Senior Specialist Teachers for Communication and Interaction

Organisation: Leicestershire County Council

Work Location: County Hall, Glenfield, Leicester LE3 8RF

Salary: Leadership scale 4-6 (depending on experience)

Working Hours: 32.5 hours a week, Teachers’ Leadership Terms and Conditions – see below for details of annual leave entitlement

Contract Type: 2 x full time, temporary posts until 31st March 2029. LCC Teachers’ Leadership Terms and Conditions

Closing Date: 27th September 2026

Interview Date(s): W/C 5th October 2026

An exciting opportunity has arisen for highly skilled and experienced Senior Specialist Teachers of Communication and Autism to join Leicestershire's Specialist Teaching Service. These new leadership posts within the expanding Learning, Communication and Autism Team will play a central role in delivering SEND reforms and the Experts at Hand programme, helping schools build capacity and improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND across the 5–19 age range.

We are seeking experienced and motivated leaders with specialist expertise in communication and interaction strengths and differences, and a secure understanding of how these may interact with other areas of SEND, including cognition and learning, SEMH and sensory needs. 

About the Role

The team is well-regarded and welcoming, consisting of Specialist Teachers and practitioners with a wealth of knowledge, experience and a passion for inclusion. We are committed to understanding autism and other areas of neurodiversity as differences rather than deficits and, as part of the Specialist Teaching Service, aim to improve opportunities, outcomes and experiences for children and young people with SEND in partnership with families, educational settings and organisations.

We welcome applications from experienced specialist teachers who wish to take on a leadership role, shaping service development and contributing to the strategic direction of the Learning, Communication and Autism Team. This will include leading on specific areas of work, providing effective performance management and professional supervision within the team, contributing to the appointment, development and deployment of staff, and deputising for the Team Manager as appropriate. The role also involves representing the Team Manager on multi-agency groups and initiatives, contributing to strategic partnerships, and supporting continuous improvement, innovation and high-quality service delivery across the Specialist Teaching Service.

Working within an evolving Experts at Hand model, you will support schools, colleges and partner organisations to strengthen inclusive practice and improve outcomes for learners with SEND.

At a whole-school and targeted level, you will work collaboratively with leaders, SENCos and staff teams to develop inclusive practice, implement evidence-informed teaching and learning approaches, and build capacity to meet a diverse range of autistic and communication and interaction needs. You will provide and coordinate consultation, advice, training and professional development, and contribute to the development and quality assurance of training and resources for educational settings, families and professionals. This will include supporting schools and Post-16 settings to implement, monitor and evaluate interventions and approaches.

At an individual level, you will have caseload responsibility and provide specialist assessment, advice and support for autistic children and young people and those with communication and interaction needs. You will work alongside families, educational settings and other professionals to identify strengths, barriers and support needs, and assist with monitoring and reviewing progress.  This will include completing Education, Health and Care Needs Assessments, contributing to annual reviews and other statutory processes. We are therefore seeking teachers with strong knowledge of the National Curriculum, evidence-informed interventions and the barriers to learning experienced by this cohort of learners.

The role requires collaborative working across a wide range of services and agencies, including schools, families, Educational Psychologists, Specialist Teachers and other professionals. We therefore welcome applications from highly motivated, reflective practitioners who are confident in leading others, developing effective provision, and supporting schools to build sustainable capacity for inclusion.

The post also involves contributing to service planning and development, maintaining accurate records, developing resources, supporting quality assurance activity, and engaging in ongoing professional development

An enhanced with barred list DBS check is required for this post.

For information on our approach to the recruitment of ex-offenders, please see our policy statement.

About You

To apply for this post, you must:

• Degree level qualification and Qualified Teacher Status, with evidence of further professional development in Communication and Interaction.  A specialist qualification in autism or a related area of SEND is desirable.
• Substantial experience of working directly with school-age children and young people with a diagnosis of autism or with Communication and Interaction needs.
• Strong knowledge of effective assessment, teaching and learning strategies, interventions and resources that support progress, attainment and inclusion of pupils with communication and interaction across a range of educational settings.
• Proven ability to work in partnership with schools, families, other support services and agencies to improve outcomes for pupils, contributing effectively within a multi-agency context, and supporting service development, strategic partnerships and continuous improvement in service delivery.
• Experience of delivering training, consultation and professional development to educational settings and other partners, supporting inclusive practice and effective provision for children and young people with Communication and Interaction needs.
• Strong leadership, communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to provide professional supervision, lead and develop others, delegate appropriately, manage competing priorities, solve problems and resolve conflict sensitively and decisively.

• Clear knowledge of statutory and local SEND legislation, policies and procedures, together with the ability to carry out duties in line with safeguarding responsibilities and procedures while actively demonstrating the values of the authority: Positivity, Trust and Respect, Flexibility, and Openness and Transparency.

  
  

Due to the requirements of this role, you will need to work flexibly around School holiday periods in line with service requirements. You will also need access to a vehicle and the ability to travel to sites across Leicestershire.

Interviews for this post will take place in person. Shortlisted candidates will be provided with further information.

In addition, we also expect you to share our commitment to our values and to delivering accessible and inclusive services which meet the needs of all of our residents.  You will be asked to demonstrate your understanding of these commitments as part of the selection process.

Reasonable adjustments will be considered for applicants with a disability. We are a Disability Confident Employer.

Interested in Flexible Working?

We are open to discussions about flexible working, which may include part time working, job sharing, term-time working, flexible start and finish times, and hybrid working, depending on the requirements of the role and the service. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below.

For more information or an informal discussion, please contact:

Angela Shipley, Strategic Lead for Neurodiversity

Amy Thorpe, Learning, Communication and Autism Team Manager

Email: [email protected]  [email protected]

How to Apply

At Leicestershire County Council we’re looking for top talent from all walks of life. Whoever you are, wherever you’re from, and whatever your background - we care about what you bring to our organisation, not just what’s on your CV. That’s why we’ve designed a recruitment process that’s fair, accessible, and focused on potential. And with benefits that support people at every age and stage of life, we make sure you can thrive - both personally and professionally.

If you share our passion to make a difference for the people of Leicestershire, we’d love to hear from you. Click the apply button to submit your application, ensuring that you upload a supporting statement that explains how you meet the criteria listed in the ‘About You’ section above. Without this information, we won’t be able to assess your suitability for the role, and your application will be rejected. For tips on how to write your statement, see the How to Apply section on our career site.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible. 

If you have any technical issues when trying to apply for this post or you want to request an application pack in an alternative format, please contact our Employee Service Centre by telephoning 0300 3030222 (select option 2) or raising a ticket via our online portal: https://emss.org.uk/support. 

By applying for this post, you agree to our Terms and Conditions.

About Leicestershire County Council

At Leicestershire County Council, we're committed to making a real difference in people's lives. Our aim is to work with communities and partners to deliver public services that make Leicestershire the best possible place to live and work for everyone. 

Our employees play a key role in supporting this goal and helping us deliver the vital services we provide to the people of Leicestershire. Whether you're starting your career or looking for your next challenge, you'll find a place with us where your ideas are valued, and your work has purpose.

For further information on what it’s like to work for us and the benefits we offer, please refer to the following:

Our Recruitment Process
Our Organisational Values
Our Employee Benefits
Working for Us