Job Description

The Opportunity

Salary:

Soulbury EIP 04-06



Full time 45,659 to 48,349 per annum



Part time pro-rata for 22 hours 27,148 to 28,748 per annum

Contract Type:

Permanent

Working Pattern:

Full time, 37 hours per week (area - 0 to year 9 )



Part time, 22 hours per week (preparation for adulthood - year 10 up until aged 25)

Location:

Chichester, County Hall.

Closing date:

13 November 2025

Interview date:

28 November 2025





Are you a qualified teacher with experience of SEN?



Have you worked in mainstream education and/or post 16?



Do you enjoy problem-solving?



Are you looking for a new opportunity within your career?



The Special Educational Needs Assessment Team (SENAT) manages the decisions and processes associated with the statutory education, health, and care needs assessment process, including the placement of Children and Young People in settings and the allocation of resources.



This exciting and varied role provides monitoring, advice, and support to a range of educational settings. You will work collaboratively with a wide range of professionals and families to ensure the needs of our most vulnerable learners are met.



You will be working within the Special Educational Needs Assessment Team, joining a small team of Special Needs Officers - each Officer covers a specific geographical area or age range depending on allocate team within West Sussex, whilst also working collaboratively together to support inclusive practice across the whole of West Sussex.



You will need to be committed to supporting equality and diversity, with high levels of confidentiality.



For more information on the Key Skills, Qualifications and/or Experience required, please refer to the attached. Please refer to the key skills in your cover letter as these will be used for shortlisting criteria.


About You


We are looking for someone who is respectful of all customers, with a focus on delivering services to those customers, and with a passion about making a difference for children and young people with SEND.



If you are a qualified teacher with a specialist SEN qualification (or equivalent experience) and you are committed to helping Children and Young People with SEND achieve their outcomes, we would love to hear from you.

Key Skills:

Excellent organisational, interpersonal and problem-solving skills

Good communication skills - both oral and written

Ability to work collaboratively within the SEN Assessment Team, settings, partner agencies and parents

Provide high quality and efficient support for pupils, parents and staff in maintained schools

Anticipate problems, plan solutions and make informed decisions

Interpret the statutory regulations and Special Educational Needs Code of Practice to advise SEN Co-ordinators and parents how they relate to individual pupils

Use a range of information and communications technology to manage personnel record keeping and other communication functions

Ability to use expertise for legal processes such as Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal

Commitment to continuous professional development

Creative, innovative and forward thinking

Commitment to the achievement of excellence within the Special Education Team as an integral part of CYPS

Evidence of successfully applied time management skills.

Personal resilience and an ability to balance independent and collaborative working

Contribute to the development and implementation of CYPS policies and working practices.

Pay close attention to detail and meet appropriate deadlines

Qualifications and/or experience:

Qualified teacher status. Specialist SEN qualification or equivalent experience Recent successful teaching experience within schools or, further education. Previous recent involvement in multi-disciplinary initiatives relating to children with special needs. Proven expertise in the implementation of the statutory SEN processes and Special Educational Needs Code of Practice. Clear understanding of the role of the special educational needs team within the LA. Knowledge of recent government papers and legislation relating to special educational needs. Knowledge of the LA policies and procedures for identifying, assessing and meeting special educational needs Understanding of the importance of working in partnership with parents, school staff and voluntary agencies Knowledge of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal Involvement in providing training in relation to special education needs and inclusive education Experience of pursuing individual learning targets and monitoring progress for pupils with EHCPs

About Us


The Special Educational Needs Assessment Team (SENAT) manages the decisions and processes concerned with statutory education health and care needs assessment process for learners with an education, health, and care plan (EHCP), the placement of children in learning settings and the allocation of resources to settings.



The team considers suitability of and where appropriate arranges the assessment and placement of children, young people, and young adults with special educational needs in accordance with the provisions of the Children and Families Act 2014 (Pt 3, SEN) and associated regulations including the SEN Code of Practice to ensure that the statutory assessment procedures are followed and proposed EHCPs are issued and reviewed within the timescales laid down by the regulations.



This will be achieved through direct work with parents, educational settings, young people, health, Social Care and other external customers and partnership organisations to establish the best ways to support learning for children and Young People (0-25).



For more information about West Sussex County Council, please visit our

WSCC About Us

page.



For more information on SENAT, please visit our

West Sussex SEN Assessment Team page

on our WSCC website.


Benefits


As an employer we recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance, and are rewarded for the work they do.



For a full list this can be found at our

Rewards and Benefits page.

Upon joining us you will have access to a range of benefits including the following:

Employer Pension Contribution:

18.70% (this alters per annum on the 1 April each year).

Annual leave:

31 days holiday + Bank Holidays = 39 days



How to Apply


The reference number for this role is

CAFHE06040

.



For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact Aaron Swain (aaron.swain@westsussex.gov.uk) for area role, and/or Alison Honeywood (alison.honeywood@westsussex.gov.uk) for preparation for adulthood role.



To apply, please follow the links below to upload your CV and Cover Letter.



In your cover letter please outline your motivations for applying and explaining the skills and experience you can bring to the role (please refer to the key skills) ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV. Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults.

This post is subject to QTS check, an enhanced DBS check, five years referencing, and an occupational health check.

Equity, inclusion, and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.



We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our

application help

page.



LOCATION

Chichester area

CONTRACT TYPE

Permanent

JOB TYPE

Education & Skills

CLOSING DATE

13 November 2025