Area SENco

Fixed-Term / Secondment Opportunity – 12 Months

Hackney is one of the most dynamic and progressive local authorities in the UK. We are a resilient, vibrant, and creative borough in the heart of London, with strong, diverse communities and a powerful set of shared values.

Over the past twenty years, the Council has built up first-class services, outstanding public infrastructure, and a reputation for excellence, innovation, and ambition. We are leading the way on essential work such as our fight for equity in Hackney with a particular focus on becoming an actively anti-racist borough. But the work doesn’t stop there, we are proactive in our approach to bringing fairness to all aspects of life including gender, neurodiversity and across the poverty divide.

Are you a creative and passionate early years practitioner committed to inclusive practice?  We are looking to recruit an innovative and skilled team player to join our long standing Area SENCo team as part of Hackney’s Integrated SEND Service.  This is an exciting opportunity to bring your knowledge and expertise into our service and help shape the future of inclusion for children in Hackney in response to our local area SEND Strategy and the national 2026 SEND reforms.

Our key priority is to improve the life chances of every child, young person and learner: making Hackney the most forward looking education providers in the UK.  We are committed to ensuring that our schools and settings create a sense of belonging for all children, no matter what their special educational needs or disability.  We want children and young people to be able to grow, learn, develop and achieve –and offer one of the best places for colleagues to work and thrive in our education system.

As an Area SENCo, you will work directly with children aged 2-5 years old with SEND, their families and carers, and Early Years settings including Children’s Centres, and private, voluntary, and independent settings. 

Our approach is child-centred and ensures children with SEND are supported via a graduated approach. This is achieved through early identification, supporting parents, giving advice and training to setting practitioners, modelling strategies and interventions and engaging in multi-agency working.  Through collaborative work, you will build capacity in nursery settings, remove barriers to inclusion and ensure the best possible educational outcomes are achieved for children with additional needs.  

Please contact Fiona Jones, Lead Area SENCo, to arrange an informal conversation or if you have any queries. (E: fiona.jones@hackney.gov.uk – M:  07798 882624) 

Hackney Education is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. We expect all staff to share this commitment. As this role involves regulated activity, the successful applicant will be required to undertake an enhanced DBS check and additional pre-employment checks in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education statutory guidance.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020.

As a Council, our most outstanding asset is our staff, who are highly dedicated to serving our residents and committed to our goals as an organisation.

If you want to work in a place where you can represent our values so we achieve the best for our residents, please click on the apply button below.

We operate a fair and open anonymous selection process. Therefore, we do not accept supporting statements or CV’s.

To proceed with your application, you will need to create an account and submit your application.

As part of the application process, you will need to complete a number of competency based questions. These questions allow you to demonstrate your suitability for the role and provide examples of your skills, knowledge and experience outlined in the job description.

We understand the benefits of using AI in the workplace. However, if you are thinking of using this tool to submit your application, we ask you to think about what value it will add. AI tools tend to lack the personal touch and authenticity we value in candidates. We encourage you to showcase your unique knowledge and skills using your own voice.

Closing date for applications: 05 October 2026 (22.59)

Interview date: TBC

We are also working towards our vision, which is to be a place for everyone; where residents and staff can be proud; a place that celebrates diversity and where everyone can feel valued, included and involved. In order to achieve this, we look for people who are: Proud; Ambitious; Pioneering; Open; Proactive; Inclusive.

Hackney Council works to eradicate discrimination on the basis of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. We also recognise that people can be disadvantaged by their social and economic circumstances, so we will also work to eliminate discrimination and disadvantage caused by social class. We also welcome those interested in flexible working. We particularly welcome applications from disabled people, as this group is currently under represented in our workforce.

The Council has a dedicated employment support service (Hackney Works), which offers Hackney residents guidance in relation to applying for jobs. If you are thinking about applying for a job, please contact the Hackney Works team to find out what support is available: hackneyworks@hackney.gov.uk