Regional Education Partner

Job Introduction

Together, we’re the moment makers

Together, we’re shaping children’s education for the future. Every day, our colleagues are helping to transform the lives of the residents of Oxfordshire.

About Us

Oxfordshire County Council is committed to delivering educational excellence for our children and young people through continuous and innovative improvements across our educational system. Our ambitious transformation programme, “Delivering the Future Together”, aims to make us an employer, partner, and place shaper of choice. As the sector looks ahead to the biggest structural change in half a century, can your educational leadership expertise contribute to the legacy Oxfordshire County Council delivers for future generations?

We are creating a new, ambitious model for school improvement and governance across Oxfordshire – and are recruiting five Regional Education Partners (REPs) to play a pivotal role in delivering it.

These newly established posts sit at the heart of our Schools and Governance model, strengthening the local authority’s strategic and operational relationship with schools while responding to a fast‑changing national and financial landscape.

About the role

A unique dual role: place‑based leadership and county‑wide impact

Each REP will hold clear geographic responsibility for one of five school improvement regions (North, South, East, West and Central), to provide trusted, visible and high‑quality support. You will build strong local partnerships, harnessing best practice across the schools you are supporting and sharing expertise to support all schools respond to local need in addition to wider system led changes. You will build on existing cluster and local partnership groups and work in partnership with other system leaders from the specialist school and multi-academy trust fields. This role is critical in providing a consistent, authoritative link between schools and the local authority.

Alongside this, each REP will lead a specialist area that operates across the whole county, enabling targeted, high‑impact improvement where it is needed most. These specialisms span the core drivers of school improvement, including English, Maths, Leadership and Coaching, Professional Development (including PSHE and SACRE) and the wider Curriculum, with clear links to national hubs and wider system partners. 

Influencing outcomes where it matters most

About You

As a Regional Education Partner, you will provide expert leadership and governance advice, support schools through compliance and assurance activity, and contribute to headteacher appraisal, recruitment and retention where commissioned. The role combines strategic oversight with hands‑on professional credibility, ensuring schools receive support that is both rigorous and contextually informed. The role also involves challenging, monitoring and intervening where schools are causing concern, using professional credibility and strategic oversight to drive improvement, strengthen partnership working, and improve outcomes for all children and young people across Oxfordshire.

The role requires strong collaborative working across education, inclusion, SEND, admissions, attendance, safeguarding and wider statutory services, enabling clear routes for escalation, advice and problem‑solving. REPs will act as a knowledgeable and trusted point of contact for schools, helping them to navigate systems, signpost effectively to the right LA services, and foster constructive partnerships that improve outcomes. Through this integrated approach, REPs will help strengthen relationships between schools and the local authority, promote shared ownership of challenges such as attendance and place planning, and ensure specialist provision is supported within a broader, system‑wide framework of improvement and accountability.

You will also play a key role in shaping and delivering a high‑quality traded offer, helping the service grow sustainably while remaining responsive to schools’ evolving needs and the wider education system.

Finally, Regional Education Partners will play an important role in supporting specialist and alternative school provisions, working closely with colleagues across the wider local authority to ensure joined‑up, coherent support for children and young people with complex needs.

Why join us?

This is a rare opportunity to:

• Help design and embed a new countywide school improvement model at a critical moment of change
• Operate with real professional influence and autonomy, while being part of a coherent county team
• Combine place‑based relationships with strategic, cross‑county leadership
• Make a tangible difference to educational outcomes, inclusion and leadership capacity across Oxfordshire

The REP roles are central to our ambition to deliver high‑quality, sustainable, and well‑assured school improvement, aligned to national reform, local priorities and best value principles.

Our Rewards & Benefits  

• Relocation expenses of up to £8,000 
• A good to outstanding OFSTED rating 
• Regular training opportunities 
• A flexible, agile organisation 
• A generous local government pension scheme 
• 30 days annual leave plus bank holidays 
• Culture of flexible working  
• Technology to support agile working where role permits 
• Option to ‘buy’ additional holiday 
• 24/7 access to Employee Assistance Programme including access to health and wellbeing support 
• Membership of the Local Government contributory pension scheme, with an employer’s contribution of up to 19.9% 
• Enhanced family friendly policies 
• Local and national discounts for shopping and travel 
• Great learning and development opportunities to support your ongoing development. 

Recruitment timeline & Process:

The closing date for applications is 23:59 on Monday 6th April 2026. 

Applicants are asked to complete the Oxfordshire County Council application form. Applicants should identify the area of specialism they would bring to this role form the list of 5 areas identified below – this should be highlighted clearly in your personal statement and candidates should provide examples of their impact in this specialist area within that statement. 

Shortlisting will occur the week commencing 6th April 2026. 

Assessment and Interviews are provisionally scheduled for the 15-17th April 2026. It is anticipated that this will be a two-day process consisting of a range of assessment activities and interviews both at County Hall in central Oxford and visiting at least one maintained Primary School setting. More details will be shared with candidates who are successful in shortlisting. 

Successful candidates will take up post on the 1st September 2026. 

Our commitment to:
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

At Oxfordshire County Council we are proud of our diverse workforce. Everyone is accepted for who they are, regardless of age, disability, gender identity, marital status, race, faith or belief, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, or on maternity or family leave. We have a number of staff network groups which provide peer support, education and safe spaces for all.

Our commitment to:
Guaranteed Interview Schemes

As a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee an interview for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the job. We also guarantee interviews to care leavers who have completed further education and who meet the essential criteria for the job. For those leaving care without any further education, we guarantee an interview for our apprenticeships. We are also committed to helping and supporting those transitioning from HM Armed Forces to civilian life and guarantee an interview for those demonstrating the essential criteria for the role, within three years of leaving the service.

Our commitment to:
Safeguarding

Oxfordshire County Council are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. We expect all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect these commitments.

Our commitment to:
Flexible Working

We are open to discussions about flexible working, which can include flexi-time, part time working, job sharing, nine-day fortnights and annualised hours, depending on the requirements of the role and the service.

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If you encounter any issues with the application system, please contact us at: Kim.Wilson@Oxfordshire.gov.uk