The Complex Communication Team is part of Coventry’s SEND Support Service. It is a traded service that is widely respected in Coventry schools. We are specialist teachers who work closely with pupils, their families and our colleagues in education, health and care to improve outcomes for children and young people with autism and complex communication needs. We offer a wide variety of services including: informal specialist assessment; lesson observations and advice; one to one work with students; meetings with parents; and bespoke training for the setting.
We value diverse perspectives and experiences and are striving to create a workplace culture that is inclusive, is accepting of all and is free from discrimination and bias.
Our ValuesIn line with our One Coventry Values, we want to ensure that our communities are represented across our workforce. A vital part of this is ensuring we are a truly inclusive organisation that encourages diversity in all respects, including diversity of thinking. We particularly welcome applicants from minority ethnic, LGBT+, disabled and neurodiverse communities to make a real difference to our residents so that equity and respect remains at the heart of everything we do.
Our Values are:
Open and fair: We are fair, open, and transparent.
Nurture and develop: We help and encourage everyone to be their best and do their best.
Engage and empower: We talk and listen to others, working together as one.
Create and innovate: We embrace new ways of working to continuously improve.
Own and be accountable: We work together to deliver the best services for our residents.
Value and respect: We put diversity and inclusion at the heart of all we do.
What is the job role?We are seeking a teacher with significant SEND experience to provide maternity cover for one of our specialist teachers. The post will be fixed term from April 2025 to March 2026. The role will involve:
providing support, advice and training in primary and secondary schools across the city to enable them to better meet the needs of their pupils with autism or social communication difficulties
planning one to one and group interventions for pupils
writing a variety of reports for schools and parents that need to be both professional and accessible
This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
Who are we looking for?You have significant experience of supporting children and young people with SEND and a real interest in children and young people’s mental health and well-being. You are able to model best practice in an empathetic and supportive manner.
You are confident to positively manage challenging behaviour and able to look beneath the behaviour to see what the pupil is trying to communicate. You have the resilience to handle the distressing situations that the pupils bring to you.
You understand the important role that parents play and work in partnership with them to ensure best outcomes for their child. You enjoy training others and developing their expertise in supporting children with complex needs.
No two days are the same: you will need to be flexible, sensitive and able to think on your feet. Excellent inter-personal skills and a positive attitude are essential.
When writing your personal statement, you will need to cover all aspects of the person specification, with particular regard to the following:
The ability to give practical advice to staff on the differentiation of the curriculum, positive behaviour management strategies and the promotion of well-being and good mental health with regard to children and young people with ASC and complex communication needs
A commitment to working in partnership with pupils and parents: a sensitive, respectful approach and the desire to use pupil and parent voice to shape our service
The ability to put others at ease, gain trust and build relationships in a short space of time
A positive, can-do attitude; a calm, flexible approach and a willingness to see the best in people
If you need help or support to complete your application, please visit our accessibility page to see how we can assist you.
Guaranteed Interview Scheme - As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role and identify with one of the below criteria:
Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
Are currently in care or have previously been in care
If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition
For full details on the application process please read the attached document on our jobs page labelled 'Coventry City Council Application Process'. If there is any evidence of a candidate using AI to complete their application, then the application will be rejected unless the candidate can provide a justification which the Council considers to be reasonable.
Interview date(s): Classroom observations 10/11 February, interview 13 February 2025.
About CoventryCoventry has a proud, innovative and creative spirit that throughout its history has seen communities come together to tackle problems and bring about real social change.
We are cutting-edge, challenging, youthful, vibrant and diverse.
At Coventry we are committed to excellence in everything we do. With around 5100 staff from a range of different backgrounds, our aim is to recruit and develop talented people who will focus on our customers, take responsibility, work together and find better ways of doing things.
To deliver the best services to our residents, we need the best people working for us to make a difference to our communities.
If you join us, we will provide a fantastic rewards and benefits package - to find out more please visit https://www.coventry.gov.uk/council-vacancies
