SEND Specialist Coordinator

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Join a friendly, caring team of specialist staff and learning support assistants in a department that prides itself on collaboration, inclusion and exceptional student support.

QMC provides a wide range of advisory and support services to students with a view to help them fulfil their potential and progress to purposeful destinations. We currently support 70 students who are deemed High Needs (HN), according to their Special Educational Need (SEN) and Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). The SENDCO and team are responsible for ensuring that we provide appropriate support for these students, so they are able to progress in line with the targets identified in their EHCPs.

The College also has approximately 300 SEND students who are not categorised as High Needs but require varying degrees of intervention to make progress in line with their peers. These students are usually without EHCPs and this role would support the SENDCO to ensure that SEND learners in mainstream provision are monitored and appropriately supported. The post will also require thorough oversight of medical needs to ensure their safety and wellbeing in conjunction with the First Aid team.

The Role

We are looking for a passionate SEND practitioner who believes in inclusion and progression for every student. You should be someone who:

•Takes a person-centred approach to ensure that the additional support needs of individual students are identified and addressed in a timely and appropriate fashion.

• Can provide effective, inclusive support for student learning through a variety of delivery models

• Brings innovation and energy to the role.

• Values kindness and empathy as highly as academic rigour.

• Is flexible, adaptable, and responsive to complex learner needs.

• Enjoys building informal yet professional relationships with students based on high expectations.

Key Responsibilities

• Liaising with the Director of Learning, SEND Advisory team, First Aiders, Exams Access Arrangements team and Student Support Assistants to ensure appropriate support is provided for learners.

• Identifying, monitoring and reviewing the progress of SEND learners, including attendance, retention and achievement.

• Making timely interventions in light of monitoring data and student’s needs, liaising with the DoL, teachers, support services and parents as appropriate.

• Providing additional learning support interventions to individuals and/or groups of SEND learners to reduce barriers to learning.

• Providing information and advice to teachers to enable them to support SEND learners effectively including sensory audits, SEND clinics for staff and training.

• Taking a role in the admissions and transition processes by liaising with schools prior to enrolment and advising parents/students at open events.

• Have oversight of students with medical needs and ensure that First Aiders are briefed with the support plans for these learners.

• Coordinate the schedule of the college’s wellbeing dog(s) and monitor the use and impact.

• To carry out such duties as the Principal may reasonably, and from time to time, require.

Person Specification

The ideal applicant for this role is someone who can engage effectively with students to help them meet their goals. Working in this environment requires dedication, a positive ‘can-do’ attitude, coupled with the ability to work flexibly. The suitable applicant is a person who enjoys supporting and interacting with young people, is person-centred, proactive and solutions focused. They will be someone who understands the crucial role that SEND and medical support plays in education and in a young person’s development and progression opportunities. We are looking for someone who can demonstrate a strong understanding of providing additional support to mainstream students and professionalism in this field.

Qualifications & Experience

• Related and demonstrable experience supporting young people with SEND e.g. delivering targeted interventions and measuring impact and contributing to pupil progress reviews and assessment (essential)

• Relevant qualification in SEN such as HLTA Status or Level 3 qualification in Supporting Teaching and Learning (or equivalent) (desirable)

• GCSE Grade C/4 or above in English and Mathematics (essential)

• First Aid qualification (desirable)

• ELSA, Thrive, speech and language, or autism-specific training (desirable)

• Understanding of related legal and compliance requirements (desirable)

• Training in safeguarding and trauma-informed behaviour management approaches (desirable)

Skills & Mindset

• Strong and effective communication and interpersonal skills and an ability to work with people with a variety of different needs and abilities (essential)

• Sound organisational skills, administrative and recording keeping skills (essential)

• IT literate – with proficiency in Microsoft Office packages – Excel, Word, (essential)

• Robust and appropriate tact and diplomacy skills (essential)

• Able to work well as part of a team, under supervision and able to work unsupervised (essential)

• Able to handle changes and interruptions to workload and scheduling – and able to prioritise work accordingly (essential)

• The ability to use their own initiative and trust their own judgement (essential)

• The ability to build and maintain trust with students, parents, staff and partner agencies (essential)

• Commitment to undertaking CPD and willingness to disseminate training to others (essential)

Why Join Us?

Having recently won the Best Place to Work Award (Summer 2025), we are proud of our workplace and workforce. Located on a beautiful, leafy 23-acre site, we offer a supportive environment that prioritises staff wellbeing.

Benefits include:

• Health & Wellbeing: Free use of the onsite gym and swimming pool, access to a Wellbeing Hub, counselling services, and frequent Staff Wellbeing events.

• Professional Growth: Extensive training and development opportunities.

• Workplace Perks: Free onsite parking, complimentary hot beverages & discounted Starbucks and Costa drinks*, and onsite catering. Central Studio (our theatre) discounted tickets.* Subject to availability

Employment Terms

This is a full-time, term-time, fixed term contract for one year, role (subject to funding), under Sixth Form College Support Staff conditions of service. Working hours are 5 days a week, 37 hours, term-time, from 8.30am until 5.00pm (4.30pm on Fridays) and will include occasional evening or holiday working for key events.

Salary is based on Sixth Form Colleges Scale Point 12, currently £15.31 per hour. Please note salary includes pay for holidays, which are taken out of term-time. Salary will be based on working hours and weeks, at 46.4 weeks (term-time, plus one week and paid leave) and 37 hours will amount to £26,290.04 per annum. A nominal additional allowance is paid for First Aid.

Please note this role will involve working alongside and supporting our trained Therapy Dogs, (Labradors) please contact HR should you require more information.

Appointment is subject to references, DBS clearance and a probationary period. The College operates a no-smoking

policy and is wholly committed to equality, safeguarding, equality diversity and inclusion, and as such all safer recruitment practices.

Safeguarding Statement

Queen Mary's College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.We particularly welcome applications from under represented groups including ethnicity, gender, transgender, age, disability, sexual orientation or religion.