Our Values

In line with our One Coventry Values, we want to ensure that our communities are represented across our workforce. A vital part of this is ensuring we are a truly inclusive organisation that encourages diversity in all respects, including diversity of thinking. We particularly welcome applicants from minority ethnic, LGBT+, disabled and neurodiverse communities to make a real difference to our residents so that equity and respect remains at the heart of everything we do.

Our Values are:

• Open and fair: We are fair, open, and transparent.
• Nurture and develop: We help and encourage everyone to be their best and do their best.
• Engage and empower: We talk and listen to others, working together as one.
• Create and innovate: We embrace new ways of working to continuously improve.
• Own and be accountable: We work together to deliver the best services for our residents.
• Value and respect: We put diversity and inclusion at the heart of all we do.

The Education and SEND Service strives to deliver outstanding services for our customers, predominately the children of Coventry, who may be requiring access to education or alternative education provision. We ensure vulnerable children are appropriately supported; have a voice, that hopefully leads to their high achievement and excellent progress.

The Service is made up of a diverse range of teams all working together to recognise, support and apply innovative solutions to address the growing issues in relation to trying to educate some of our most vulnerable pupils in schools. 

Coventry Virtual School is a service provided by dedicated professionals within the Children's and Education Directorate whose work is to promote and co-ordinate educational support for Children in Care and Care Leavers to succeed at nursery, school, college and university; wherever their place of learning.

The team's purpose is to ensure that all who work with Coventry’s Children in Care and Care Leavers have high educational aspirations for them, so that our pupils and students are given the best opportunities to engage, progress and achieve to their full potential.

Coventry Virtual School is staffed by professionals, who work in partnership with schools, social workers, carers and other professionals. Like all good parents, we ensure that communication about our children is regular and constructive and that we are all working together successfully to help them achieve their potential.

We value diverse perspectives and experiences and are striving to create a workplace culture that is inclusive, is accepting of all and is free from discrimination and bias.

What is the job role?

An exciting opportunity has arisen to recruit an Assistant Head of Coventry Virtual School to lead on the delivery of new statutory duties for children with a social worker within Coventry City Council. This is a permanent, term-time only leadership role.

Coventry Virtual School is seeking an experienced and highly credible education leader to provide strategic oversight and system leadership for the education of children with social workers. The postholder will lead the development and delivery of the Local Authorities extended statutory responsibilities, working collaboratively across education, children’s services, and partner agencies to improve educational engagement, inclusion, attendance, and outcomes.

The Assistant Head will ensure that children with a social worker are visible within education planning, that barriers to engagement are identified and reduced, and that schools are supported and challenged to provide high-quality, inclusive education. The role includes providing education advice into child protection processes, supporting schools to meet the needs of pupils with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs, and promoting trauma-informed, relational approaches across the system.

In addition to leading the extended duties, the Assistant Head will support the Headteacher of the Virtual School with wider leadership responsibilities, including contributing to strategic planning, self-evaluation, and service improvement, and deputising when required.

This is a senior leadership opportunity to shape system-wide practice and make a meaningful, lasting impact on the education experiences and outcomes of vulnerable children.

For further information or to arrange an informal discussion with the Virtual School Head, please email Mikaela.Carrasco@Coventry.gov.uk 

This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

Who are we looking for?

The successful candidate will be an experienced education leader with QTS and a strong track record of improving outcomes for vulnerable learners at a strategic level. They will bring credibility with schools and partner agencies, and have extensive experience of working within safeguarding and child protection frameworks.

They will demonstrate a strong understanding of the statutory responsibilities relating to children with a social worker, alongside proven expertise in SEMH, inclusive practice, and system-wide improvement.

The role requires detailed knowledge and experience in the following areas:

• Education and children’s legislation, statutory guidance, and policy, particularly in relation to safeguarding, attendance, suspension/exclusion, and children with a social worker
• Child protection planning processes, with experience of ensuring education priorities are effectively represented and addressed
• SEND, particularly SEMH needs, and evidence-informed strategies to promote inclusion, stability, and positive education experiences
• Leading strategy development, training, and change management in schools and/or services
• Using data to monitor attendance, attainment, exclusions, and progress, and to evaluate impact and inform improvement
• Partnership working across education, social care, SEND, attendance, and health services

This role requires a strategic, authoritative, and values-driven leader who can influence practice, provide appropriate challenge, and champion high aspirations for children with a social worker across Coventry.

What we can offer

Coventry Virtual School offers a highly collaborative and professionally supportive environment, with strong, established working relationships across education, children’s services, safeguarding, SEND, attendance, and health. The postholder will join a skilled, committed, and values-driven Virtual School team, working in close partnership with senior leaders across the local authority.

The role provides meaningful system influence, access to high-quality professional development, and the opportunity to shape and embed new statutory duties at a strategic level, supported by a Virtual School with a strong reputation for relational practice, challenge, and impact.

If you need help or support to complete your application, please visit our accessibility page to see how we can assist you.

Guaranteed Interview Scheme - As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role and identify with one of the below criteria:

• Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
• Are currently in care or have previously been in care
• If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition

For full details on the application process please read the attached document on our jobs page labelled 'Coventry City Council Application Process'. If there is any evidence of a candidate using AI to complete their application, then the application will be rejected unless the candidate can provide a justification which the Council considers to be reasonable.

Interview date:  24 April 2026

About Coventry

Coventry has a proud, innovative and creative spirit that throughout its history has seen communities come together to tackle problems and bring about real social change.

We are cutting-edge, challenging, youthful, vibrant and diverse.

At Coventry we are committed to excellence in everything we do. With around 5100 staff from a range of different backgrounds, our aim is to recruit and develop talented people who will focus on our customers, take responsibility, work together and find better ways of doing things.

To deliver the best services to our residents, we need the best people working for us to make a difference to our communities.

If you join us, we will provide a fantastic rewards and benefits package - to find out more please visit https://www.coventry.gov.uk/council-vacancies

Coventry City Council