SEMH Inclusion Practitioner

Job Description

Organisation: Leicestershire County Council

Work Location: Oakfield Short Stay Primary School North, Forest Street, Shepshed, LE12 9DB

Salary: £32,070 to £34,359 per annum (pro rata for part-time) (Pay award pending)

Working Hours: 34 hours per week - Term time only- 39 weeks per year

Contract Type: Permanent

Closing Date: 31st May 2026

Interview Date(s): Wednesday 10th June 2026

Are you passionate about supporting young people with Social, Emotional, and Mental Health (SEMH) needs in primary mainstream educational settings? Do you have the expertise to help schools implement trauma-informed strategies to enhance learning and well-being? If so, we have an exciting opportunity for you to make a real difference!

Due to the expansion of our school-to-school department, we are looking for talented individuals to join our hard working and dedicated team to help pupils within our Local Authority, to successfully access their mainstream provision. Whilst the majority of your time will be spent supporting different schools in locality, our team are based at Oakfield Short Stay School, at Shepshed and Earl Shilton.

About the Role

You can be deployed to either base as demand requires, as well as working with primary and SEMH bases across the county preventing exclusions, preparing, and supporting pupils for reintegration within primary settings, including KS3 pupils as required. The role involves travel across the county for which mileage can be claimed, in accordance with Local Authority policy.

Oakfield Short Stay Primary is a 30 place SEMH pupil referral unit for Leicestershire. As a member of our team, you will be committed to providing high quality inclusive provision and be able to share your skills, expertise, and knowledge across the schools in Leicestershire. You will be expected to advise and support a range of interventions and teaching adaptations to promote reasonable adjustments and make learning engaging and accessible to all. You will be expected to share with teachers and teaching assistants the skills, knowledge and positive attitudes to keep children with SEMH challenges successfully within their mainstream settings.

We are looking for dedicated and caring practitioners, who work well as part of a team, whilst using their initiative when working independently. Staff who have worked in our team are highly sort after by mainstream schools, so this is an ideal opportunity to develop your skills to progress your career.

An enhanced with barred list DBS check is required for this post.

For information on our approach to the recruitment of ex-offenders, please see our policy statement.

About You

We are looking for someone with proven experience of working with young people with SEMH needs in educational settings who has a strong understanding of trauma-informed practices and inclusive strategies. You must have excellent coaching and mentoring skills, with the ability to guide school staff effectively. The post holder must have the ability to work collaboratively with a range of professionals, including senior leaders and specialist staff. A commitment to improving outcomes for young people facing SEMH challenges is essential.

To apply for this post, you must be able to evidence in your application how you meet the following criteria:

• A HLTA qualification or equivalent with GCSE Grade C or above or equivalent in Mathematics and English Language.
• Supporting Schools: Work alongside school staff to embed trauma-informed practices, ensuring a nurturing and supportive environment for the young person.
• Coaching & Modelling Best Practice: Provide guidance to teaching and support staff by demonstrating effective strategies and fostering inclusive teaching methods for children with complex SEMH needs.
• Collaboration with Senior Leaders and wider professionals: Work with a range of professional teams to advise and promote best practices in SEMH support. Actively contributing advice and recommendations through primary inclusion forums and other local authority sources of support.
• Regular Drop-ins for Continued Support: engagement with schools, offering regular visits and follow-ups to ensure consistency and progress.
• Detailed Record-Keeping: Maintain accurate records in line with the school's graduated response framework, tracking progress and documenting key interventions.
• Can demonstrate emotional resilience, adaptability and has the ability to maintain a positive and professional outlook when working in challenging situations.

In addition, we also expect you to share our commitment to our values and to delivering accessible and inclusive services which meet the needs of all of our residents. You will be asked to demonstrate your understanding of these commitments as part of the selection process.

Reasonable adjustments will be considered for applicants with a disability. We are a Disability Confident Employer.

Interested in Flexible Working?

We are open to discussions about flexible working, which may include part time working, job sharing, term-time working, flexible start and finish times, and hybrid working, depending on the requirements of the role and the service. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below.

For more information or an informal discussion, please contact:

Georgina Cole- Inclusion Co-ordinator/ SENDCO

Telephone: 0116 2759150

Email: oakfieldprimary@leics.gov.uk

How to Apply

At Leicestershire County Council we’re looking for top talent from all walks of life. Whoever you are, wherever you’re from, and whatever your background - we care about what you bring to our organisation, not just what’s on your CV. That’s why we’ve designed a recruitment process that’s fair, accessible, and focused on potential. And with benefits that support people at every age and stage of life, we make sure you can thrive - both personally and professionally.

If you share our passion to make a difference for the people of Leicestershire, we’d love to hear from you. Click the apply button to submit your application, ensuring that you upload a supporting statement that explains how you meet the criteria listed in the ‘About You’ section above. Without this information, we won’t be able to assess your suitability for the role, and your application will be rejected. For tips on how to write your statement, see the How to Apply section on our career site.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

If you have any technical issues when trying to apply for this post or you want to request an application pack in an alternative format, please contact our Employee Service Centre by telephoning 0300 3030222 (select option 2) or raising a ticket via our online portal: https://emss.org.uk/support.

By applying for this post, you agree to our Terms and Conditions.

About us

About Leicestershire County Council

At Leicestershire County Council, we're committed to making a real difference in people's lives. Our aim is to work with communities and partners to deliver public services that make Leicestershire the best possible place to live and work for everyone.

Our employees play a key role in supporting this goal and helping us deliver the vital services we provide to the people of Leicestershire. Whether you're starting your career or looking for your next challenge, you'll find a place with us where your ideas are valued, and your work has purpose.

For further information on what it’s like to work for us and the benefits we offer, please refer to the following:

Our Recruitment Process
Our Organisational Values
Our Employee Benefits
Working for Us