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Job Title: Director of Education Practice and Standards
Location: Midlands based - Travel required across OFG schools
Hours: 37.5 hours per week - Monday–Friday
Salary: Up to £94,000 per annum + car allowance
Contract: Permanent - Full Time
UK applicants only | No sponsorship

We’re the UK’s largest independent provider of high-quality special needs education, empowering every child to thrive through personalised learning, innovation, and opportunity.

About the Role

As Director of Education Practice and Standards, you will provide strategic leadership across our specialist education services, ensuring the highest standards of teaching, learning, and practice across 60+ SEN schools.

Working closely with senior leaders, headteachers, and central teams, you will champion exceptional SEND provision, drive continuous improvement, and ensure our schools deliver outstanding outcomes for children and young people.

This is a Midlands-based role with regular travel required across our schools and services. You will lead and develop a team of education professionals, supporting consistent practice, quality assurance, and innovation across the organisation.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and deliver a clear education strategy that supports OFG’s mission, values, and commitment to outstanding SEND provision.
• Provide strategic oversight of education quality, ensuring schools meet or exceed Ofsted and regulatory expectations.
• Lead quality assurance activity across schools, using data, insight, and evidence-based practice to drive improvement.
• Develop and embed consistent approaches to teaching, learning, assessment, safeguarding, and curriculum delivery.
• Ensure compliance with SEND legislation, statutory frameworks, EHCP processes, and local authority expectations.
• Champion personalised, inclusive, and innovative curriculum approaches that meet the needs of pupils with SEND.
• Promote the effective use of assistive technology and emerging approaches to improve accessibility and outcomes.
• Lead professional development programmes, supporting staff expertise in SEND practice, behaviour support, and therapeutic approaches.
• Coach and mentor headteachers and senior leaders to strengthen leadership capacity across services.
• Build effective relationships with families, local authorities, and external partners to support positive outcomes.
• Collaborate with executive colleagues to support organisational priorities, resource planning, and continuous improvement.

You will have:

• Significant senior leadership experience within SEND education, ideally across multiple schools or services.
• A proven track record of improving outcomes, quality standards, and inspection readiness within specialist education settings.
• Strong knowledge of SEND legislation, the SEND Code of Practice, EHCP processes, and safeguarding requirements.
• Experience leading curriculum development, quality assurance, and professional learning strategies.
• The ability to analyse performance data and translate insight into meaningful improvement plans.
• Exceptional communication, influencing, and stakeholder management skills.
• The ability to inspire, motivate, and develop high-performing teams.

Desirable:

• Experience working within residential SEND, therapeutic, or complex needs provisions.
• Knowledge of assistive technology and innovative approaches to inclusive education.
• Experience operating at regional or national education leadership level.

Why Join Us?

Outcomes First Group is the UK’s largest independent provider of high-quality special needs education, operating across England, Scotland, and Wales.

Our divisional brands include Acorn Education, Options Autism, Blenheim Schools, and Momenta Connect.

By joining our central teams, you’ll help shape strategy, provide expert support, and drive continuous improvement across a growing organisation renowned for quality, impact, and innovation.

We value collaboration, professionalism, and creativity, offering the opportunity to influence change at scale while staying true to our core values of care, aspiration, and inclusion.

Benefits

• Life Assurance
• Pension scheme with flexible contribution options
• “Your Wellbeing Matters” – mental and physical health support
• Family Growth Support, including enhanced maternity and paternity leave
• Flexible benefits via Vista, including discounts, Cycle to Work, Electric Car Scheme, critical illness cover, and more

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. All applicants will be subject to social media checks and successful applicants to a fully enhanced DBS.

We are an Equal Opportunities Employer.

We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of suitable applications is received. Outcomes First Group is committed to a fair, thorough, and efficient recruitment process in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education. While we aim to keep applicants informed, we do not accept liability for any loss of earnings or costs incurred due to delays or changes in compliance processes. All stages are subject to safeguarding checks and statutory requirements, which may affect timescales.