Learning Support Manager - SEND

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Learning Support Manager - SEND 

Location: HMP Dovegate, Staffordshire ST14 8XR 

Salary: £37,925 – £39,158plus excellent benefits 

Schedule: 08.15 am – 5.00pm, Monday to Friday. 40 hours per week 

Ready to impact a better future? 

As a Learning Support Manager in our Justice and Immigration team, you’ll lead and champion the full range of learner support and progress services across Education, Skills and Work (ESW). You’ll ensure learners are supported from their initial guidance right through to completion and progression, creating an environment where individuals can grow with confidence, clarity, and purpose. 

Your work will help shape positive futures for people in custody by ensuring they have access to high-quality support, inclusive learning pathways, and clear opportunities for progression. By driving high standards, supporting colleagues, and fostering a learner-centred culture, you’ll help create meaningful impact across the prison community. 

What you’ll do as a Learning Support Manager 

You’ll be entrusted to: 

• Lead and manage all learner support services, ensuring they run smoothly across all education delivery sites. 

• Ensure each stage of the learner journey — including information, advice and guidance (IAG), progression, SEN and neurodiversity support — is effective, inclusive and high quality. 

• Oversee learner progress reviews, ensuring Digital Personal Learning Plans (DPLPs) are timely, compliant, and meaningful. 

• Drive quality and compliance, ensuring readiness for inspections and maintaining strong evidence of impact. 

• Manage and support staff across multiple learner support functions, promoting continuous improvement and high expectations. 

• Oversee young people’s education strategies, ensuring targeted reviews, enhanced support, and positive progression outcomes. 

• Use data and performance measures to drive improvement, remove barriers, and support learner engagement. 

• Maintain strong relationships with stakeholders across the prison and external partners to ensure cohesive working. 

Does this sound like you? 

You’ll be a great fit for this role if you have: 

• Relevant degree or equivalent professional experience in education, leadership, or a related field. 

• Teaching qualification (e.g. PGCE, Cert Ed) or significant experience in education leadership  

• Level 2 (or higher) qualifications in English and Maths. 

• Experience managing learner support, quality assurance, and education support systems. 

• Strong leadership skills with confidence in managing teams, performance, and continuous improvement. 

• Excellent organisational and communication skills, with the ability to influence and build trust. 

• Knowledge of inclusive learning practices, neurodiversity, safeguarding, and regulated education environments. 

• The ability to use data effectively to drive outcomes, monitor performance, and support meaningful learner progression. 

Vetting and checks: 

An Enhanced DBS check is required for this role. This includes spent and unspent convictions, cautions, and any relevant information held by local police, in accordance with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act and safeguarding requirements. You will also complete an Occupational Health Questionnaire to allow us to provide any support needed for you to succeed in the role. 

Discover all you need to keep growing 

We’re one of the top 1% of international employers, so you can have confidence you’ll be part of a highly supportive culture with leaders you can count on to help you achieve your goals. From mentoring and training to our focus on internal progression, we’re proud to offer clear development opportunities – and the support and tools to help you seize them. 

What we offer 

• Holidays: 25 days plus bank holidays (and the option to buy up to five additional leave days each year) 

• Pension: Up to 6% contributory pension scheme 

• Training and development: Over 1,100 internal courses available, funding for qualifications and apprenticeships (including L3 Team Leader and L5 Operations Manager apprenticeships), mentoring opportunities, and a focus on internal progression 

• Health and wellbeing: Employee Assistance Programme, Bupa Anytime HealthLine, wellbeing app, 30% off at Serco managed leisure centres, and 24/7 access to a virtual GP service 

• Discounts: Discounts across around 1,000 retailers, from food and clothing to days out, entertainment and travel 

• Charity: Paid volunteering day, tax free charitable giving through Payroll Giving Scheme, donate your pennies from your monthly pay to the Serco People Fund Charity 

• Employee networks: Our networks support inclusion and connection by providing spaces for collaboration, learning, and belonging. They represent and empower all our colleagues including LGBTQIA+ employees, women, parents and carers, people with disabilities, veterans, and people from all cultural backgrounds. 

Let’s impact a better future, together. Apply today.

About Serco
At Serco, not only is the nature of the work we do important, everyone has an important role to play, from caring for vulnerable people to managing complex public services.  We are a team of 50,000 people responsible for delivering essential public services around the world in areas including defence, transport, justice, immigration, healthcare and citizen services. We are innovators, committed to redesigning and improving public services for the benefit of everyone.

By joining Serco you will have unlimited access to our Global Employee Networks – SercoInspire (Gender), SercoEmbrace (Multicultural), SercoUnlimited (Disability) and In@Serco (LGBT & Networks). Serco Employee Networks, led by colleagues who are passionate about diversity, inclusion and belonging. 

Apply
Please click on the apply button to complete your application. Occasionally we receive a large volume of applications for our roles and when that happens we sometimes bring the closing date forward, so please apply promptly to avoid disappointment. 

At Serco, we see people first and foremost for their performance and potential. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation that supports the needs of all. As such we will make reasonable adjustments at interview through to employment for our candidates and strongly encourage applications from a diverse candidate pool. We are open to discussions around flexibility and flexible working. We operate a hybrid work structure in many of our business areas. We are proudly Disability Confident Leader employers and holder of the Gold Inclusive Employer Standard. Disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job will be given the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities at an interview.  For help with your application please contact 0345 010 4000.
 

At Serco we support fair access to employment for those with unspent criminal convictions through the ‘Ban the Box’ pledge (some may be exempt due to the nature of the role and the security clearance required). Please contact our recruitment team directly on 0345 010 4000 to discuss.