Specialist Advisory Teacher

Job Title: Specialist Advisory Teachers for Speech, Language, Communication & Autism
Salary: £32,916 - £52,490 pa pro rata + SEN – Hertfordshire locally agreed Teachers MPS/UPS scale
Hours: 26 hours (4 days) – Term time only
Location: Across North Herts and Stevenage; or across Watford, Three Rivers and Hertsmere, with occasional countywide travel required for both roles.
Contract: Permanent

Would you like an opportunity to support Hertfordshire delivering better outcomes for children with Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND)?

About the team

Within the SEND Specialist Advice and Support services, there are 2 vacancies for Specialist Advisory Teachers in the Speech, Language, Communication and Autism specialism.

A key function of the Specialist Advice and Support Service (SENDSAS) is to ensure that the educational and developmental progress of children and young people (5-25), with a range of SEND, is met in line with the Hertfordshire Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Strategy and Children’s Services strategic objectives.

This is an exciting time to join the service ahead of the SEND reforms as HCC continues to strengthen inclusive practice through accessible expertise provided by the specialist advisory teacher service.

About the role

The post holder will work as part of a multi-disciplinary team to support schools in embedding approaches to improve access to education for children and young people, as well as supporting the Local Authority processes as required under the direction of the Specialism Lead/Lead Teacher by attending various panels, meetings and reviews on behalf of the service.

In addition, the post holder will work collaboratively with colleagues across services to promote early intervention, needs-led approaches and inclusive practice.

The role of Specialist Advisory Teacher includes:

• Providing effective high-quality advice and support to professionals to support children, young people and school/settings.
• Actively promoting and supporting the development of inclusive practice across schools/settings and contributing to the sharing of effective practice
• Delivering training to support schools/settings in implementing strategies to improve provision for children and young people with SLCN, ADHD and autism needs
• Working collaboratively and flexibly with colleagues within the team and across services, to ensure high quality support/advice is available to meet the needs of children and young people with needs relating to SLCN, and communication and interaction

About you

Essential:

• Educated to degree level and hold Qualified Teacher Status
• Minimum five years relevant and successful teaching experience
• Recent classroom experience, practice knowledge for the specialism area (Autism/SLCN) or be employed within an Autism/SLCN advisory service
• In-depth knowledge and understanding of best practice in relation to meeting the needs of children and young people (5-25) with SEND in area of specialism
• Be able to evaluate practice and evidence the impact of interventions
• Hold a valid driving licence and have access to a vehicle for work purposes

Desirable:

• Able to demonstrate a thorough understanding of relevant high-quality teaching and learning
• Ability to model excellent practice and lead by example
• Hold relevant additional qualification in a specialist area e.g. Autism, SLCN, ADHD etc.

In this role you can become an active part of the development of the county autism and SLCN offer. If this sounds like the opportunity for you, we would love to hear from you.

For an informal discussion, please contact James.S.Dickinson@hertfordshire.gov.uk or Lucy.Plunkett@hertfordshire.gov.uk

Interview dates:

Monday 19th and Tuesday 20th October 2026

Benefits of working for us

How to apply

As part of your application, please upload your most recent CV. Ensure your CV is up to date with your employment history (including any employment gaps), and including any training/qualifications. We encourage you to include examples of where you have demonstrated the requirements/criteria in the advert / job profile to allow the panel to fully recognise your skills and abilities. You will have the opportunity to include a short covering paragraph within your application to give us a little more information about your skills, knowledge, and experiences.

Additional information

We are changing
Hertfordshire County Councilis undergoing Local Government Reorganisation (LGR). If you are employed by Hertfordshire County on 1 April 2028, it is expected that most roles will transfer to the newly-created unitary councils on existing terms and conditions under TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings – Protection of Employment) principles.

LGR is one of the biggest changes we will face in a generation. It will reshape how we work and how services are organised and gives us a real opportunity to build something better. To find out more, visit https://www.hertfordshire-lgr.co.uk/

Disability Confident
We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

Safeguarding
This role has been identified as requiring a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check.

Driving required
You’ll need to have the ability to drive and/or travel around Hertfordshire, either using your own mode of transport or a company car to travel to other locations.

English Fluency
The ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post (for those whose language is a signed language the provision of a sign language interpreter who speaks English to the necessary standard of fluency will be required). Further information about the legal requirement can be found here.