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.

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,…