Learning Support Manager

Arts University Plymouth; Plymouth; On-site; GBP 33,000 - 36,000; Full time

Job summary

A prestigious arts university in Plymouth seeks a Pre-Degree Learning Support Manager to lead SEN provision and manage a team of Specialist Support Workers. Responsibilities include coordinating effective support strategies and ensuring compliance with regulations. Candidates must have experience with Special Educational Needs and be skilled in communication and organization. This full-time role offers a competitive salary with opportunities for progression.

Benefits

30 days annual leave plus holidays

Employee Assistance Programme

Local Government Pension scheme

Cycle-to-work scheme

Gym discounts

Qualifications

• Experience in coordinating provision for students with Special Educational Needs (SEN).
• Skilled in liaising with families, local authorities, and multi-agency professionals.
• Highly organized with attention to detail in record keeping and funding applications.

Responsibilities

• Lead the SEN provision ensuring compliance with legislation and best practice.
• Manage a team of Specialist Support Workers.
• Maintain accurate records, funding documentation, and student support plans.

Skills

Coordinating provision for students with SEN

Liaising with families and professionals

Organizational skills

Communication skills

Education

Relevant degree

Job description

Salary: Band 6 – starting salary £33,482 with annual incremental progression up to £35,116
Hours: 37 hours per week
Contract Type: Permanent
Closing date: 6th of January, 2026

Arts University Plymouth is seeking an experienced and dedicated Pre‑Degree Learning Support Manager to lead on the delivery and coordination of our specialist support provision. You will play a key role in shaping the support landscape for students across our Pre‑Degree & Sixth Form provision, ensuring inclusive, effective and person‑centred services that empower all learners to reach their potential.

As part of the Student Support team and reporting to the Head of Compliance and Quality Systems, you will work closely with subject leaders, support staff, parents and external agencies to design and deliver impactful support strategies. You will lead a team of Specialist Support Workers and work in partnership with the Pre‑Degree Safeguarding Lead to uphold safeguarding standards across the provision.

This is an exciting opportunity to make a meaningful difference in a dynamic, creative and collaborative environment that values innovation, compassion and excellence in education. Whilst the role is being offered as a full‑time position, the panel would be open to discussing options of a term‑time only contract with the right candidate.

About You

• Experienced in coordinating provision for students with SEN
• Skilled in liaising with families, local authorities and multi‑agency professionals to deliver cohesive, individualised support
• Highly organised, with meticulous attention to detail, particularly in record keeping, funding applications, and data reporting
• A confident communicator with excellent interpersonal skills, comfortable supporting students, staff and parents alike

About The Role

• Lead the SEN provision, ensuring compliance with current legislation and best practice
• Managing a team of Specialist Support Workers, including line management, training, observations and performance reviews
• Overseeing Education & Health Care Plan (EHCP) processes, annual reviews, and person‑centred planning in collaboration with parents and external professionals.
• Maintaining accurate records, funding paperwork and documentation related to access arrangements and student support plans.
• Supporting transitions for incoming and outgoing students with SEN, in collaboration with recruitment and admissions teams.
• Contributing to the safeguarding agenda and providing cover for the Pre‑Degree Safeguarding Lead when required.

In return you’ll receive

• 30 days annual leave per annum plus bank holidays, and closure efficiency days
• Access to a supportive, extensive Employee Assistance Programme including 10 sessions of counselling, Menopause support, Life & Leadership Coaching, Legal Advice, and Financial Coaching
• Enrolment onto a generous Local Government Pension scheme
• Additional benefits such as a cycle‑to‑work scheme, discounted bus tickets, education sector retail offers, local gym discounts, and a staff discount site with savings of up to 10% on the high street

Please refer to the role profile for more information – Pre‑Degree Learning Support Manager.

Interviews are expected to take place during the week commencing the 12th of January, 2026.

The successful candidate will be willing to contribute to our ambitions and international profile as an innovative, sustainable and broadly inclusive arts university.

Safeguarding and Compliance
All appointments are subject to a DBS check, and you will be required to provide appropriate documentation as part of the onboarding process.

Right to Work
Applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK. We are currently unable to offer visa sponsorship. Proof of Right to Work will be required before an offer of employment is made.

How to Apply
To apply, please complete the online application form. Please note that we are unable to accept CVs in place of a completed application.

We encourage early applications, as the advert may close prior to the listed closing date due to high levels of interest. Please apply early to avoid disappointment.

If you are interested in the role and would like to find out more, please feel free to contact Jeff Wright, Head of Compliance and Quality Systems on [email].

Arts University Plymouth has a strong commitment to the safeguarding & welfare of young people & vulnerable adults. A satisfactory DBS disclosure will be required from successful candidates as a condition of appointment.

We celebrate equality, diversity and difference, and welcome candidates from all communities, including applications from service people and their families as part of our commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant.

In the event that the University has employees eligible for redeployment at the time of shortlisting, for example due to the end of a fixed term contract, these candidates may be entitled to a priority interview.

Creative Education for a Changing World.

Arts University Plymouth will set a vision towards 2030 based on sustainable growth, solution‑focused teaching and research, and a commitment to impactful social justice and ecological change through its people, culture and place.

Our strategy ensures that our work is energised and designed to meet the ambitions of our students and staff while acknowledging the shifting realm of creativity through new technologies and the workplaces of tomorrow.

Our vision for Arts University Plymouth is a new kind of arts university for the 21st century, preparing graduates who are uniquely placed to provide creative solutions to the complex global challenges of our times.

We will champion our people, place and pedagogy at the heart of our mission, delivering sustainable growth and impactful change in terms of creative economies, civic engagement and cultural ambition in Plymouth and the wider region.

We will enhance our reputation as a catalyst for individual, societal and ecological transformation, delivering innovative and distinctive learning, teaching and research through its interdisciplinary ecosystem of materials, processes, technologies and knowledge exchange.

Our beautiful city was voted as Britain’s best city to live and work in by The Telegraph in September 2024, beating Bristol, London, Manchester and Birmingham. Take a look at the showreels linked below to see why we are proud to boast about our city.

We’ve also been named one of the world’s top underrated travel destinations by Time Out. Plymouth is a vibrant city that offers stunning coastlines, wild moorlands, and a rich cultural scene. Attractions include the iconic Tinside Lido, and some of the region’s best entertainment and culture, from award‑winning museum and gallery The Box, to Real Ideas Market Hall, home to Europe’s first‑of‑its‑kind 350‑degree Immersive Dome.

Plymouth is Britain’s Ocean City, a confident and growing city that is undergoing a cultural revolution. With world‑class connectivity, one of the highest rates of superfast broadband availability in the UK, excellent transport links, an international airport under an hour away, and stunning outside spaces on the doorstep such as Plymouth Sound National Marine Park, Dartmoor National Park, it offers a great lifestyle. Find out more here.

Invest Plymouth Showreel Living & Working in Plymouth… a great quality of life…

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