Area SEN Manager

Job Introduction

We are committed to the development of our workforce. This position is only available to applicants who already work for Surrey County Council. We thank you for your interest in our roles and would encourage you to review our vacancies which are open to all.

The starting salary for this position is £52,047 per annum based on a 36-hour working week.

We are excited to be hiring a new Area SEN Manager to join our fantastic SEND service.

This role is based in Woking and is open to hybrid working. As a team we split our time between working from home, collaborating together in the office for a minimum of two days per week, and in addition, we aim for visits to schools and settings to take place on a regular basis as we continue to build upon our collaborative working with schools.

Rewards and Benefits

• 26 days’ holiday (prorated for part time staff), rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 30 days after 5 years’ service
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Up to 5 days of carer’s leave per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependants leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
• 2 paid volunteering days per year
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources

About the Role

At Surrey we are committed to ensuring that all children and young people with SEND receive an outstanding service, and we are well on our journey towards offering this. We encourage our SEND and Inclusion Services to work closely and collaboratively in affecting timely and purposeful casework that ensures the best possible outcomes for vulnerable children and young people. Relational and restorative working practices will underpin all our practice with stakeholders, partners, clients and customers.

Day to day, the Area SEND Manager has overall responsibility for managing a busy quadrant SEND team and ensuring timely and high quality SEND casework is consistently delivered. The role requires you to draw on a deep knowledge of SEND and related legislation, and your proven management practice skills, to ensure that the team can consistently deliver time-bound statutory assessments, as well as draft high quality and legally compliant Education, Health & Care Plans. You will also ensure that your team can secure special educational provision and appropriate education placements, manage annual reviews and administer and advise on a range of complex SEND casework.

You will use your highly developed interpersonal skills to build professional and productive relationships with colleagues, partners and stakeholders, such as school leaders and families. You will have the resilience to work positively and in solution-focused ways with families who may be experiencing anxiety or frustration about their children’s circumstances. You will model these professional behaviours to your team maintaining high standards of customer care.

As our Area SEN Manager you will be involved in the following key areas of responsibility:

• Statutory aspects of Education, Health & Care Plans, EHCP writing, Annual Review management and securing special educational provision and placements
• Promoting and ensuring the team’s proactive communications with customers
• Direct line management of Senior Case Managers
• Providing advice and unblocking complex casework through solution-focused approaches
• Attending Multi Disciplinary Discussion Meetings and contributing to statutory decision making
• Monitoring and managing budgets
• Ensuring complaints are handled effectively and that the team learns from these
• Using performance data to report progress, forecast demand and drive forward improvements

This is a challenging role but, by working in close collaboration with children’s social care, health, parents/carers and families, your impact will help us to achieve the best outcomes for the children we support.

Shortlisting Criteria

To be considered for shortlisting, your CV and personal statement will need to clearly evidence the following:

• A professional qualification and relevant registration with post qualification practical experience, or substantial relevant and practical experience in administering the statutory SEND framework or closely related work
• An ability to apply critical analysis and exercise evaluative judgement appropriately
• Proven written and verbal communication skills, with good negotiation and influencing skills, as well as the ability to work collaboratively
• Competence in a range of IT tools including MS Office and database management systems
• High-level problem-solving skills with the capacity to devise and implement innovative solutions
• Demonstrable experience in successful recruitment, management, coaching and development of staff

The role involves working in, and visiting, venues across the locality to build professional working relationships, therefore you will need to be willing and able to travel across the county as required.

Contact Us

Please contact us for any questions relating to the role. This could be to discuss flexible working requests, transferable skills or any barriers to employment. For an informal discussion please contact Natalie Callaghan.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 8th May 2025 with interviews to follow.

We look forward to receiving your application, please click on the apply online button below to submit.

An enhanced DBS ‘Disclosure and Barring Service’ check for regulated activity (formerly known as CRB) and the Children’s and Adults’ Barred List checks will be required for this role.

Our Values

Our values are as important as our abilities and shape who we are as an organisation. Discover more about our values.

Before submitting your application, we recommend you read the job description. Our Life at Surrey handbook also provides insights of the culture at Surrey and how as a valued employee, you can help shape our Council.

Our Commitment

Surrey County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. A guaranteed interview will be offered to all disabled applicants where:

• The candidate has evidenced the minimum criteria for the role through their application
• The candidate has chosen to share that they have a disability on the application form

Our application form and onboarding process will provide an opportunity to request any reasonable adjustments for the interview and/or the role.

We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all underrepresented groups.