School Improvement Manager

Overview

We are seeking an experienced and highly effective education leader to join our team as School Improvement Manager.

The postholder will lead Buckinghamshire's Side by Side School Improvement Strategy, driving school improvement across primary, secondary and special schools and ensuring a relentless focus on raising standards, strengthening leadership and improving outcomes for children and young people.

Leading the local authority's school improvement function, you will provide strategic direction, professional challenge and support across the education system. You will be responsible for identifying priorities, overseeing intervention and support for schools causing concern, and building strong partnerships with schools, trusts, dioceses and other stakeholders to secure sustainable improvement across Buckinghamshire.

This is a significant leadership role with responsibility for leading educational improvement across Buckinghamshire. Working as part of a collaborative and ambitious team, you will work closely with schools, trusts, dioceses, educational partners and council services to deliver a self-improving school system and ensure a clear focus on raising standards and securing the best possible outcomes for children and young people across the county.

About us

The Buckinghamshire Council School Improvement Team works in partnership with schools, academies and education leaders across the county to help secure the best possible outcomes for children and young people. The team provides strategic support, challenge, advice and professional development to school leaders, helping them drive continuous improvement in teaching, learning, leadership and governance. Through the county's Side by Side school improvement model the team promotes collaboration between schools, shares effective practice and brokers targeted support where it is needed most. Our work is underpinned by a commitment to excellence, equity and ensuring that every child in Buckinghamshire has access to a high-quality education.

About the role

As School Improvement Manager, you will lead a highly skilled team of Education Advisors, school leaders and external consultants, developing and delivering a strong, evidence-informed school improvement offer that meets the needs of Buckinghamshire schools.

You will act as the local authority's lead officer for school improvement and be the key point of contact with the Department for Education and Ofsted. Through strong partnerships with schools, Multi-Academy Trusts, dioceses, educational organisations and multi-agency teams, you will help secure better outcomes for children and young people across the county.

The role requires a strategic thinker who can lead complex projects, manage sensitive issues with confidence, and inspire collaboration across the education system.

Please see attached job description for full list of responsibilities.

Any-Desk:

As an ‘any-desk’ worker, you’ll need to be connected to our network to access digital folders and resources, but this can either be from home or an office location when required. You will be required to work from the office a couple of times a week, depending on your role and team requirements.

About you

We are seeking a motivated and credible education professional who brings:

• Significant school leadership experience within education, school improvement or local authority services.
• A proven track record of raising standards and securing sustainable school improvement.
• Extensive knowledge of the current education landscape, including accountability frameworks, inspection requirements and national policy.
• Authority and credibility to build relationships and engage successfully with school leaders, governing boards, trusts and wider education stakeholders.
• Strong strategic planning, programme management and change leadership skills.
• Experience of leading and developing high-performing teams.
• Excellent communication, influencing and relationship-building skills.
• The ability to analyse performance information and use evidence to drive improvement.
• A commitment to inclusion, collaboration and securing the very best outcomes for children and young people.
• Education to degree level
• Achievement of a post graduate qualification; QTS, PGCE, NPQH or similar MA/Med
• School Improvement accreditation, such as AoEA would be an advantaged.

Please see attached job description for full person specification.

We understand that candidates may use AI tools to assist with their applications. While we welcome innovation, we expect all submissions to reflect your own experience, skills, and achievements accurately. Please ensure your application is truthful and demonstrates your personal capabilities, as this will be assessed during the selection process.

Other information

If you would like to find out more about this role, please contact Katherine Wells at [email protected]

Closing date: midnight on Sunday 9th August 2026

Interview date: TBC

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

Buckinghamshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent convictions and conditional cautions
• All spent convictions and adult cautions that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020 and 2023).

For further information on filtering please refer to Nacro guidance and the guidance published by the Ministry of Justice (see, in particular, the section titled ‘Exceptions Order’).

Our values and culture

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

About the Business Unit

Ensuring that children and young people in Buckinghamshire reach their potential is a primary focus within our Education service. It’s essential that we provide inclusive and life-long learning opportunities for all of our young people - so we look to raise standards, attainment and aspirations in a number of ways.

Our key priorities include: improving the quality and timeliness of Education, Health and Care Plans and the support families of children with SEND receive; reducing the number of exclusions both permanent and fixed term; and providing the children of Buckinghamshire with the highest quality education possible.

We aim to provide the right support, at the right time for families requiring non-statutory intervention, and provide sufficient, high quality early years and school places for children in Buckinghamshire. Despite Buckinghamshire having a higher percentage of good or outstanding Early Years providers and schools than national averages, we are not complacent.

We are keen to strengthen the services we deliver to provide the children of Buckinghamshire the highest quality education possible.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.

https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/working-buckinghamshire-council/