Phase Lead Adviser Primary

Job Title: Phase Lead Adviser Primary
Starting Salary: £61,271 progressing to £65,342 per annum (pro rata for part time)
Hours: 30 per week
Base Location: Hybrid with countywide required to travel to visit educational settings in and out of county
Contract Type: Permanent
Directorate: Childrens Services

About the team

Are you an inspiring educational leader with an unswerving commitment to promoting the best possible educational outcomes for Children Looked After and Children Previously Looked After?

If so, we want to hear from you.

About the team

Raising educational attainment and promoting high aspirations for every Child Looked After and Previously Looked After is at the heart of the work of our Virtual School.

About the role

Leading a small team of Early Years and Primary Education Advisers, you will have the vision, expertise and skill to ensure that our children experience inclusion in school life and thrive in education, the foundation for achieving their potential in teenage years and for moving into a fulfilling adulthood.

A qualified and registered teacher with significant teaching and school leadership experience, you will know how to accelerate the educational progress and attainment of children who have experienced trauma.

As the post holder; you will contribute to the strategic work of the wider Virtual School team, from Early Year to Key Stage 5, with strong collaborative and partnership-building skills to lead multi-agency work with internal and external professionals, teams and settings.

You will have the professional credibility and skills to provide effective support and challenge to senior leaders and other professionals, to represent the wider Virtual School at local, regional and national levels and to promote relational practice across all education settings.

About you

Essential:

• Education to Honours degree level, qualified teacher status with several years of relevant classroom and school leadership experience.
• Full driving licence and regular access to a vehicle
• Significant experience and professional presence as a senior educational leader.
• Expertise in creating inclusive education for children with adverse childhood experiences.
• Proven success in improving outcomes for children affected by trauma and disrupted attachment.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and networking skills.
• Confident collaborator who can support and challenge senior leaders to drive positive change for CLA, CPLA, and children with a social worker.
• Skilled in design and delivery of training sessions, presentations, and reports to varied audiences.
• Committed to challenging discrimination and promoting equity and diversity.
• Analytical skills around researching, collating and interrogating data to inform strategic and operational aims.
• Up-to-date knowledge of national and local priorities and research on improving outcomes for vulnerable children.
• Proactive approach to sharing best practice effectively with schools and professionals.
• Self-directed in preparing agendas, presentations, and key reports.
• Creative problem-solver who works in partnership to champion CLA, CPLA, Children with a Social Worker (CwSW) and other vulnerable children.

Desirable:

• An educational leadership qualification or equivalent

We welcome applications from candidates who currently reside in the UK with established proof of right to work documentation. We are not able to offer sponsorship at this time for this role.

To hear more about this opportunity please contact Tracy Butfield on 01992 556956 for an informal discussion about the role.

Interview Date: 2nd Feb 2026 - In person; Apsley, Hemel Hempstead

Benefits of working for us

How to apply

As part of your application, please upload your most recent CV. Ensure your CV is up to date with your employment history (including any employment gaps), and including any training/qualifications.

We encourage you to include examples of where you have demonstrated the requirements/criteria in the advert / job outline, to allow the panel to fully recognise your skills and abilities.

You will have the opportunity to include a short covering paragraph (no more than 3 pages of A4 font size 12) within your application to give us a little more information about your skills, knowledge, and experiences.

Additional information

Disability Confident
We are proud to be a Disability Confident employerand guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

Safeguarding
This role has been identified as requiring a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check.

Driving required
You’ll need to have the ability to drive and/or travel around Hertfordshire, either using your own mode of transport or a company car to travel to other locations.

English Fluency
The ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post (for those whose language is a signed language the provision of a sign language interpreter who speaks English to the necessary standard of fluency will be required). Further information about the legal requirement can be found here.

Available documents

• Primary Phase Lead job description January 2026.pdf