SEND Improvement Officer

At Barnsley Council you can start a career that makes a real difference to people’s lives, helping our council and residents to be the best they can be.

We’re an award-winning council and one of the biggest employers in the borough, supporting around 243,000 people. We put people at the heart of everything we do, and that includes our employees. As part of the team, we offer lots of benefits and rewards to support you to thrive and grow, like flexible working, employee discounts, support for your health and wellbeing, and opportunities for training and development to grow your career and develop your skills.

There’s so much happening in our thriving borough, and now’s the perfect time to join our excellent Education, Early Start and Prevention team as we work to make Barnsley the place of possibilities.

• We’re an award-winning team and one of the biggest employers in the borough supporting around 243,000 people.
• Working at Barnsley Council means being part of a team that makes a real difference to people’s lives, where you can develop the skills you need to make change happen.
• If you join the team you’ll receive great pay alongside an excellent pension scheme. With flexible working we’ll also support your work/life balance, helping you to adjust your hours and take time off when you need it.
• We’ll help you to develop your career and grow your skills with opportunities for training and development.
• There’s so much happening in our thriving borough and your talent and skills will help us make Barnsley the place of possibilities.
• Key to our success is working with our residents, partners, businesses and organisations and building these partnerships to bring about change in Barnsley.

About the Post:

An exciting opportunity has arisen within Barnsley Council. We are seeking to appoint a SEND Improvement Officer to work within our highly valued and well-established Education Inclusion Service to support the borough-wide inclusion of children and young people who have SEND. We would be particularly interested in hearing from applicants with expertise in all areas of SEND and implementation of the requirements of the Children and Families Act 2014 and the SEND Code of Practice. Alongside other teams and professionals you will support the work of the Barnsley Schools Alliance in partnership with schools and settings. 

This permanent position will involve providing consultation, advice, interventions, and strategies to remove barriers to inclusion and promote successful outcomes for individual and groups of children and young people within educational settings. There will be a key focus on whole school improvement and reviewing provision in relation to SEND. The post will involve working closely with all our schools and settings, children, young people and parents/carers. 

Here at Barnsley, we live and work by four important values: honesty, teamwork, excellent services, and taking pride in what we do. Relational approaches are fundamental to how we work, and we support well-being through structured and informal peer support alongside professional development opportunities.  

We are looking to recruit enthusiastic, creative colleagues to join a dedicated and innovative team of professionals to play a key role in shaping future approaches to inclusion at a local authority level. We offer excellent town centre office space, remote working, flexible working and promote a good work life balance. We offer a full induction from a welcoming and supportive team. 

You will have: 

· A relevant teaching and SENCo qualification. 

· Up to date expertise and knowledge of SEND legislation, statutory guidance and how this can be applied in education settings to ensure whole school improvement. 

· Considerable experience of working in schools with children and young people who have SEND, including knowledge of strategies, approaches and resources to support inclusion. 

· Experience of planning and delivering training  

If you are interested in using your skills and experience in this role, we would like to hear from you. For more information, or to have an informal conversation, please contact  Bev Bradley – SEND Improvement Service Manager bevbradley@barnsley.gov.uk