Inclusion Officer in Kettering

Overview

We are seeking to recruit a Senior Inclusion Officer in the Education Inclusion & Partnership Team in North Northamptonshire Council. You would be joining a highly motivated, committed team which has been brought together from a wide range of experiences to ensure pupils have full access to, are safe in and are able to achieve positive outcomes in education.

Responsibilities

• To manage a team within the inclusion service (Inclusion officers, CME officers, EHE officers and administrative staff) reviewing and allocating cases, to ensure the needs of each child and young person are met and that each child has the opportunity to reach their full potential, through effective and regular guidance, supervision and appraisals of staff, tackling challenging issues, effective recruitment and ensuring the team is resourced appropriately.
• Work within the Education and Inclusion Team with vulnerable children and young people as part of a wider multi-disciplinary team, to ensure that vulnerable learners receive a high quality education enabling them to fulfil their potential and achieve economic wellbeing.
• Hold a small number of complex cases to ensure positive outcomes are achieved whenever possible to ensure all vulnerable children meet their full potential and that early intervention and inclusion prevents more intrusive and costly interventions being required later in the child\\\'s life.
• Challenge and support schools across the County to ensure they are fulfilling their educational responsibilities.
• Provide guidance and advice to schools, settings, parents and other service areas on a specific area e.g. exclusions, to bring about best practice in providing for the needs of the most vulnerable.
• Champion the needs and aspirations of vulnerable children and young people or with complex needs, ensuring the voices of children and young people are heard, to ensure their full potential is achieved.
• Work with the Education Inclusion Service Manager and other officers where appropriate to ensure that no school or setting is at risk of not fulfilling their statutory obligations in relation to the education of vulnerable children and young people.
• Facilitate the sharing of best practice and broker school-to-school support.
• Have regard to the Code of Practice on the identification and assessment of special educational needs and other relevant legislation in relation to excluded pupils, pupils missing education, attendance and children who are electively home educated as well as in relation to management responsibilities.

Key Commitments and Equality

Respectful Efficient Supportive Trustworthy Our Key Commitments help ensure that the priorities we make, now and in the future, maintain the necessary breadth of focus in those areas that we believe matter most. We are proud to be a recognised Disability Confident Employer and are committed to providing an inclusive recruitment process and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role. North Northamptonshire Council re-signed the Armed Forces Covenant in June 2024 which highlights the Council\\\'s pledge to support the Armed Forces community. The council obtained the silver status award for the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) and we are now currently working towards achieving Gold status.

We want talented, ambitious and passionate people like you to come and take on this challenging and rewarding role. With excellent oral and written communication skills, you will be a clear thinker and outcome focussed. Collaborative multi-agency working is key to this role alongside being resilient and determined.

Qualifications and experience

• Educated to degree or equivalent level; Degree or NVQ level 5 Essential. Demonstrable evidence of continued professional development in areas such as behaviour management, safeguarding, or Curriculum provision (Education or Social Care).
• Management qualification: NVQ Level 5 in management or ILM management course. Knowledge to deliver advice to a wide range of schools and professionals. Experience of working in a school or with schools.
• Detailed knowledge and understanding of schools, their systems and opportunities for inter-school collaboration; experience of working with vulnerable learners including those excluded from school, educated at home, behavioural difficulties, missing from education, persistently absent, with Special Educational Needs; knowledge of relevant legislation, child development, social impact, disabilities; experience with some of these groups.
• Knowledge of current guidance and legislation on entitlement issues; experience of using data to evaluate achievement of children or young people; knowledge of relevant legislation.
• Proven leadership skills to raise standards through planning, collaboration, target setting, and data analysis; ability to identify and issue work within the service, monitor outcomes, and implement strategies based on research and robust data.
• Desirable: Displays positive leadership, motivation, high professional standards, initiative, self-motivation, attendance and punctuality, teamwork, problem-solving, empathy, accuracy, composure under pressure, and solution-focused practice.
• Experience of supervising or managing staff; experience with supervision, appraisal, team meetings, reflective practice, lone working policies; clear expectations and consistent fair decision making.
• Experience in school settings or Local Authority with expertise working with vulnerable learners; significant experience in child care professions (e.g., Teacher, Social Worker, Youth Worker); experience in data-driven evaluation and multi-agency collaboration.

Benefits

We provide a range of great benefits such as an Employee Assistance Programme, an Employee Benefits Scheme, wellbeing support, travel rates at HMRC rates, as well as supporting a range of active Employee Network Groups.

Company values and commitments

Our values define who we are and how we operate, forming the foundation for how we interact with customers, colleagues and provide services. They are at the forefront of our decision making and delivery.

Here at North Northamptonshire Council, we\\\'re transforming for the better, using all our creativity and imagination to create the best life for our local people. You\\\'ll find that we have a wide range of careers that may be more surprising than you think!

Why choose us?

• a competitive salary
• a pension scheme with a significant employer contribution, providing life cover and ill-health protection
• lots of opportunities to develop skills and knowledge in a large unitary council
• generous leave entitlement (28 days, rising to 33 days) plus bank holidays and the option to buy up to 10 additional days
• hybrid and flexible working arrangements, where practicable for service needs