Schools Planning Officer SEND

The Opportunity

Salary: £41,418 to £44,428 per annum

Contract Type: Permanent

Working Pattern: 37 hours per week, full time, Monday to Friday

Location: County Hall, Chichester

Closing date: 08 April 2024

Interview date: w/c 15 April 2024

Do you have an in-depth knowledge of the education sector?

Are you passionate about supporting inclusion and special educational needs?

Do you enjoy advising and influencing others?

The School Organisation, Resource and Services team is responsible for various functions, including the planning of places for SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) provision in mainstream and specialist schools or colleges. We are looking for a Schools Planning Officer (SEND) to join the team based in Chichester.

As a Schools Planning Officer for SEND, your role will involve creating school place plans primarily for SEND provision. You will develop strategies and initiatives which balance the needs of West Sussex residents, the economy, the environment, and national government priorities.

You will support the implementation of the SEND and Inclusion Strategy from a pupil place planning perspective and be responsible for the annual place planning process for special schools, specialist support centres, and local college provision.

For more information on the Key Skills as well as the Qualifications and/or experience required, please refer to the Job Description attached.

About us

The team is responsible for providing an effective schools’ planning service through the coordination of school places and identifying the need to add or remove school places due to housing developments and socio-demographic changes.

We identify the impact on schools of house building and develop proposals to mitigate the impact of development and to negotiate with developers, schools and District or Borough Councils to achieve these improvements. Increases or reduction in school places are often subject to statutory consultation and the requirement to commission capital projects to ensure sufficient places are available as required.

Benefits

For a full list this can be found at our Rewards and Benefits page.

Further Information

The reference number for this role is CAFHE05030.

For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact Leigh Hunnikin, Education Capital Programme Manager, at Leigh.Hunnikin@westsussex.gov.uk

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 three 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 helppage.

Job Reference: CAFHE05030