• Working Hours: 35 Hours per week
  • Contract Type: Full time / Permanent
  • Working Style: Hybrid - Employees split their time between working remotely (e.g., from home) and working on-site (e.g., in an office).
  • Additional Payments: Casual car user allowance
  • Closing Date: 11.59pm, 30 September 2026
  • Interview Method: In Person

**Previous unsuccessful applicants need not apply**

This role is subject to:

  • Legal right to Work: In accordance with Home Office guidance, successful candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK before commencement of employment.
  • 2 References: where possible we require 3 years' history.
  • Qualification: Qualified Teachers Status Qualification
  • Casual Car Documentation- The successful candidate will be a designated Casual Car User, which means that car journeys may be necessary on an occasional basis but are not essential to the role. If you do drive, you must always hold a full valid driving license and provide your own car for use at work, as well as provide all the appropriate documentation. You will receive an allowance per mile for business use.
  • DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) clearance: this post is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (amended in 2013). Appointable candidates will be required to apply an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. Information provided by you or the DBS will be dealt with in a confidential manner and in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice which can be viewed here. We have a policy on the Employment of Ex-Offenders, and it is available upon request.

Help Deliver the Future of SEND Inclusion in Manchester

Manchester is transforming the way children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) are supported.

As a UNICEF Child Friendly City and an Outstanding Children's Services authority, Manchester has led the Northwest SEND and Alternative Provision Change Programme on behalf of the Department for Education, helping to test and shape national SEND reforms. We are now entering an exciting phase as we implement our ambitious Local SEND Reform Plan and continue to build a more inclusive education system for children, young people and families.

We are seeking two outstanding leaders to join our School Quality Assurance and SEND Service as a Senior SEND Quality Assurance Officers. You will be part of a highly respected and innovative team that is helping to shape local and national SEND practice. Working alongside schools, families and partners, you will contribute directly to reforms that will improve outcomes and experiences for thousands of children and young people.

This is a rare opportunity to work at the forefront of SEND transformation, supporting schools, settings and partners to deliver meaningful improvements that ensure children and young people receive support that is: Early. Local. Fair. Effective. Shared.

Manchester's vision is:

"For children to live in a place they call home, with people and things they love, in communities that look out for them, doing things that matter."

Through our Local SEND Reform Plan, we are building an inclusive 0-25 system where:

Children and young people receive support earlier.

Mainstream settings are increasingly confident and inclusive.

Families are partners in decision making.

Specialist expertise is available through our innovative Experts at Hand model.

More children can have their needs met successfully in their local communities.

About the Role

  • Reporting to the Senior School Quality Assurance Officer (SEND Inclusion Lead) or the Senior School Quality Assurance Officer (SEMH Inclusion Lead) depending on your expertise, you will play a leading role in implementing Manchester's SEND Reform Programme across schools, settings and partner agencies.
  • You will support the development of inclusive practice across the city, lead quality assurance activity, and work directly with education leaders to strengthen outcomes for children and young people with SEND.

Key responsibilities include:

  • Leading SEND quality assurance reviews across schools, early years settings and alternative provision.
  • Supporting implementation of Manchester's SEND Reform Plan and Inclusion Strategy.
  • Delivering support and challenge to schools to improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND.
  • Leading key workstreams within the Experts at Hand programme.
  • Supporting schools to strengthen early intervention, ordinarily available provision and inclusive practice.
  • Working with SENDCOs, school leaders, trusts and governing bodies to develop sustainable improvement.
  • Analysing performance, attendance, exclusion, attainment and SEND data to identify priorities for action.
  • Contributing to the development of Manchester's inclusion dashboard and quality assurance frameworks.
  • Working collaboratively with health, social care, family hubs, educational psychology and other specialist services to deliver reform priorities.
  • Supporting the development of training, networks and professional learning opportunities for school leaders and SENDCOs. 

If you are passionate about inclusion, school improvement and delivering real change for children and young people with SEND, we would love to hear from you.

The appointable candidate will be required to start on 1st January 2027 but start date can be negotiated. 

 Please contact Charlotte.Wilson@Manchester.gov.uk for more information about the role. 

