Alternative Provision Manager
Salary: £32,000–£38,000 FTE, dependent upon experience
Actual salary: £27,266.27–£32,378.70 based on 37.5 hours per week, 40 weeks per year
Hours: 37.5 hours per week
Contract: Full-time, term-time plus one week
Location: Swindon Tuition Centre, working across all centres
Reports to: Director of Operations
Job Purpose
Swindon Tuition Centre is seeking an experienced and passionate Alternative Provision Manager to play a key role in the leadership and management of our Alternative Provision across multiple centres.
The Alternative Provision Manager will be responsible for ensuring the consistent delivery of high-quality, personalised provision for children and young people with a range of additional needs, including SEND, SEMH and barriers to engagement with education.
Working across our centres, the postholder will provide visible and effective management of educational quality, learner engagement, staff performance, safeguarding, behaviour and day-to-day operational delivery.
This is a varied and influential management role combining educational leadership, people management and operational oversight. The successful candidate will work closely with tutors, site leads, the safeguarding team and senior leaders to ensure that learners receive safe, consistent and high-quality provision.
The role offers an exciting opportunity for an experienced Alternative Provision or specialist education professional to shape practice, develop staff and contribute to the continued growth and improvement of Swindon Tuition Centre.
Key ResponsibilitiesAlternative Provision Management
- Manage the quality and consistency of Alternative Provision across allocated centres and areas of responsibility.
- Maintain effective oversight of day-to-day provision and respond proactively to operational issues.
- Ensure learners receive safe, appropriate and high-quality personalised provision.
- Oversee learner allocations, timetabling and provision arrangements within allocated areas.
- Ensure staffing and learner arrangements remain effective and responsive to changing needs.
- Oversee referrals, admissions, transitions and placement arrangements as required.
- Identify emerging operational risks and escalate significant concerns appropriately.
- Work collaboratively with senior leaders to support effective organisation-wide planning and decision-making.
- Maintain a visible leadership presence across STC centres.
Educational Leadership
- Lead and promote high-quality teaching and learning across allocated provision.
- Ensure tutors plan engaging, differentiated and personalised learning.
- Monitor Individual Learning Plans, lesson evidence, assessment and learner progress.
- Ensure teaching approaches are appropriately adapted to meet SEND, SEMH and individual learner needs.
- Promote high expectations for learner achievement, attendance and engagement.
- Monitor curriculum delivery to ensure consistency, quality and appropriate challenge.
- Promote creative learning opportunities, enrichment and positive learner experiences.
- Support effective exam preparation and assessment arrangements where required.
- Ensure education and intervention remain responsive to each learner’s identified needs and intended outcomes.
Quality Assurance and Continuous Improvement
- Lead quality assurance activity across allocated provision.
- Undertake lesson observations, learning walks and reviews of learner records.
- Provide clear, constructive coaching and feedback to tutors.
- Monitor the quality and consistency of curriculum delivery.
- Identify areas requiring improvement and ensure appropriate actions are implemented and reviewed.
- Monitor the quality of ILPs, learner records, assessment evidence and progress information.
- Ensure compliance with organisational quality assurance frameworks and expectations.
- Analyse learner outcomes and identify trends requiring intervention.
- Contribute to organisational self-evaluation and continuous improvement planning.
- Support preparation for inspections, audits, commissioning reviews and quality assurance visits.
People Management and Staff Development
- Provide effective line management, supervision and professional support to allocated staff.
- Set clear expectations and hold staff accountable for agreed standards.
- Conduct regular one-to-ones, supervision meetings and professional development conversations.
- Manage probation reviews, appraisals and performance concerns in line with organisational procedures.
- Identify individual and team training needs.
- Coach and mentor tutors to develop confidence, knowledge and professional practice.
- Support the induction and development of new members of staff.
- Address concerns promptly, fairly and constructively.
- Promote a positive, collaborative and accountable team culture.
- Lead by example in professionalism, communication and organisational values.
Learner Behaviour, Attendance and Engagement
- Oversee approaches to learner behaviour, attendance and engagement across allocated provision.
- Support staff with effective behaviour management and de-escalation strategies.
- Promote trauma-informed and restorative approaches.
- Oversee and contribute to behaviour support planning where required.
- Work collaboratively with learners, families and professionals to identify and reduce barriers to learning.
- Monitor learners at risk of disengagement or placement breakdown and coordinate appropriate interventions.
- Promote improved attendance, engagement, wellbeing and educational outcomes.
Safeguarding
- Act as a Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead following successful completion of the required training.
- Promote and model a strong safeguarding culture across the organisation.
- Ensure safeguarding concerns are identified, reported and escalated promptly.
- Provide safeguarding advice and support to staff within the scope of the DDSL role.
- Work closely with the DSL and wider safeguarding team to monitor vulnerable learners.
- Support safeguarding enquiries, information gathering and professional meetings where appropriate.
- Ensure safeguarding records are accurate, timely and compliant.
- Ensure safeguarding practice remains central to operational and educational decision-making.
- Maintain up-to-date knowledge of relevant safeguarding legislation and statutory guidance.
Data and Performance
- Monitor learner attendance, progress, engagement and outcomes.
- Use data to identify emerging concerns, trends and areas for improvement.
