Senior Inclusion Specialist Teacher

Buckinghamshire Council; England; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 50,000

Job description

We are looking for a highly motivated Senior Inclusion Specialist Teacher to manage a team of Specialist Inclusion Teachers with expertise in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). This encompasses areas such as Autism, Language Disorders, Down syndrome, Cognition & Learning and Physical Disabilities. The primary objective is to ensure the effective delivery of both statutory and SEND support services for children and young people with SEND and their families.

About us

Buckinghamshire Council is a relatively new organisation that combines the strengths and expertise of the previous five councils in the county to create positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to provide stronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally.

Buckinghamshire is an ambitious, rapidly growing county, and our economy is one of the strongest in the country. It is an area of outstanding natural beauty and ranks as one of the top rural areas to live in the UK and yet it is incredibly well connected – only an hour from London on the train. The county has a rich history and heritage and is the birthplace of the international Paralympic movement.

We are looking for motivated, ambitious and inspiring people to join us on our journey. You will be entitled to a range of different benefits to make sure you are happy both at work and at home.

About the role

You will be highly motivated to support the development of inclusive practices within schools and settings to achieve the best possible outcomes for children and young people with SEND. Your role will involve supporting those working with SEND pupils to identify and understand their strengths and needs to implement effective strategies that support their access to the curriculum and promote their inclusion.

The role will involve:

• Supporting the development of inclusion practice through a robust SEND support approach.
• Managing a team of Specialist Inclusion Teachers to ensure the effective delivery of SEND support and statutory services to children, young people and their families.
• Complying with statutory regulations in the assessment and review of Education, Health & Care Plans (EHC Plans) in accordance with the Children & Families Act 2014.
• Supporting the strategic development of the Specialist Inclusion Teachers within the SEND Service.
• Providing professional expertise and support to Senior SEND Leaders and direction to the team of Specialist Inclusion Teachers.
• Promoting the inclusion of children with SEND through the organisation, development and monitoring of the Specialist Teaching function.
• Working with other SEND leaders to ensure effective workplace planning and development, allocating resources where demand is greatest.
• Ensuring there is a strong and effective culture of collaboration within the SEND team and across the local area, including with colleagues in health, education and social care.
• Embedding a culture of co-production and teamwork at all levels.
• Allocating requests for support and ensuring equitable caseloads.
• Ensuring services provided are child-centred and needs-led.
• Identifying and managing risks, ensuring these are escalated as required.
• Being responsible for managing the performance of the team to ensure that objectives and targets are met.
• Providing induction, line management and support.
• Proactively developing professional knowledge, skills and behaviours that support others in their continuous professional development.
• Taking responsibility and being accountable for a caseload as required across the geographical area, ensuring that any casework is undertaken in a professional manner and decisions are taken in a timely manner.

On-the-go:

Our ‘on-the-go’ roles mean you’ll usually start and finish your day from a base, moving around between different locations throughout the day. You won’t need a fixed desk to work from, but you’ll have access to our network where you can keep up to date with admin and the latest staff updates.

About you

• Experience of working with children and young people with SEND and their families.
• Relevant experience, which must include a proven track record of classroom teaching.
• Evidence of further training in SEND and inclusion.
• An excellent understanding of a range of needs, and expert knowledge of current targeted interventions.
• Ability to develop plans for improvement and implement Quality Assurance processes.
• Ability to manage conflict and de-escalate issues.
• Ability to manage complex situations and complaints.
• Understanding of SEND thresholds.
• Educated to degree standard with Qualified Teacher Status.
• Relevant teaching experience post NQT year.
• You will need to have excellent IT skills.
• A current driving license as the job involves travel for business purposes.

Please see the job summary attached for full details.

Other information

Closing date: Midnight on 15th of April 2025.

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent convictions and conditional cautions.
• All spent convictions and adult cautions that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020 and 2023).

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture.
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you.
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops.
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group.
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us.
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events.

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

About the Business Unit

Ensuring that children and young people in Buckinghamshire reach their potential is a primary focus within our Education service. It’s essential that we provide inclusive and life-long learning opportunities for all of our young people - so we look to raise standards, attainment and aspirations in a number of ways.

Our key priorities include: improving the quality and timeliness of Education, Health and Care Plans and the support families of children with SEND receive; reducing the number of exclusions both permanent and fixed term; and providing the children of Buckinghamshire with the highest quality education possible.

We aim to provide the right support, at the right time for families requiring non-statutory intervention, and provide sufficient, high quality early years and school places for children in Buckinghamshire. Despite Buckinghamshire having a higher percentage of good or outstanding Early Years providers and schools than national averages, we are not complacent.

We are keen to strengthen the services we deliver to provide the children of Buckinghamshire the highest quality education possible.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.