Virtual School Academic Lead
| Posting date: | 09 March 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | Not specified |
| Additional salary information: | Competitive |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 08 April 2026 |
| Location: | Tameside, SK14 1AL |
| Company: | inploi |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 75791596 |
Summary
Contract Type: Permanent
Salary: Grade H SCP 29 £39,862 - SCP 31 £41,771
Hours Per Week: 36 hours
Base Location: Hyde Town Hall
Assessment Date: 22/04/2026 and 23/04/2026
The Role
As our Virtual School Academic Lead, you’ll be the driving force behind improving the educational journey of some of our most vulnerable learners. This is a strategic, highimpact role where you will champion high aspirations, shape targeted academic support, and influence practice across schools, social care teams, and partner services.
You will bring clarity to the bigger pictureusing evidence and insight to identify what children need to succeed, and working with education leaders to make sure support is ambitious, consistent, and rooted in what works. From guiding academic priorities, to shaping interventions, to ensuring strong collaboration between professionals, your leadership will help ensure children with a social worker, cared for children, and previously lookedafter children have every opportunity to achieve their best.
This is a role for someone who is energised by challenge, driven by purpose, and passionate about making a meaningful difference across the whole education system.
About You
You’re an experienced education professional who brings credibility, confidence, and a track record of driving improvement. You’ve worked as a middle or senior leader with direct responsibility for raising academic standards, and you understand what it takes to secure strong progress and highquality teaching across different settings.
You think strategically and act with purposeusing evidence to guide decisions and championing high expectations for children who face additional barriers. You’re skilled at interpreting data, shaping priorities, and turning insight into meaningful action.
You communicate with clarity, influence with integrity, and collaborate naturally with a wide range of partners. Whether you’re advising school leaders, supporting colleagues, or navigating complex situations, you bring professionalism, empathy, and a steady, solutionsfocused approach.
Above all, you’re motivated by making a difference for vulnerable learnersand you’re ready to use your leadership to help them achieve their full potential.
About Us
Message from Jill Colbert, Director of Children’s Services
“I joined the council at the beginning of 2025 and was instantly charmed by the warmth, openness, and energy of colleagues.
“I came to Tameside for one reason; because I know we can do fantastic things for our families here.
“We’re a children’s service on a significant improvement journey. We know what needs to be different for our children and families and we’re ambitious to deliver that change.
“We have a growing range of specialist services for children, where you can test and grow your skills and practice. We have a Social Work Academy that is led by people who bring passion to learning and who know that the DCS’ of the future are right in front of them. We are working on our progression pathways so that staying in Tameside is rewarded and recognised. We have investment in innovation and improvement from the council so that we can grow services and support for families that we can sustain, from family hubs through to complex safeguarding.
“I am so certain that we can build a proud, inclusive and safe climate for great practice to flourish in Tameside. I’d love you to join me on the journey here at Team Tameside.”
Our Heart of Support Practice Approach
At Tameside, we believe in:
- Compassion understanding the lived experiences of children and families.
- Curiosity asking questions that lead to deeper insight and better outcomes for children.
- Collaboration working together across services to deliver joined-up support.
- Conversation listening and engaging meaningfully with children, families and professionals.
- Courage leading with courage, making bold and compassionate decisions that put children first.
At Tameside, we are committed to ensuring all our Citizens lead long, fulfilling and healthy lives. We are committed to supporting economic growth, providing high quality health and care services, protecting our most vulnerable and creating strong and supportive, self-sufficient communities.
We recognise that our people drive our success and enable the organisation to deliver on its vision, purpose and priorities, and that our people are our most important resource and asset. Our values underpin our practice and behaviours, and are at the heart of everything that we do; and we understand that how we do things is just as important as what we do. We pride ourselves on living by our STRIVE values of Support, Trust, Respect, Integrity, Value Diversity and Engage. Our values underpin our practice and behaviours and are at the heart of everything that we do. How we do things are just as important as what we do.
Our employees’ skills, experience and knowledge are essential to our success along with their happiness, wellbeing, commitment, enthusiasm and motivation to be the best they can be.
This position is subject to Enhanced Disclosure Procedures. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults and expect all staff to share this commitment.
This post is a designated customer facing role under the fluency duty and requires a specified level of spoken English.
Are you passionate about making a real difference in the lives of children and families? Do you bring compassion, curiosity, collaboration, conversation, and courage to your practice? If so, Tameside is looking for you.
Unfortunately, at this time we are not able to offer sponsorship.
We are committed to developing a culture which respects individuals, appreciates difference and allows everyone regardless of background to reach their full potential. We are proud to be an accredited disability confident employer. Reasonable Adjustments will be considered in accordance with the Equality Act 2010 in relation to the Job Role Criteria.
Our rewards and benefits package can be viewed here
We have made a commitment to improve the employment opportunities for people with disabilities, care leavers, carers, and ex-military personnel. Please click here for more information on our guaranteed assessment scheme.
For further information about this role please contact the recruiting manager, Tracey Rollings, on tracey.rollings@tameside.gov.uk
Supporting Documents
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