- Ensure appropriate action is taken where learner outcomes or engagement fall below expectations.
- Produce clear reports and updates for senior leaders.
- Support organisational reporting to commissioners, schools and external partners where required.
- Use data and evidence to inform decision-making and continuous improvement.
Partnership and Professional Relationships
- Build and maintain positive professional relationships with schools, local authorities, parents and carers, external agencies and community organisations.
- Act as a professional point of contact for allocated providers and partners.
- Attend and contribute to referral meetings, learner reviews and multi-agency meetings.
- Ensure external professionals receive timely and professional communication.
- Work collaboratively to resolve concerns and maintain confidence in STC provision.
- Represent Swindon Tuition Centre professionally and positively.
Direct Work with Young People
As an operational manager within Alternative Provision, the postholder will maintain an understanding of frontline practice and may be required to work directly with young people by:
- delivering occasional tuition or intervention;
- modelling excellent practice;
- supporting learners with complex or challenging needs;
- providing short-term operational support during periods of increased demand; and
- supporting staff to implement effective strategies in practice.
Direct delivery will form part of the role where operationally required but will not detract from the postholder’s core management responsibilities.
General Responsibilities
- Promote and model Swindon Tuition Centre’s values and behaviours.
- Participate in relevant CPD and Leadership Academy development.
- Contribute to whole-organisation improvement projects and strategic priorities.
- Work collaboratively with other managers and members of the Leadership Team.
- Travel between centres as required.
- Maintain appropriate confidentiality and professional boundaries.
- Undertake any other duties reasonably requested within the scope and level of the role.
Person Specification
- A relevant degree or equivalent professional qualification in education, youth work, social care or a related field, or significant relevant professional experience within Alternative Provision, SEND, SEMH or specialist education.
- Full UK driving licence and access to transport for travel between centres.
- Willingness to complete DSL/DDSL training and undertake ongoing safeguarding development.
Essential Experience
- Significant experience working within Alternative Provision, SEND, SEMH, specialist education or a closely related setting.
- Experience supporting children and young people with complex or additional needs.
- Experience leading, managing, coaching or mentoring staff.
- Experience providing feedback and supporting improvements in professional practice.
- Experience working collaboratively with schools, families, local authorities or external professionals.
- Experience managing challenging behaviour positively and effectively.
- Experience monitoring learner progress, attendance or engagement.
- Experience using information and data to identify concerns and improve outcomes.
- Experience managing competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
Desirable Experience
- Previous management or middle leadership experience within Alternative Provision or specialist education.
- Experience of line management, probation, appraisal or performance management.
- Experience of quality assurance, lesson observations or learning walks.
- Experience of referrals, admissions, timetabling or learner allocation.
- Experience as a DSL or DDSL.
- Experience contributing to inspections, audits or commissioning reviews.
Knowledge
The successful candidate will have a strong working knowledge of:
- safeguarding legislation and statutory guidance;
- the SEND Code of Practice;
- behaviour support and de-escalation strategies;
- trauma-informed and restorative practice;
- inclusive and personalised approaches to learning;
- curriculum planning, assessment and learner progress;
- the needs of children and young people accessing Alternative Provision; and
- quality expectations within Alternative Provision.
Skills
- Strong leadership and people management.
- Excellent verbal and written communication.
- Coaching and mentoring.
- Organisation and prioritisation.
- Confident decision-making.
- Problem-solving.
- Relationship and partnership building.
- Data analysis and interpretation.
- Report writing.
- Ability to manage difficult conversations professionally.
- Strong IT literacy.
- Ability to remain calm and make sound decisions under pressure.
Personal Attributes
We are looking for someone who is:
- calm and confident under pressure;
- resilient and solution-focused;
- compassionate while maintaining clear professional boundaries;
- highly organised and accountable;
- approachable and able to build trust;
- reflective and open to feedback;
- adaptable and comfortable with change;
- a positive professional role model;
- committed to safeguarding and improving outcomes for young people; and
- passionate about continuous improvement.
What Success Looks Like
Within the first 12 months, the Alternative Provision Manager will have:
- improved consistency and quality across allocated provision;
- built strong, trusted relationships with staff, learners, families and professional partners;
- increased tutor confidence through effective management, coaching and supervision;
- ensured high-quality ILPs, learner records and progress information;
- contributed to improved learner attendance, engagement and outcomes;
- strengthened operational consistency across centres;
- supported positive safeguarding practice and outcomes;
- addressed concerns promptly and effectively;
- contributed positively to organisational quality assurance and continuous improvement; and
- demonstrated visible, accountable leadership aligned with Swindon Tuition Centre’s values and behaviours.
Why Join Swindon Tuition Centre?
This is an exciting opportunity to join a growing and ambitious organisation supporting children and young people who need a different approach to education.
You will have the opportunity to:
- make a genuine difference to the lives of vulnerable young people;
- influence and improve Alternative Provision across multiple settings;
- develop and support a committed team of professionals;
- contribute to the future development of the organisation; and
- grow as a leader through ongoing professional development and our Leadership Academy.
Pay: £27,266.27-£32,378.70 per year
Benefits:
- Casual dress
- Company events
- Cycle to work scheme
- Referral programme
Work Location: In person
