Director of Education

Are you an experienced, outstanding Education professional with substantial executive leadership experience?

Have you been successful in developing and delivering an innovative and engaging curriculum for vulnerable young people with neurodiverse identities?

Do you make evidence based decisions to drive successful teaching & learning outcomes?

We are seeking a highly experienced senior Education professional to lead, provide strategic direction to, and collaborate with, teachers and educators in our sector leading specialist therapeutic education schools and services.

In this role you will champion our organisation's values, modelling high expectations in quality of teaching, reforming and continually developing our curriculum and academic delivery. Our aim is, over the next 3-5 academic years, to solidify our position as an educator of choice through high-quality teaching, innovative and engaging curriculum and enrichment, and inclusive safe learning environments which allow our vulnerable and complex young people to thrive, gain qualifications and become successful independent adults and leaders.

You will provide a high level of expertise in academic focussed solutions, ensuring strong top-down leadership and accountability, so that all our staff and pupils have the right resources to ensure effective pupil progress, passion for life-long learning and career development, with the skills to positively influence our community and society.

The Complete Education Solution (TCES) is a long-established provider of therapeutic education, supporting neurodiverse children and young people up and down the UK. Our multi-disciplinary teams work together to provide child-centric support, engaging with clinical, educational and social work experts, as well as partnering with our pupils’ families.

Starting Salary: £96,545 to £108,247 per annum.

Location: TCES Central Services, Wimbledon (with up to 2 days working from home) and travel required to all TCES sites across London.

Contract: Permanent, Full-time

Although advertised as permanent and full-time, we would welcome applications and discussions with candidates who may desire more flexible / part-time working patterns.

The Complete Education Solution (TCES)

TCES is an independent social enterprise, providing specialist therapeutic education based in London supporting exceptional neurodiverse children and young people aged 7 to 19 who have special educational needs and disabilities typically associated with autism, social emotional and mental health needs and associated disorders. Most of them will have experienced multiple placement breakdowns and significant trauma, often resulting in behaviour that challenges. On average pupils will have been excluded from other provisions up to three times before reaching us and had significant periods out of education. 

TCES pupils learn at one of our two schools, at our Create Learning Primary, through our Create in the Community service or within our National Online School; our Create services support our most complex and vulnerable pupils, with highly differentiated and personalised holistic therapeutic education programmes developed for each pupil focusing on development milestones. When they are ready, we aim for pupils to step down from Create into one of our main school, our Sixth Form, or into mainstream provisions.

Essential requirements to be successful in the role are:

• A champion of education with similar values to ours: Expect the very best from each other; Develop a strong work ethic; Respect and appreciate all difference; Include everyone and exclude no one; Listen to and involve everyone; Never give up on each other!
• Resilient and robust, role modelling outstanding teaching and professionalism.
• Substantial executive leadership experience with demonstrable strategic and operational experience across teaching, learning and curriculum, ideally within specialist therapeutic education provisions or specialist schools.
• Proven experience of managing and developing teams, inclusive of coaching and influencing staff to deliver innovative ways of working and teaching.
• Proven skills in operating at a strategic level as a collaborative and supportive member of a senior team, actively engaging in decision making leading to positive pupil progress and business outcomes.
• Experience of driving inclusive education initiatives to support best practice with vulnerable and complex groups.
• Proven skills in coaching & mentoring.
• Commercially astute and solutions focused.
• Proactive and innovative, collaborating with team members in other disciplines, whilst also with the ability to work flexibly and independently.

In return we offer:

• Competitive salary & commission, and terms and conditions.
• An opportunity to join a leading provider of specialist education in one of the most rewarding sectors whilst directly contributing to the positive outcomes for pupils with SEMH and ASC.
• Comprehensive induction process, and excellent CPD opportunities with all staff provided an individual Learning & Development Plan to support career development. Regular half termly staff wellbeing days.
• A range of employee support and wellbeing benefits including our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), counselling and contributions towards medical costs and an exclusive rewards platform.
• Gym & Active Health discounts.
• Private Healthcare Insurance

Closing Date:   11 April 2024

Interviews to be held: 23 & 24 April 2024

To apply

Please complete the formal application form attached below, uploading this as part of the linked online application system. 

For more information contact recruitment@tces.org.uk  

TCES is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of pupils and expects all staff to share this commitment. The appointment is subject to all relevant checks such as references, medical clearance and a satisfactory enhanced DBS disclosure.