School Improvement Advisor (Special and Primary Schools)

Overview

We are seeking an experienced and highly effective education leader to join our team as School Improvement Advisor (Special and Primary Schools) on an 18-month fixed-term contract.

The postholder will play a key role in delivering Buckinghamshire's Side by Side School Improvement Strategy, working closely with special schools and primary schools to raise standards, strengthen leadership, improve governance and secure positive outcomes for children and young people.

As part of Buckinghamshire Council's School Improvement Team, you will provide highly specialist professional support, challenge and advice to school leaders, governors and trustees. You will help schools evaluate performance, identify priorities for improvement and access the support required to achieve sustainable improvement, with a particular focus on pupils with SEND and those attending specialist educational provision.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced school leader with strong SEND expertise who is passionate about educational excellence and committed to ensuring that every child receives the highest quality education and support.

About us

Buckinghamshire Council is a relatively new organisation that combines the strengths and expertise of the previous five councils in the county to create positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to provide stronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally. 

About the role

As a School Improvement Advisor (Special and Primary Schools), you will work directly with special schools and primary schools across Buckinghamshire, providing expert support, challenge and guidance to school leaders, governors and trusts.

You will undertake school improvement visits, analyse performance information, support school self-evaluation and help schools develop effective improvement plans. You will also broker support where required, drawing upon system leadership capacity and wider educational partnerships to secure improvement.

Key aspects of the role include:

• Supporting and challenging school leaders, governing bodies and trustees to improve outcomes for pupils, particularly those with SEND.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of leadership, governance and school improvement strategies in special schools and primary schools.
• Undertaking risk assessment of schools and identifying priorities for improvement and support.
• Planning and undertaking school visits in line with the Side by Side Strategy.
• school-to-school support and leadership deployments.
• Supporting schools preparing for, or undergoing, Ofsted inspection.
• Delivering traded school improvement services, including reviews, audits, training, conferences, workshops and Headteacher Performance Management.
• Supporting mainstream schools to strengthen SEND provision and improve outcomes for pupils with additional needs.
• Leading and contributing to county-wide initiatives that improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND.
• Promoting and sharing effective practice across Buckinghamshire schools.
• Supporting schools in areas including safeguarding, equalities, PREVENT and academisation.
• Supporting governing bodies with Headteacher recruitment and responding to complex issues and complaints where required.

This role offers the opportunity to make a significant contribution to educational improvement across Buckinghamshire, particularly in strengthening provision and outcomes for children and young people with SEND.

Please see the attached job description for the full list of responsibilities.

Any-Desk:

As an ‘any-desk’ worker, you’ll need a desk, screen a keyboard to get your job done. You’ll need to be connected to our network to access digital folders and resources, but this can either be from home or an office location when required. You will required to work from the office a couple of times a week, depending on your role and team requirements.

About you

We are looking for a motivated, credible and experienced education professional who brings:

• Successful leadership experience within a special school, primary school or specialist SEND setting.
• A proven track record of improving outcomes for children and young people, including pupils with SEND.
• Strong knowledge of SEND practice, inclusion and specialist provision.
• Excellent knowledge of current educational policy, accountability frameworks and inspection requirements.
• Authority and credibility to work effectively with Headteachers, governors, trustees and wider education partners.
• Experience of analysing performance information and using evidence to drive improvement.
• Experience of delivering professional development, training and support to school leaders and staff.
• Excellent communication, influencing and relationship-building skills.
• The ability to manage a complex workload and work effectively across a diverse portfolio of schools.
• A commitment to inclusion, collaboration and achieving the best possible outcomes for all children and young people.

Essential Qualifications

• Degree-level qualification.
• Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).
• Postgraduate qualification such as PGCE, MA/MEd or equivalent.

Desirable Qualifications

• SENCO Qualification.
• Ofsted Inspector qualification.
• School improvement accreditation or other relevant professional qualifications.

Please see the attached job description for the full person specification

We understand that candidates may use AI tools to assist with their applications. While we welcome innovation, we expect all submissions to reflect your own experience, skills, and achievements accurately. Please ensure your application is truthful and demonstrates your personal capabilities, as this will be assessed during the selection process.

Other information

For more information about this role, please contact Yvette Thomas on email at: [email protected] for an informal discussion.

Closing date: 14th October 2026

Interview Date: tbc

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

Buckinghamshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent convictions and conditional cautions
• All spent convictions and adult cautions that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020 and 2023).

For further information on filtering please refer to Nacro guidance and the guidance published by the Ministry of Justice (see, in particular, the section titled ‘Exceptions Order’).

 

Our values

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining us, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including
• an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

We know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

About the Service Area

Buckinghamshire Council combines the strengths and expertise of the previous five councils in the county to create positive change for local people, communities and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and provide stronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally.

Our School Improvement Team works in partnership with schools, trusts, dioceses and wider educational partners to ensure all children and young people have access to high-quality education and the opportunity to fulfil their potential. Through our collaborative Side by Side Strategy, we support schools to develop, improve and share effective practice across the county.

Ensuring that children and young people in Buckinghamshire reach their potential is a primary focus within our Education Service. It is essential that we provide inclusive and lifelong learning opportunities for all our young people, so we continually work to raise standards, attainment and aspirations across the county.

Our key priorities include:

• Providing children and young people with the highest quality education possible.
• Improving outcomes for disadvantaged and vulnerable learners.
• Supporting excellence in leadership, governance and teaching.
• Improving outcomes and provision for children and young people with SEND.
• Improving the quality and timeliness of Education, Health and Care Plans.
• Strengthening support for children and young people with SEND and their families.
• Reducing permanent and fixed-term exclusions.
• Promoting inclusive practice and positive outcomes for all learners.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. We also offer a salary sacrifice personal car lease scheme to those who are eligible and have passed their probation period. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.

https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/working-buckinghamshire-council/