National head of colleges / SEN School Group

Frontier Consulting are assisting a national SEN & Children s residential provider to recruit for a National Head of Colleges to work within their SEN School provision.

This is a hybrid position that would involve travel to site sites across the UK including:-

• Lancaster
• Blackpool
• West Sussex
• Carlise
• Windsor

We are seeking an exceptional educational leader to join our Education Senior Leadership Team as Head of Colleges, providing strategic leadership across our growing group of six specialist college sites.

This is a rare opportunity to influence the lives of hundreds of young people and adults, lead talented College Principals, and shape an ambitious further education strategy that delivers outstanding outcomes, exceptional learner experiences, and sector-leading practice.

As Head of Colleges, you will be at the forefront of driving quality, innovation, and continuous improvement across our college provision. Working closely with the Divisional Director, and wider Executive Team, you will ensure a seamless learner journey from school through to further education, creating meaningful pathways that empower learners to achieve their full potential.

Why This Role Matters

Our colleges play a vital role in preparing learners for adulthood, employment, independence, and lifelong success. We are ambitious about what our learners can achieve and equally ambitious about the quality of education we provide.

As Head of Colleges, you will lead that ambition.

You will inspire and develop a team of College Principals, drive exceptional educational standards, and create a culture where excellence, inclusion, and learner success are at the heart of every decision.

This is more than an operational leadership role. It is an opportunity to shape strategy, influence organisational direction, and leave a lasting legacy across multiple sites.

What You'll Be Responsible For

Strategic Leadership

• Developing and delivering an ambitious vision for our college provision.
• Contributing to organisational strategy as a key member of the Education Senior Leadership Team.
• Creating strong alignment between schools and colleges to ensure clear progression pathways for learners.

Quality and Improvement

• Driving excellence in teaching, learning, assessment, and learner outcomes.
• Leading quality assurance, self-assessment, and improvement planning across all college sites.
• Ensuring outstanding preparation for Ofsted inspections and embedding a culture of continuous improvement.
• Using performance data to drive measurable improvements in achievement, retention, attendance, and progression.

Leadership and Culture

• Providing inspirational leadership, support, and challenge to College Principals and senior leaders.
• Building leadership capacity, succession planning, and talent development across the college group.
• Fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, innovation, and high performance.

You are an accomplished senior leader with significant experience in further education or multi-site educational provision.

You have a proven track record of improving educational outcomes, leading successful quality improvement programmes, and navigating organisations through Ofsted inspections with confidence and credibility.

You will bring:

• Significant senior leadership experience within further education.
• Deep knowledge of the Ofsted Education Inspection Framework.
• Experience leading quality improvement and driving measurable outcomes.
• Strong strategic thinking combined with operational excellence.
• Outstanding leadership, influencing, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Experience managing senior leaders within complex organisations.
• A commitment to inclusion, learner success, and educational excellence.

Essential Qualifications

• PGCE or equivalent teaching qualification.

Desirable Qualifications

• SENCO qualification.
• NPQH or equivalent leadership qualification.

There are great benefits and a 3k car allowance. This is a great opportunity to join a national organisation who have significant growth plans, so apply today!