Principal SEND Advisor

About us

Hillingdon Council: Putting our residents first.

Hillingdon Council are building on the best practice learnt through the implementation of the SEND Reforms to make some exciting changes to our SEND Services. We are committed to delivering the best service possible to children and young people with SEND and their families and want to work closely with our educational settings to ensure special educational needs and disabilities are well supported.  

About the role

In order to progress to a more holistic and integrated way of working, we have established a multi-disciplinary, 0-25years, SEND Advisory Service. The new SEND Advisory Team merges several existing, outstanding professionals, including Early Years Advisors, SEND Key Workers, Language and ASD advisors and the Multi-Sensory team. We are seeking to appoint a new, dynamic Principal SEND Advisor to become an integral part of this enterprising team.

The role of Principal SEND Advisor will involve collaborating with a diverse range of educational settings in order to support children and young people with SEND, and their families. You will be working in close partnership with the 2 SEND Advisory Service Team Managers and the School Improvement Team. You will also work collaboratively with Senior Leadership Teams in the educational settings to evaluate the effectiveness of their SEND Provision and you will develop and coordinate a multi-disciplinary approach to support areas of development, including: policy, procedure, knowledge and practice.

You will support a small team of professionals to ensure that a joined-up service is being provided, and that children and young people with SEND are being supported to fulfil their potential. You will work in partnership with educational settings across the borough to identify and support children who may have special educational needs or disabilities, which includes providing training where required.

About you

We are looking for somebody with significant experience of working with children in educational settings, and delivering and overseeing the provision of services to individuals with special educational needs and disabilities. Ideally, you will have Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) or Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS). SLT/SENCo experience will be significantly advantageous and experience of leading on whole school evaluation of SEND will also be beneficial.

A professional and positive approach to change is essential. The ability to empower and enthuse team members to embed key projects and service transformation is crucial to this role. Evidence of supporting others through service development would be advantageous.

You will be working with a range of different people, such as children, families, carers, teachers, schools and other social care services across Hillingdon, so it is essential that you have excellent communication skills and the ability to build and sustain effective working relationships.

You must be knowledgeable on relevant legislation and child development, passionate about working with children and young people with SEND and committed to providing an exceptional service.

You must be motivated to deliver results, and will be expected to take ownership of your personal development, as well as the development of your team. We strive to ensure that we continuously improve our service, and you will play an essential part in supporting this.

The Principal SEND Advisor is a key role and we are looking for somebody who can work flexible hours where required, in order to meet service needs. The work is varied with a range of challenges, but is also incredibly rewarding.

What we offer

We offer a range of Company benefits. These vary according to the business area and role but may include:

• local government average salary pension scheme
• free parking (4 days a week) if based at the Civic Centre
• a 36-hour week for all full-time staff
• generous holiday entitlement: a minimum 25 days a year (plus bank holidays), rising to 28 days after five years' service. For more senior positions holiday entitlements can rise to a maximum of 36 days
• career breaks
• flexible working hours
• season ticket loan
• access to a Credit Union
• on-site staff restaurant at Civic Centre
• access to a wide range of training and courses
• discount on a variety of Adult Education courses run by the Council
• payment of professional fees where these are required
• discounts at council-owned leisure centres and swimming pools at Hillingdon (Uxbridge), Queensmead (South Ruislip), Highgrove (Ruislip) and Botwell Green (Hayes)
• cycle purchase scheme
• car sharing scheme
• 30% discount on green fees at council-owned golf courses

Additional information

To organise an informal discussion please contact Carole Lewis - SEND Advisory Service Manager -

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. Applicants should be aware that the post will only be offered to successful candidates subject to an Enhanced DBS check as well as other employment clearances.