Head of Education Strategy & Planning

I’m working with a London Local Authority looking to appoint an experienced senior education leader to take responsibility for a broad portfolio spanning school organisation, place planning, mainstream and SEND sufficiency, admissions, pupil support and school financial sustainability.

This is a sizeable strategic leadership remit. You’ll be responsible for ensuring the authority has the right education provision in the right places, while managing changing pupil demand, financial pressures and the development of both mainstream and specialist provision.

Key areas of responsibility will include:

• Leading school organisation and place planning, including expansions, reductions, new provision and wider changes across the school estate.

• Developing the authority’s approach to mainstream and SEND sufficiency, including specialist provision and commissioning.

• Providing strategic leadership across admissions, fair access and pupil support.

• Overseeing school funding and financial sustainability, including DSG arrangements, financial risk and support to schools.

• Using demographic, pupil forecasting, performance and financial data to inform future planning and investment decisions.

• Leading service improvement, transformation and process redesign across the portfolio.

• Working closely with schools, academy trusts, dioceses, the DfE, elected members and senior officers on complex and often sensitive issues.

We’re looking for someone with substantial senior-level experience within local authority education, with a strong background across school organisation, sufficiency/place planning and the wider strategic education landscape.

You’ll need a detailed understanding of education legislation and policy, school funding and the DSG, together with evidence of leading complex services, managing significant budgets and influencing senior stakeholders. Strong political awareness is important, as is the ability to work confidently with members, senior leadership teams, schools and external partners.

This should suit an established Head of Service / Assistant Director-level education professional, or someone operating immediately below that level who already has genuine strategic ownership of school planning, sufficiency and resources.

Interested? Please apply with an up-to-date CV or contact me directly for a confidential discussion.

Ash Fitzgerald