Alternative Provision Manager
Location: Ascend Oswestry Ltd, Cambrian Works, Oswestry
Hours: Full-time or substantial part-time hours – to be agreed
Salary: £32,000–£38,000 full-time equivalent, pro rata where applicable, depending on relevant Alternative Provision, SEND, safeguarding and leadership experience
Contract: To be confirmed
Ascend Oswestry is developing a part-time, one-to-one Alternative Provision for children and young people who require an alternative approach to education.
We are looking for an experienced and appropriately trained Alternative Provision Manager to lead the provision’s day-to-day operation. The successful candidate must already possess the safeguarding knowledge, relevant training and practical experience required to undertake a management role within Alternative Provision.
Key responsibilities
- Managing the daily operation of Ascend’s Alternative Provision.
- Reviewing referrals and assessing whether proposed placements can be delivered safely and appropriately.
- Working with commissioning schools to agree placement objectives, timetables, support arrangements and review points.
- Overseeing one-to-one learner programmes and ensuring planned activities are appropriate to each learner’s needs and agreed outcomes.
- Coordinating learner induction, baseline information, risk assessments, support plans and Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans where required.
- Ensuring learners receive a structured programme rather than unplanned activity sessions.
- Supervising AP staff and allocating appropriate staff to individual learners.
- Monitoring attendance, engagement, progress, behaviour, incidents and safeguarding concerns.
- Maintaining regular communication with commissioning schools, parents, carers and relevant professionals.
- Leading placement reviews and providing clear progress and outcome reports.
- Ensuring staff understand and follow safeguarding, attendance, behaviour, health and safety, medical-needs and emergency procedures.
- Supporting safer recruitment, staff induction, supervision and continuing professional development.
- Maintaining oversight of staff training, qualifications and expiry dates.
- Identifying when additional SEND, safeguarding or activity-specific knowledge is required before accepting or continuing a placement.
- Working with the Director and Administrator to maintain accurate compliance and quality-assurance evidence.
- Preparing for local-authority monitoring visits, commissioning reviews and audits.
- Reviewing incidents, complaints, near misses and risk assessments and ensuring appropriate action is taken.
- Ensuring staff work within their training and competence and do not present Ascend as providing specialist clinical or medical care.
- Contributing to the continued development of Ascend’s Alternative Provision.
Essential experience and qualifications
Applicants must be able to provide evidence of the following at application or before appointment:
- Relevant management or leadership experience within Alternative Provision, SEND, education, youth services or a comparable service supporting children and young people.
- Current Designated Safeguarding Lead training appropriate to an education or children’s-services setting, completed or refreshed within the previous two years.
- Current safeguarding and child-protection training.
- Current Prevent awareness training.
- Safer-recruitment training or demonstrable experience participating in safer-recruitment processes.
- Strong working knowledge of safeguarding referrals, allegations against adults, information sharing and multi-agency procedures.
- Knowledge of EHCPs, SEND support, risk assessment and multi-agency working.
- Experience coordinating or managing services for children and young people.
- Experience communicating with schools, local authorities, parents, carers and external professionals.
- Ability to manage staff, organise workloads and maintain professional standards.
- Strong written skills and experience producing plans, reports and accurate records.
- Ability to make balanced decisions about placement suitability, risk and required support.
- A calm, consistent and child-centred approach.
- Evidence of relevant continuing professional development.
DBS and safer-recruitment requirements
Appointment will be conditional upon satisfactory completion of Ascend’s safer-recruitment procedures.
Applicants who already hold an enhanced DBS certificate for the child workforce, including the relevant children’s barred-list check, should state whether it is registered with the DBS Update Service.
An existing DBS certificate will only be accepted where Ascend confirms that it is at the correct level, for the correct workforce and suitable for an Update Service status check. Where these conditions are not met, Ascend will require a new enhanced DBS and barred-list check.
All applicants must also:
- Provide proof of identity and right to work in the UK.
- Provide a complete employment history and satisfactorily explain any gaps.
- Supply suitable professional references, including the current or most recent employer where appropriate.
- Provide original certificates or other acceptable evidence of qualifications and training.
- Complete any additional checks required for the role.
Desirable qualifications and training
- Relevant qualification in education, teaching, SEND, youth work, social care or leadership.
- Qualified Teacher Status or substantial teaching experience.
- Current Emergency First Aid at Work or equivalent appropriate first-aid qualification.
- Training or experience relating to autism, ADHD, SEMH, trauma-informed practice, positive behaviour support or emotionally based school avoidance.
- Experience of local-authority quality assurance, commissioning or inspection.
- Experience managing one-to-one Alternative Provision placements.
- Relevant activity-based qualifications.
Training following appointment
The successful candidate will be expected to complete Ascend-specific induction covering its policies, safeguarding reporting arrangements, premises, emergency procedures, activities and record-keeping systems.
This induction supplements rather than replaces the professional safeguarding and management training applicants are expected to hold before appointment. Any placement-specific training will be considered according to the individual learner’s assessed needs before the placement begins.
Safeguarding statement
Ascend Oswestry Ltd is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. All appointments are made in accordance with safer-recruitment principles and are subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks.
How to apply
Please submit your CV, a supporting statement and details of relevant current training.
Your supporting statement should explain:
- Your experience of Alternative Provision, SEND or comparable children’s services.
- Your management and staff-supervision experience.
- Your safeguarding and DSL experience.
- Your understanding of EHCPs, referrals and placement risk assessment.
- How you would support safe, structured and effective one-to-one placements.
Please include the titles and completion or expiry dates of your relevant training certificates. Original evidence will be required before appointment.
Pay: £32,000.00-£38,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Discounted or free food
- Employee discount
- Free parking
- On-site parking
Work Location: In person
