Inclusion Officer

This is a full‑time permanent School Inclusion Officer role within the new School Inclusion Service from Autumn 2026 following the recent Education Directorate Review. The primary focus is to work with schools, Trusts and other partner organisations to ensure that schools’ inclusive practices enable children to access appropriate education.

Key Responsibilities

• Champion children’s rights to appropriate education – providing appropriate support, guidance and challenge to school and Trust leaders and Governors/Trustees to ensure statutory responsibilities are met.
• Support and advise senior leaders and staff within education settings/Trusts to develop inclusive practice and environments – sharing policy and best practice, especially relating to attendance, exclusion, SEN CoP, and meeting the needs of vulnerable cohorts.
• Undertake specific advice, guidance and challenge for schools and Trusts linked to the Inclusion Framework and Toolkit, Schools' Bill and the Ofsted Framework.
• Work closely with schools/Trusts and other professionals to address issues preventing children and young people from accessing full and appropriate education – improving education outcomes.
• Build a strong ‘high support high challenge’ relationship with allocated schools; be the schools’ first point of contact; and work closely with schools’ SEND and pastoral teams to support and offer advice, guidance and challenge on day‑to‑day inclusion practice.
• Undertake specific statutory tasks, including TSMs, exclusions, PTTT, 10‑day absence.

Qualifications & Experience

To be successful you will have experience of working within an education setting; a commitment to an inclusive/enabling response to meet the needs of children with additional needs; experience of providing guidance, advice and challenge to education leaders and other professionals; personal credibility with schools, Trusts and multi‑agency partners; the ability to empower others; and the ability to provide expert advice and guidance to increase skills and confidence in others. You must meet the essential education and qualification criteria and demonstrate the experience, knowledge, skills, understanding and behavioural attributes outlined in the job profile.

Benefits

• Flexible and agile working opportunities
• 25.5 days Annual Leave (pro‑rata for part‑time staff), rising to 30.5 days at the end of five years continuous local government employment
• Option to purchase 10 days of additional leave per year (pro‑rata for part‑time staff)
• Family‑friendly employer offering benefits to support you and your family
• Career development and qualification opportunities
• Supportive, positive, and relational working environment with regular, robust supervision
• Access to our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) that provides free, confidential counselling and advice for employees, available 24 hours a day online or by telephone
• An in‑house Occupational Health service
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Gloucestershire Salary Sacrifice Green Car scheme (T&Cs apply)
• Links to employee networks such as Prism (LGBT+) network, dNet (disability and mental health network), and the Young Employees Network

Employer Commitment & Legal Requirements

This position is subject to enhanced DBS clearance and safeguarding references, as well as usual references. Applications will be subject to the Immigration Act 2016 – those appointed to a customer‑facing role must demonstrate fluent English. The council is not currently able to offer sponsorship in this role. Candidates must have the right to work in the UK and be able to commit to at least six months' employment. Right to work is not transferable from a sponsored role held with another employer. Applications from current Gloucestershire County Council employees who are on the redeployment register or at risk of redundancy will be considered first at the shortlisting stage. Gloucestershire County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people or vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We want to be an employer of choice, attracting and retaining excellent people to work for us, so that we can best serve all of Gloucestershire’s diverse communities. Our promise to you is that we will provide an inclusive and supportive working environment that enables you to bring your whole self to work and realise your full potential. Hybrid working arrangements are available for the majority of our roles, giving teams the opportunity to work in a way that suits them, balancing service need and individual choice, with a mix of both remote and office working.