The Opportunity
Salary: NJC Grade 11 £45,529 to £48,738 per annum
Contract Type: Permanent
Working Pattern: Full Time – 37 hours per week
Location: County Hall, Chichester
Interview date: Monday 28th September and Thursday 1st October
Do you have an in-depth knowledge of the education sector?
Are you passionate about supporting inclusion and special educational needs?
Are you comfortable at working with and presenting to headteachers and senior officers to develop new processes and solutions?
Do you enjoy advising and influencing others and creating something new?
The School Organisation and Planning Service 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 work alongside another Schools Planning Officer for SEND together with colleagues involved with mainstream school place planning, school admissions and capital programme and share skills and experience across the wider team.
You will support the implementation of the SEND Reform Plan from a pupil place planning perspective and be responsible for the annual place planning process for special schools, specialist inclusion bases and local college provision. Opportunities to use evidence of SEND need and secure financial contributions from developers, DfE and other institutions will be encouraged.
This is a unique and exciting opportunity to play a central role in shaping the future of SEND across West Sussex. As we deliver our ambitious SEND Reform and Transformation Programme, we are redesigning how support is provided to children, young people and families through our developing Experts at Hand (locality inclusion networks) model. This approach brings together expertise from across education, health and care to create a system that is proactive, preventative and rooted in strong relationships with children, young people and their families.
As a key member of the Organisation and Planning Service, you will be at the forefront of driving meaningful change. Your work will directly influence how effectively we identify needs earlier, intervene sooner and ensure that children and young people receive the right support at the right time. Through your leadership, expertise and collaboration, you will help create the conditions for children and young people to thrive, achieve their potential and experience greater inclusion within their local communities.
About You
Please refer to the key skills in your cover letter as these will be used for shortlisting criteria.
Key Skills:
- Ability to demonstrate higher level thinking skills, in order to think through issues, make connections and establish solutions. Able to make connections between disparate issues and creatively combine solutions to solve multiple problems.
- Ability to work independently and proactively, along with the ability to prioritise. Able to make decisions and think through complex and conflicting issues. Able to manage competing activities.
- Ability to communicate verbal messages (which maybe complicated or sensitive) clearly, concisely and at a level appropriate to the audience, who may not be specialists in school planning. Ability to represent the service at highly challenging internal/ external meetings, with integrity and confidence. Able to demonstrate a high level of verbal communication and reasoning and the ability to put forward persuasive and compelling arguments.
- Excellent writing skills including the ability to write clear, basic and appropriate information reports, articles, and briefing papers, including technical and Cabinet reports as necessary. Excellent numeracy skills to monitor budgets and negotiate financial settlements.
- Well-developed project management skills, including skills for co-ordination, liaison and the ability to plan and monitor project plans in order to achieve major projects on time and within budget.
- Ability to build credible working relationships, building rapport and developing positive partnership ways of working with a range of stakeholders.
For more information on the Key Skills, 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
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:
Annual leave: 30 days holiday + Bank Holidays = 38 days
How to Apply
The reference number for this role is CAFHE06537.
For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact Leigh Hunnikin, Education Capital Programme Manager, at [email protected]
For issues or queries regarding your application please contact [email protected].
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 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. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support your application, please contact [email protected].
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.
