Director of SEND & Inclusion
Weston-super-Mare | £59,621 - £76,260 per annum | Full-time (37 hours per week, all year round)
Shape the future of inclusive education.
Weston College Group is seeking an exceptional Director of SEND & Inclusion to lead one of the most strategically important areas of the organisation. This is a unique opportunity to lead transformational change, shape and embed an evolving SEND model, and drive meaningful improvement in outcomes for learners across the College.
The opportunity
SEND is a key strategic priority for Weston College, operating at significant scale across a diverse learner base and funding landscape:
- Over 3,000 learners with a declared learning need or disability across full-time provision, apprenticeships and adult learning
- Over 500 high needs learners, including those with Education, Health and Care Plans
- A growing service with significant investment in staff to respond to learner need
- Responsibility for a significant revenue and complex budgets (circa £11m)
The College is increasing investment in frontline support and strengthening cross-college inclusion. Alongside this, we will be opening a new SEND Centre for Residential Training and Independent Living in summer 2026, creating a unique opportunity to shape innovative provision.
This role will play a key part in shaping how the College responds to the evolving national SEND landscape, ensuring policy is translated into effective, inclusive practice and ensuring all SEND learners have a genuine sense of belonging and are able to achieve and thrive.
The role
As Director, you will:
- Provide strategic leadership across specialist education and cross-college learning support
- Strengthen cross-college approaches to supporting learners with SEND, ensuring consistent delivery, effective early identification of need, and successful transition into mainstream curriculum pathways
- Lead the implementation and ongoing development of the SEND operating model
- Be the provision lead for High Needs when the College is inspected by Ofsted, alongside playing a key role in the overall Inclusion judgement for the whole college
- Drive high‑impact outcomes for learners with SEND, including improving achievement, progression and closing gaps with non‑SEND learners
- Translate national SEND reform into effective local practice
- Build and influence strong partnerships with local authorities, schools and sector bodies
- Lead a large, multidisciplinary team and ensure effective deployment of resources
- Ensure effective use of funding and resources to maximise support for learners and deliver sustainable, high‑quality provision
Leadership and structure
You will lead a well‑established and evolving SEND service, supported by a senior leadership team across specialist education, cross-college learning support and SEND systems and funding.
The structure beneath this role includes experienced leaders responsible for:
- Specialist curriculum provision
- Whole‑college learning support
- SEND funding, systems and compliance
The role will focus on embedding and leading this provision effectively, ensuring it delivers high‑quality, consistent outcomes for learners.
What makes this role different
- A genuine opportunity to implement and shape the College's SEND model pending the final outcomes of the recently announced SEND reforms
- A College with a strong track record in SEND and inclusion, now entering the next phase of its development
- Significant investment and executive‑level priority
- Opportunities to build on innovative practice, including well‑established supported employment provision
- Strong, well‑established partnerships with local authorities and external stakeholders
- The opportunity to influence both internal delivery and external partnerships to improve outcomes for learners
- The chance to combine strategic leadership with visible, on‑the‑ground impact
- An engaged and committed team with strong foundations, offering the opportunity to further develop capability, broaden perspectives and drive the next phase of improvement
About you
We are looking for a senior leader who can operate at both strategic and operational levels, with the ability to deliver impact through others in a complex organisation.
You may currently be:
- A Director or Assistant Principal for SEND or Inclusion
- A senior SEND leader in FE, HE or schools
- A Head of SEND, Head of Learning Support or Head of Specialist Curriculum with a strong track record, ready to step into a broader strategic leadership role
You will bring:
- A professional qualification in SEND or a related field
- Deep understanding of SEND legislation, funding and inclusive practice
- Experience of working within a middle or senior management role in an education setting
- A strong track record of improving outcomes and driving change
- Experience leading large teams and complex services
- Ability to influence internally and externally at senior level
- Experience working effectively with external partners, particularly local authorities and sector stakeholders
- A track record of delivering improvement through others and influencing across organisational boundaries
- Experience managing significant budgets
Working at Weston College
- Based in Weston-super-Mare, with occasional travel to other campuses as required
- Flexible working available (typically up to one day per week initially)
- Strong leadership support and transition planning in place
Safeguarding & inclusion
Weston College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people and vulnerable adults. We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and welcome applications from all backgrounds.
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