3. Please give an example of how you have engaged children, families, and education professionals in shaping service delivery or policy. What methods did you use to gather feedback and ensure their voices were heard?
4. Please tell us how you have used data and evidence to inform service design or policy development in education.

Surrey County Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation, moving from a two‑tier system to two new unitary councils in April 2027. If you are employed by Surrey on 1st April 2027, your role will transfer with current terms and conditions to one of the new organisations, supporting local devolution and greater powers for our communities.

Join our dynamic team and shape the future of local government. Make a lasting impact with innovative solutions and improved services for our community. Help us build a brighter future for our residents!

This full‑time position has a starting salary of £70 975 per annum based on a 36‑hour working week. It is a 12‑month fixed‑term contract or secondment opportunity. Part‑time hours will also be considered. Due to the partnership nature of this role, a secondment arrangement can be explored by both internal and external candidates if this is supported by your current organisation. The team is based at our Woking office, and the role is open to hybrid working.

Offer to You

• 26 days holiday, rising to 28 days after 2 years of service and 31 days after 5 years of service.
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave.
• A generous local government salary‑related pension.
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave and 2 paid volunteering days per year.
• Paternity, adoption and dependants leave.
• An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing.
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources.
• Wellbeing and lifestyle discounts including gym, travel and shopping.
• A chance to make a real difference to the lives of our residents.