What is the job role?

Inclusion Lead

Whole-School Leadership of SEND & Inclusion

One-Year Maternity Cover (18/01/2027 to 14/01/2028)

Are you an experienced SENCo ready to take the next step in your leadership career?
 

Coundon Primary School is looking for an exceptional, knowledgeable and nurturing Inclusion Lead to join our team for a one-year maternity cover.

This is much more than a SENCo role.

We are looking for an experienced and highly effective practitioner who can take strategic responsibility for Inclusion across the whole school, championing the needs of our most vulnerable pupils and ensuring that every child is able to access, participate in and thrive within our school community.

We want someone who combines warmth and nurture with organisation, professional challenge and high expectations. You will understand that excellent inclusion is not about lowering expectations or creating dependency; it is about removing barriers, strengthening classroom practice and ensuring that the right provision enables every pupil to succeed.
 

The opportunity

Working closely with the Headteacher and Senior Leadership Team, you will lead our whole-school approach to SEND and Inclusion, ensuring that provision is ambitious, responsive and firmly rooted in high-quality teaching.

You will have the opportunity to:

• provide strategic leadership for SEND and Inclusion across the school;
• lead and develop our Inclusion team, ensuring that expertise and resources are deployed effectively;
• work alongside teachers to strengthen adaptive teaching and inclusive classroom practice;
• oversee high-quality SEND identification, assessment, provision, intervention and review;
• lead statutory SEND processes, including EHCP provision, reviews and liaison with external professionals;
• use data, pupil progress information, provision monitoring and pupil voice to evaluate impact;
• work sensitively and constructively with parents and carers, including when situations are complex;
• build effective relationships with external agencies and professionals;
• contribute fully to whole-school leadership, improvement planning and evaluation;
• keep abreast of national SEND reform and evolving expectations for mainstream schools, translating these into effective practice at Coundon; and ensure that Inclusion is everyone’s responsibility and remains central to our culture, curriculum and decision-making.
   

Who are we looking for?

We are particularly interested in hearing from an experienced SENCo who is ready to broaden their leadership experience and take the next step towards a more senior leadership role.

You will be someone who:

knows SEND – with strong knowledge of the SEND Code of Practice, statutory responsibilities, EHCP processes and effective provision;

understands excellent teaching – and can support and challenge colleagues to ensure adaptive teaching begins in the classroom;

is exceptionally organised – able to manage competing priorities, statutory deadlines, documentation and complex caseloads with confidence;

can lead people – building the capacity of teachers, teaching assistants and the wider Inclusion team rather than simply managing provision;

is nurturing and child-centred – developing trusting relationships with pupils and families while maintaining ambitious expectations;

can think strategically – identifying patterns, evaluating impact and contributing to wider school improvement;

understands the changing SEND landscape – and is able to respond confidently to emerging national reforms and expectations; and

makes things happen – bringing energy, accountability and a determination to secure meaningful improvements for children.
 

Why Coundon?

Coundon is a large, vibrant primary school where Respect, Kindness, Responsibility and Resilience underpin everything we do.

Inclusion is a significant and valued area of our work. You will join a supportive leadership team that understands the complexity of SEND and is committed to investing in high-quality inclusive practice.

We are not looking for somebody simply to maintain existing systems for a year.

We are looking for somebody who will lead.

Someone who will bring experience, ideas and professional expertise; who will ask the right questions; who will support and challenge us; and who will leave our Inclusion provision even stronger than they found it.

In return, this role offers an experienced SENCo an exciting opportunity to demonstrate whole-school strategic leadership, work closely with senior leaders and make a tangible difference to children and families.
 

If you are passionate about Inclusion, ambitious for children with SEND and ready to make the next step in your leadership journey, we would love to hear from you.

Come and lead Inclusion at Coundon – and help us ensure that every child has the opportunity to belong, achieve and thrive.

Visits to the school are warmly welcomed and encouraged.

Our workforce data shows that men and people from minority ethnic backgrounds are under-represented, we encourage applicants from these backgrounds to apply.  This does not prevent individuals with or without other protected characteristics as set out within the Equality Act 2010 from applying for this post.   

Following recommendations from Keeping Children Safe in Education

(KCSIE) for an additional pre-employment check with effect 1 Sept 22,

please note, an online search may form part of this recruitment process.

Need help completing your application form? The Job Shop can support you. You can email them at jobshopemploymentsupport@coventry.gov.uk or  visit the Job Shop in person, please see their webpage for more information.

Our workforce data shows that men and people from minority ethnic backgrounds are under-represented, we encourage applicants from these backgrounds to apply.  This does not prevent individuals with or without other protected characteristics as set out within the Equality Act 2010 from applying for this post.   

Our school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be required to undertake an enhanced criminal record check via the DBS, all relevant safeguarding and pre-employment clearances, and the receipt of two satisfactory references.

Following recommendations from Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) for an additional pre employment check with effect 1 Sept 22, please note, an online search may form part of this recruitment process.

Closing Date: 29/11/2026

Interview Date:08/12/226

Coventry City Council