SEND Quality Assurance Lead (Hybrid) - Drive Service Impact

Reading Borough Council; Reading; Hybrid; GBP 52,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous holiday entitlement

Flexible working opportunities

LGPS (Local Government Pension Scheme)

Life Assurance

On-site day nursery

Season Ticket Loan

Lease car salary sacrifice scheme

Job summary

Reading Borough Council is seeking an experienced SEND Quality Assurance Lead to strengthen the quality, consistency and impact of our SEND services in Reading.

You will lead audits, embed our QA framework, and work with education, health and social care partners to improve outcomes for children and families, supporting inspection readiness and ensuring voices of service users inform improvement.

Qualifications

• Degree-level qualification or equivalent professional experience in education, SEND, quality assurance, social care, health or a related field.
• Strong working knowledge of SEND legislation, the SEND Code of Practice, EHCP processes and statutory review requirements.
• Experience of auditing, reviewing or quality assuring EHCPs, annual reviews or other statutory SEND processes.
• The ability to analyse complex information, identify themes and risks, and translate findings into practical recommendations.
• Experience of contributing to inspection preparation, self-evaluation, assurance reporting or service improvement.
• Strong report-writing skills, with the ability to present evidence, progress and impact clearly to a range of audiences.

Responsibilities

• Leading audits, dip samples, thematic reviews and moderation of EHCPs, annual reviews and statutory SEND processes.
• Developing and embedding our SEND Quality Assurance Framework, ensuring findings translate into meaningful learning and improvement.
• Supporting inspection readiness, coordinating evidence and developing position statements, impact reports and self-evaluation materials.
• Working with SEND leaders, practitioners and multi-agency partners to identify areas for improvement and monitor the impact of change.
• Strengthening the involvement of children, young people and families in shaping service development, including working with Reading Families Forum and Reading IASS.
• Ensuring lived experience and community feedback inform our improvement priorities, particularly for families who may be less likely to engage through traditional consultation.
• Evaluating the impact of key SEND projects and initiatives, including Experts at Hand, RISE and SEND Transport transformation.
• Using data, audit findings and feedback to identify inequalities, improve practice and demonstrate better outcomes.
• Supporting the development of a children and young people's participation strategy, ensuring their voices influence decisions and service design.
• Providing effective line management, supervision and development to Case Officers and/or Assistant Case Officers.

Skills

Quality assurance

Auditing

EHCPs

Data analysis

Report writing

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Degree-level qualification in education / SEND / quality assurance / health or related field

Job description

Reading Borough Council is seeking an experienced SEND Quality Assurance Lead to strengthen the quality, consistency and impact of our SEND services in Reading.

You will lead audits, embed our QA framework, and work with education, health and social care partners to improve outcomes for children and families, supporting inspection readiness and ensuring voices of service users inform improvement.