The Coventry Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND) Support Service exists to deliver the aspirational challenge set to us by young people with SEND and their families: ‘To Lift the Cloud of Limitation and enable them to enjoy an ordinary life’. We are a creative, connected and forward-thinking service.  Together with our families and partners in schools, settings, the NHS and third sector, we have driven change that has pushed us to the cutting edge of SEND.  This includes embedding co-production across all areas of service delivery, investing in our SEND workforce, and pioneering new initiatives such as the award-nominated \'Together We Can\' partnership group to engage Early Years children and their families and \'My Support Plan\', a family-centred approach to understanding children\'s strengths and needs and tailoring their support. When Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) completed a Local Area inspection of Coventry in October 2019, they commended our “genuine passion and commitment to get things right for children and young people with SEND and their families”; our respect for the “lived experiences of children and young people with SEND and their parents” and the “strong partnership between school settings and education service providers, with a high level of buy-back of specialist services”. The SEND Early Years Team consists of specialist teachers, portage workers and complex communication specialists who provide intervention and support for children with complex special educational needs in early years from birth to 5 both in the home and early years settings.

It’s great to know that you are interested in working with us at Coventry City Council. As a prospective employee, it is important that everyone who works for us is committed to our One Coventry values and shares our commitment to becoming a more diverse and inclusive organisation. 

Our Values are:

Coventry SEND Service are seeking to appoint an excellent higher level teaching assistant with experience of early years and SEND to support the teacher in charge to lead our newly established ‘Saplings Programme’. The programme is part of our commitment to early intervention for children with special educational needs. It aims to close the gap between children with SEND and their peers and help them to achieve a good level of development by the time they complete their reception year.

The programme will be delivered through a partnership between the SEND Service and a partner school. Children who enrol on the programme will spend the autumn and spring terms of their reception year at a support base located in the partner school before beginning a gradual transition into a school that is local to them, where they will begin Key Stage 1.

This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

The successful applicant will have extensive experience of working within a school/early years setting and have an understanding of the early years foundation stage.  Working closely with the Lead Teacher to deliver high quality provision for the identified cohort of children.

For further information please contact Sally Longden on 07957736398 or email sally.longden@coventry.gov.uk

Salary will be pro rata to the number of weeks worked.

For full details on the application process please read the attached document labelled 'Coventry City Council Application Process'

Interview date(s): 12 September 2022

Coventry is a lively, multicultural city, which embraces old and new. Around the modern city centre there are traces of history everywhere – in the old city walls, the timber-framed buildings and the reconstructed medieval Spon Street. But Coventry has always had an eye on the future, and is now firmly focused on regenerating and re-inventing itself to meet the challenges of the 21st Century. With major developments and new projects taking place right across the city, Coventry City Council is the place to be!

There's a huge buzz about the city – Coventry ranks as the 8th best city to live, work and do business in the UK, and it was the UK City of Culture 2021. We believe this will help put Coventry on the map for all the right reasons as you can feel the sense of local pride throughout the city. It also offers a unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to those joining us to play their part in it.

We genuinely believe that Coventry City Council is a special place. You will be joining Coventry City Council during an exciting time to become part of a team that contribute to achieving our visions for the city. We have made our council a place where we look after our people, making sure you're happy in your work and given everything you need to succeed. We've created friendly, welcoming workplaces where everyone is working towards the same cause, providing the best possible services for the city of Coventry.

As a council with improvement at its heart, we’re committed to making life better for the people who live and work in Coventry. We’re equally concerned with the quality of life enjoyed by our people, so by joining us, you won’t just be helping the community, you’ll be helping yourself too.

Not only do you get to work alongside great people that are helping to improve services for our community we offer great benefits too! For your valued contribution we will provide a fantastic benefits package including;

• Opportunity for Salary Match and Pay progression through multiple increments
• Outstanding local government pension scheme
• Learning & Development with access to certified courses.
• Access to an award winning Occupational Health Team
• Vibrant employee networks 
• Lifestyle savings
• Salary Sacrifice Schemes; Car Scheme, Cycle to work and more
• Interest-free travel loans
• Payroll giving scheme
• Maternity, paternity and adoption Leave
• And much more