Provisional Interview Date: Week commencing 12th October

We are looking for an enthusiastic and highly credible professional who:

  • Has significant leadership experience within education, SEND, inclusion or school improvement.
  • Holds Qualified Teacher Status or an equivalent professional qualification.
  • Has a strong understanding of the SEND Code of Practice and current SEND reforms.
  • Has experience of leading improvement and achieving positive outcomes for children and young people with SEND.
  • Understands how inclusive practice can improve attendance, participation and achievement.
  • Has experience of quality assurance, monitoring and evaluation.
  • Builds positive relationships whilst providing effective support and challenge.
  • Is committed to co-production and the participation of children, young people and families
  • The successful candidate will be passionate about inclusive practice in mainstream education.
  • They will be able to demonstrate significant impact improving both the experience and outcomes for children with SEND in a mainstream setting.
  • The role holder will lead on ensuring all Manchester schools are meeting inclusive mainstream standards, undertaking effective support for our schools and working with external partners to implement our strategic vision for inclusion.

We’re the local government authority for Manchester, and have teams across the city helping to make this a great place to live for everyone. We’re proud to do local government differently, in a city with an international reputation for diversity, creativity, culture and passion. 

When you join us, you’re joining a team of over 7,000 council staff helping to make our ambition for Manchester a reality. Whatever your role, you’ll be supporting our residents and communities to be the best they can be, and helping to build a Manchester that's fairer for everyone who lives, works, volunteers, studies or plays here. 

To make our ambition a reality, every person we recruit needs to play their its part. It takes a certain type of behaviour, attitude and way of working to get Manchester where it wants to be. Our people and partners have agreed five ‘behaviours’ – the grounding for how we must work together and treat one another:

  • We take time to listen and understand
  • We work together and trust each other
  • We show that we value our differences and treat each other fairly
  • We ‘own it’ and we’re not afraid to try new things
  • We’re proud and passionate about Manchester

A career with us means you can be yourself, thrive, and build the career your talent and ambition deserve.

Creating an inclusive team at Manchester City Council 

At Manchester City Council, we strive to create a fair and inclusive workplace that is as diverse as the communities we serve.  We want to further increase the diversity of our workforce, in particular the number of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic staff and disabled staff at all levels of the Council. This advert is open to all applicants, and we would particularly encourage applications from candidates identifying with one or both of those characteristics.   

If you want to find out more about the role, our ways of working, flexible arrangements or any workplace adjustments, please let us know by emailing jobs@manchester.gov.uk. If you are invited to interview, we will ask you if you require any adjustments for you to best demonstrate your suitability for the role in the interview process.   
 

Guaranteed Interview Scheme

As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role, and identify with one of the below criteria:

  • Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
  • Are currently in care, or have previously been in care
  • If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition

Accessibility 

As a Disability Confident Employer, we provide support for employees with physical or mental-health conditions, a disability or neurodiversity. Our workplaces are accessible by design, and we make workplace adjustments including providing aids, adaptations and equipment. These, combined with our flexible working policies such as disability-related leave, enable our employees to perform their role, thrive and be their authentic selves in work. 

We’ve also included some useful tips on how to submit the best application.

When you join us 

We want everyone to be able to be themselves at work and give their best. If you need additional support to undertake the duties of the role, we’ll make every effort to source any necessary aids, adaptations or equipment. If, however, any task proves to be unachievable, we will look at redesigning parts of the role. 

Other relevant information 

Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment
Who we are - Manchester City Council 
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Ready to apply?

Location

, , Manchester, , United Kingdom

Job ID

8973

Supporting You Through Every Step of Your Journey

We want every candidate to feel welcomed, informed and confident when applying for a role with us.

This section brings together everything you need to succeed - from guidance on writing an authentic application to understanding how to use AI responsibly.

You’ll also find information about our Greater Manchester commitments, including our inclusive employment schemes and standards, as well as tools to help you explore your potential pay, benefits and entitlements. We’re here to ensure you have the support you need at every stage.

Working for a local authority in Greater Manchester

Local authorities across Greater Manchester are proud to be part of a shared commitment to widening access to employment and ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

These commitments span a number of long‑standing schemes and initiatives designed to open doors, remove barriers and ensure all applicants feel valued and respected throughout their employment journey.

Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter

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Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter

Find out more

Our Guaranteed Assessment Scheme

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Our Guaranteed Assessment Scheme

Find out more

Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment

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Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment

Find out more

Greater Manchester People Inclusion Standards

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Greater Manchester People Inclusion Standards

Find out more

Your Pay, Your Benefits, Your Future

Explore easy‑to‑use tools that help you understand your take‑home pay and how different employment situations may affect the financial support available to you and your household.

  1. Calculate Your Take‑Home Pay

    Use this salary calculator to estimate your net pay after tax, National Insurance, and pension contributions.

    Estimate your Income Tax for the current year (Gov.uk)

  2. Check Your Benefits Entitlement

    See how changes in employment, hours or salary may affect your benefits and household income.

    Turn2us Benefits Calculator

Applying Authentically With AI: Our Greater Manchester Approach

Across Greater Manchester’s local authorities, we want to hear your genuine experiences, skills and motivations, expressed in your own words.

To keep our recruitment process fair and inclusive, please complete your application personally and follow the instructions carefully. AI can be used to support you - for example, to help structure your answers or as a reasonable adjustment - but your application should still reflect your authentic voice.

Applications that depend too heavily on AI‑generated content may not progress to shortlisting.

This guidance outlines acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI, along with suggestions for using it in a way that supports you while keeping your application true to you.

  1. What Is AI and How Do We Use It Across Greater Manchester?

    AI refers to technology that can create or refine content, such as text, ideas, summaries, or planning. It can help improve productivity, problem-solving, and creativity.

    We’re open to using innovative digital tools where they can help us work smarter and deliver better services for our residents. However, every use of AI is carefully considered to make sure it is ethical, responsible, and aligned with public-sector values.

    When it comes to recruitment, we take a human-centred approach.

    This means:

    • A trained hiring manager reads every application

    • Shortlisting is based on objective criteria required for the job

    • Interviews are conducted in person or via teams by the hiring manager for the role

    • All hiring decisions are made by hiring managers, not algorithms

    AI does not make decisions in our recruitment process and our managers are being upskilled to spot AI in applications, particularly when this might have been used in a way that doesn’t feel genuine. If something in an application raises a question or concern, we will test this out with assessments or at the interview stage to confirm authenticity.

    Our aim isn’t to catch anyone out but to make sure we’re getting to know the real you, giving every candidate a fair chance and finding the right person for the role.

  2. Using AI in Your Application

    When it comes to job applications, what matters most to us is you. We want to see your personality, your experience, and what excites you about joining our team. 

    We recognise that AI can be a helpful tool to support accessibility during the application process. If you choose to use AI for support, please read the instructions carefully and make sure your application is written in your own words, reflecting your genuine skills, knowledge, experience and enthusiasm.

    We’re looking forward to hearing your story.

  3. How to use AI Effectively and Responsibly

    Your application is your chance to show us:

    • Who you are

    • What you can bring

    • The values you hold

    • Why you want to make a difference

    AI can help you organise your thoughts or improve clarity but it cannot express your unique voice, experiences, or motivations.

    AI is most helpful when used to:

    • Help you structure the information you are providing to evidence the criteria

    • Give examples of how to use STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result)

    • Proof-read to highlight grammar or spelling errors

    • Provide inspiration if you're finding it difficult to find the right words to explain something

    But remember: your honesty, lived experience, and motivations are irreplaceable.

  4. Do’s and Don’ts for Using AI in the Recruitment Process

    Do:

    • Use AI as a supportive tool, not a replacement

    • Ask AI to help tidy up your writing or clarify structure

    • Use it to brainstorm examples, then rewrite them in your own voice

    • Reflect on AI suggestions and adapt them to match your experience

    • Use AI to help with research, but express your understanding yourself

    Don’t:

    • Copy and paste AI-generated content directly into your application

    • Let AI exaggerate or invent experience you do not have

    • Rely on generic statements that don’t reflect the specific role requirements

    • Remove your individuality, we want to hear your voice

Stay Safe When Applying

To protect yourself from recruitment scams, please only apply for roles through the official greater.jobs website and associated recruitment systems. We will never ask for your personal information outside of this process.