Head of Education, Skills and Inclusion

As one of the biggest councils in the country, with a proud tradition of delivering quality services and stable leadership, Durham County Council is facing the future with confidence. Last year we appointed a new Corporate Director for Children and Young People and we are now looking to recruit to this key senior post, covering education and learning, adult skills and inclusion/SEND.  With 266 schools in the county, this is a big role with large staffing responsibilities, strong traded services, and extensive reach and influence. 

We have ‘mixed economy’ in Durham with about half of our secondary schools moving to academy status, whilst the majority of our primary schools are maintained. Moving forward, we are keen to develop new ways of working with schools and academies, creating a shared culture and vision which puts children and young people at its heart. This means developing new strategies for dealing with exclusions, encouraging genuine inclusion, working more closely with health colleagues, and developing effective peer to peer support across schools and academies. Our attainment is broadly good, but we are not making the progress we need in all areas, and hence we also need to challenge and support schools and academies appropriately. In terms of adult skills, the role also oversees DurhamWorks, a partnership project between the council and 16 organisations working together to support young people who are not in education, employment or training.

This is an exciting opportunity to really make a difference in Durham, and we are therefore looking for ambitious and determined candidates with a background in education or inclusion, and ideally with a teaching background. You will need to have superb relationship building skills, the ability to challenge effectively, and the drive to bring about change across a wide array of complex partnerships. Of course, your focus on improving outcomes for our 100,000 children and young people will be paramount.

For more information please see www.durhamleadership.com or contact our advising consultants Luke Judd (0113 205 6077) or Philip Emms (0113 205 6078).

Closing date:  23rd March 2018