Education Inclusion And Safeguarding Manager

Contract Type: Permanent

Contract Hours: 37 Hours 

Salary Details: NJC Grade H4 SCP 41 - 46 £52,413 - £57,881

Closing Date: 5th March 2026 12 Noon 

This advert is open to both internal and external applicants however, internal applicants will be considered for this role prior to external candidates.

This is a rare opportunity to step into a high-impact, high-influence role where your work will directly shape how Blackpool protects its children, supports its schools, and improves life chances for its most vulnerable young people.

We are looking for an ambitious, self-motivated and committed senior leader with a strong track record in inclusion, safeguarding and improving outcomes for children and young people. You will be someone who is confident working at system level, comfortable providing professional challenge, and driven to turn high expectations into real-world impact across schools and services.

You will lead the council’s approach to inclusion and exclusion, ensuring schools are well supported and statutory duties are met. This includes overseeing the Fair Access process, strengthening system responses and ensuring children are placed quickly and appropriately into education when a child is permanently excluded.

Safeguarding is a core part of this role. You will act as the Local Authority’s strategic safeguarding lead for education, working closely with headteachers, DSLs, academy trusts and partners to provide advice on complex and high-risk cases, offer professional challenge where and ensure that safeguarding arrangements across schools are robust, consistent and compliant with national guidance.

You will also provide leadership for Elective Home Education Team, ensuring strong oversight of suitability and safeguarding, managing School Attendance Orders where required, and using data and intelligence to understand trends, risks and pressures in the system.

You will lead on reporting insight and data to drive improvement, reporting on exclusions, EHE and safeguarding, using this to brief senior leaders, influence system priorities and shape future practice across the borough.

You will work closely with various services including, Pupil Welfare, admissions, SEND, early help, social care and school leaders to ensure a joined-up, child-centred system. You will represent Blackpool in regional and national networks to bring best practice back into the town.

If you would like to join us and want to make a real difference to children’s lives in Blackpool, apply today! 

For further information and to discuss this role please contact the Head of Head of Service for further information: Mark Cowell

Email: mark.cowell@blackpool.gov.uk

Tel: 07387533864

to view the Job Description.

Please click here to see the benefits of working for Blackpool Council.

Are you a Blackpool resident aged between 16-24? Would you benefit from some free guidance on producing a quality application for job vacancies such as this one? Blackpool Council?s Youth Hub - The Platform, has highly skilled Employment Advisers that can support you with demonstrating how you can evidence you meet the Essential and Desirable criteria requirements on a Job Description.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children/vulnerable adults. This post is subject to satisfactory reference history of at least two years, Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check, medical clearance, evidence of any essential qualifications and proof of Right to Work in the UK in accordance with the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act and amendments to the exemptions order, which mean that certain offences are ‘protected’ and do not need to be disclosed, guidance on the "filtering" of offences can be found at New filtering rules for DBS certificates (from 28 November 2020 onwards) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

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