BRIGHTON & HOVE
EXECUTIVE PRINCIPAL - CENTRAL HUB (SEMH)
The shape of the future
Following extensive consultation with a wide range of stakeholders - students, parents and carers, health service and social care workers, specialist support organisations, leaders of mainstream schools in the City, The Children, Young People and Skills Committee has resolved to restructure the services for Children and Young People with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.
There will be three ‘Hubs’ which will provide education and support for learning for children and young people and support for their families and carers from a range of services, such as health and social care in a co-ordinated organisation.
One of the hubswill be for learners with Social, Emotional & Mental Health Needs (SEMH) and will be developed from a current school and a PRU, located on different sites in the Centre of the City and serving the whole City. Other services to learners and their carers will be co-ordinated from this Hub.
We are now seeking an Executive Principal for the SEMH Hub, a new post following the consultation and Committee decision, to lead the School, the PRU and the co-ordinated services. It is an exciting opportunity to lead development and manage change.
The scope of the post and the accountability structure
The Committee resolved to maintain the PRU as a Local Authority service with a Management Committee and the school as a maintained Special School with a Governing Body.
The Executive Principal will be responsible for the leadership, management and performance of both arms of the SEMH provision and accountable to both the Governing Body and the Management Committee.
S/he will also be the co-ordinator of the other services, members of which will continue to be managed and professionally led by their respective organisations.
Following extensive discussions, a structure has been devised to secure clarity and efficiency in the use of time to encompass these different responsible bodies, especially between the Governing Body and the Management Committee.
The Management span
The attached schedule (available on the website on 19th September) shows the planned changes in commissioned places and age ranges expected over the next 2 years. The staff complement shown relates to the current situation with 84 commissioned places at the PRU and 45 places at the school. There will be changes in the number of sites which in turn may affect the administrative and support staff requirement.
Management delegation
The Executive Principal will need a designated person to whom specified responsibilities and decision making powers can be delegated in each of the two major arms of the organisation. These appointees will lead on matters of curriculum design and delivery, professional performance, welfare and support of learners and on safeguarding, promoting a common culture across the organisation.
Managing the wider relationships
Work with mainstream schools is key to success in improving outcomes for young people.
The Behaviour and Attendance Panel meets regularly to consider children and young people whose needs are not being fully met in their school. This may have led to exclusion. The panel consists of mainstream and Special School representatives and officers of the LAwho will need to decide what alternative provision could be made.
Good relationships with parents and carers, with parent representative organisations, with any other service involved with the family, underpin the work with the young person. The opportunity with the new HUB structure is to improve this relationship further and remove as much as possible the conflict that can arise.
The Executive Principal will be working in tandem with the LA officers. The LA in turn will hold the Executive Principal responsible for the outcomes and will in turn, he held to account by Elected Members. Meeting the needs of the most vulnerable young people in the City is a cause of anxiety to Members, especially in a time of financial pressure.
The cultivation of the full range of relationships will be central to the success of this organisation.
Personal responsibilities
The appointee will provide professional leadership, skilled management of people and other resources, appropriate delegation to colleagues, advice to governors and managers and skills in change management.
The Executive Principal will be accountable for the performance of the organisation.
A full application pack will be available on request from the last week of September.
Further discussion is welcome pre application, please contact Kim Breckell; Homewood College Business Manager by email .