About this role
Trust Leader of Inclusion
Thank you for your interest in becoming our Trust Leader of Inclusion at Greater Manchester Academies Trust.
This is an important appointment for our Trust and, for the right person, an exceptional opportunity to shape something that really matters. Our vision is to cultivate thriving schools at the heart of thriving communities—where every young person is empowered to succeed, and where education drives real, lasting social change. Inclusion is fundamental to achieving that vision.
At GMAT, we do not see inclusion as a separate strand of school improvement, nor simply as the responsibility of SEND teams. It is about whether every child—whatever their starting point, circumstance or barrier—can access great teaching, participate fully in school life, feel that they belong and achieve outcomes which open doors to their future.
Our schools serve communities where education has an extraordinarily important role to play in creating opportunity and social change.
We recognise the challenges some of our children face, but we refuse to allow those challenges to become ceilings on their ambition.
That requires Heart: understanding children, families and communities, and leading with compassion and humanity. It requires Hope: maintaining the highest expectations and an unwavering belief in what every young person can become. And it requires Happiness: creating schools in which children and adults belong, participate, develop their talents and flourish. That is why we are creating this role. We are looking for an outstanding inclusion leader who can help us develop the next stage of our Trust-wide approach. Someone who understands SEND deeply, but whose conception of inclusion reaches much further—to disadvantage, attendance, behaviour, adaptive teaching, curriculum access, enrichment, vulnerability, belonging, family partnership and the many other factors that can determine whether a young person thrives.
You will work directly with me, our Headteachers, SENDCOs and senior leaders. You will have genuine influence over strategy, professional development, practice and quality assurance across our Trust. But this is not principally a role about systems. It is a role about people. We want someone who can build the capacity of others, develop excellent leaders, ask difficult questions when necessary and bring colleagues together around a shared ambition for children. Above all, you must share our belief that high expectations and inclusion belong together. We do not want inclusion to mean lowering expectations for children. We want it to mean removing the barriers that prevent children from reaching them. If you combine expertise with humanity, evidence with professional curiosity, and ambition with a strong moral purpose,
I would be delighted to receive your application.
Closing date for applications is Monday 12th October 2026 at 8am
Interviews will take place Wednesday 14th October 2026.
John Rowlands
Executive Principal
Greater Manchester Academies Trust
Who Are We Looking For?
We are looking for an exceptional inclusion leader with expertise, credibility and a strong moral purpose. You may already work across several schools or within a Trust. You may be an experienced SENDCO or senior leader ready to take the next step. You may have led significant SEND, inclusion or school-improvement work and now want the opportunity to influence practice at greater scale.
Your current job title matters less to us than the quality of your thinking, your track record and your potential to make a difference.
You will need to understand SEND deeply while being able to think much more broadly about inclusion.
You will be able to move comfortably between strategy and implementation: discussing Trust priorities with senior leaders one moment and exploring the experience of an individual child in a classroom the next.
You will be evidence-informed without losing sight of the human beings behind the evidence.
You will ask good questions.You will listen.You will build trust.You will challenge constructively.And you will bring people with you.We particularly want someone who combines compassion with professional rigour.Because great inclusion requires both.
Come and Meet Us
We strongly encourage prospective candidates to visit our schools and have an informal conversation with our Executive Principal before applying.
Recruitment should work both ways.
We want you to understand our children, communities, schools and ambitions.
We also want to hear about you: your experience, your thinking about inclusion and the contribution you believe you could make.
We particularly welcome people who are excited by the opportunity to build something with us rather than simply inherit something from us.
To arrange an informal conversation or visit, please contact 0161 202 0161 and ask for a meeting with the Executive Principal of GMAT, John Rowlands.