Graduated Approach Lead in Stafford

The Ideal Candidate

Staffordshire County Council, We're embarking on an ambitious transformation of Children's and Families services and our vision is rooted in four core principles that underpin everything we do

• Families first - network and community always
• Right help, right time - proportionate, timely and co-produced with children and families
• Whole-system responsibility for supporting children and families to be happy, healthy and safe
• Permanence as belonging from day one

To achieve our ambition, we are looking for talented, values-driven leaders who can champion these principles, inspire others and help shape the future of Children's and Families services in Staffordshire.

We want to create a more resilient, child-centered and future-focused system that enables children, young people and families to receive the right help at the right time.

Through this redesign, we are strengthening leadership, increasing capacity and creating clearer lines of accountability across our services. These changes will support high-quality practice, stronger partnerships and better outcomes for children and families, while ensuring we are well positioned to respond to national reforms and future challenges.

Main Responsibilities

As the Graduated Approach Lead, you will provide strategic leadership for inclusive SEND practice across Staffordshire, driving the development and implementation of the graduated approach to support children and young people with additional needs. You will work closely with schools, partners and SEND services to improve inclusion, early intervention and outcomes, ensuring families receive the right support at the right time.

You will:

• Lead the development and delivery of Staffordshire's graduated approach to SEND, ensuring schools and partners can effectively implement Assess, Plan, Do, Review (APDR) practices.
• Drive improvements in inclusive practice, adaptive teaching and early intervention across schools and education settings.
• Lead key SEND networks and programmes, including the SENCo Network and Whole School SEND programme, promoting best practice and consistent approaches.
• Work collaboratively with education, SEND, attendance and inclusion teams to improve educational outcomes, attendance and inclusion for children and young people.
• Use SEND intelligence, performance data and quality assurance processes to identify improvement opportunities and support sustainable service delivery.
• Lead and develop practitioners, support policy development and contribute to strategic planning that strengthens SEND provision across Staffordshire.

The Ideal Candidate

Minimum Criteria

• Extensive experience leading and delivering strategic SEND initiatives across educational settings.
• A strong understanding of the SEND Code of Practice, statutory SEND responsibilities and the Assess, Plan, Do, Review (APDR) cycle.
• Experience developing and embedding inclusive practice and adaptive teaching approaches that improve outcomes for children and young people.
• Experience working collaboratively with schools, SENCOs and multi‑agency partners to drive system-wide improvement.
• Strong leadership and project management skills, with the ability to influence, challenge and lead change across services and partnerships.
• Experience using performance data, quality assurance activity and intelligence to inform strategic planning and service improvement.

The assessment process:

Throughout the recruitment process, you will be assessed against the three key competency areas

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