Job Description

About the team we are recruiting to

We value diverse perspectives and experiences and are striving to create a workplace culture that is inclusive, is accepting of all and is free from discrimination and bias.


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 Sensory Team are specialist (hearing and vision) teachers and support staff providing highly specialist support and advice for children and young people with hearing or vision difficulties in Coventry aged from 0-25.


The team, which is highly regarded by families and schools, provides information, equipment and direct teaching in homes, early years settings and schools across Coventry to promote inclusion, empower families and raise achievement.


What is the job role?

Required to start as soon as possible an experienced and highly motivated teaching assistant to join a well-established team. This position is for 28 hours per week term time only.


Under the advice of a qualified Teacher of the Deaf you will support the fullest possible inclusion of deaf children within their educational peer group and provide support to hearing impaired children in a range of settings including family homes, schools, pre school settings and Hearing Resource Bases.

All candidates must have the Right to Work in the UK. We are currently not offering sponsorship for this role.

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).


Who are we looking for?

In order to be considered for this post you will need to demonstrate

relevant experience of working with children with special educational needs/ and or a hearing impairment in an educational setting Understand the principles of child development and learning processes in particular communication and language acquisition. A good understanding of the current educational organisation and practices within schools Excellent communication skills and the ability to moderate language using speech and the written form to meet a range of different communication styles and needs Have a British Sign Language (BSL) Level 1 qualification (or equivalent) and a willingness to learn BSL Level 2

For an informal discussion about this post, please contact:


Lorna Lingard Deputy Lead Sensory Team -Hearing Impairment


Sensory Team


Email:lorna.lingard@coventry.gov.uk


Sensory Team - Coventry City Council


If you need help or support to complete your application, please visit our accessibility page to see how we can assist you.

Guaranteed Interview Scheme

- As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role and identify with one of the below criteria:

Members of the Armed Forces and veterans Are currently in care or have previously been in care If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition

For full details on the application process please read the attached document on our jobs page labelled 'Coventry City Council Application Process'. If there is any evidence of a candidate using AI to complete their application, then the application will be rejected unless the candidate can provide a justification which the Council considers to be reasonable.


Interview dates: week beginning 6th October


About Coventry

Coventry has a proud, innovative and creative spirit that throughout its history has seen communities come together to tackle problems and bring about real social change.

We are cutting-edge, challenging, youthful, vibrant and diverse.



At Coventry we are committed to excellence in everything we do. With around 5100 staff from a range of different backgrounds, our aim is to recruit and develop talented people who will focus on our customers, take responsibility, work together and find better ways of doing things.


To deliver the best services to our residents, we need the best people working for us to make a difference to our communities.


If you join us, we will provide a fantastic rewards and benefits package - to find out more please visit https://www.coventry.gov.uk/council-vacancies


Our Values

In line with our One Coventry Values, we want to ensure that our communities are represented across our workforce. A vital part of this is ensuring we are a truly inclusive organisation that encourages diversity in all respects, including diversity of thinking. We particularly welcome applicants from minority ethnic, LGBT+, disabled and neurodiverse communities to make a real difference to our residents so that equity and respect remains at the heart of everything we do.


Our Values are:


Open and fair: We are fair, open, and transparent. Nurture and develop: We help and encourage everyone to be their best and do their best. Engage and empower: We talk and listen to others, working together as one. Create and innovate: We embrace new ways of working to continuously improve. Own and be accountable: We work together to deliver the best services for our residents. * Value and respect: We put diversity and inclusion at the heart of all we do.