High Needs Coordinator

AIM AND PURPOSE OF THE JOB

We are looking for someone who is a self-motivated, autonomous individual who has excellent oral and written skills and a sound knowledge of learners with special educational needs (SEN). This post will support the assessment of learners with higher level needs across the college and assist with their application and transition to college as well as leading the coordination and completion of annual reviews for learners’ EHC (education, health and care) plans.

To contribute to the co-ordination of learning support for higher needs students, ensuring that the Specialist Learning Support teams are fully briefed on required support needs.

The post holder will also ensure that the new applicants to the college are appropriately reviewed from their EHC plan to ensure the college is able to fulfil its obligations in regard to the SEN legislation (2014).

To work closely with the learners and their curriculum leaders, teachers, personal tutors and support staff to identify progress plans, as well as support needs to ensure progression outcomes can be realised.

To ensure that all EHC plans are tracked and matched to appropriate funding bands and that costs are recorded via the relevant systems including MIS.

KEY ROLES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Coordinate the college’s responsibilities during the statutory assessment process, with a view to ensuring that students with a high level of need have the appropriate support identified in their EHC plan, with associated costs.
• Provide support and liaise with students with a high need and parents to ensure the review process captures relevant feedback
• To lead in negotiations regarding appropriate funding bands and identified support needs required from the local authority.
• To promote at all times the employment, further education or independence outcomes for students at the college with a SEN, and to support high expectations.
• To ensure that information required for statutory assessments is completed to a high standard and forwarded to the Local Authority (s) as required.
• To act as the named co-ordinator for the College in regard to EHC plan drafts/proposed and final processes including co-ordination of the local authority review process under the direction of the Specialist Learning Support Lead.
  
• To liaise with Local Authority external agencies and other organisations such as schools with a view to obtaining quality advice and support that will enable staff at the college to offer quality provision to students with special educational needs.
• Develop ways of working that are responsive to learners’ needs, monitor and evaluate progress and practice and where appropriate prepare learners for reviews and transition
• To support team members in ensuring the effective implementing, reviewing and maintaining of learner progression via the College’s target setting and recording process.
• To attend and contribute to relevant team meetings in the college, reviews and meetings with Local Authorities.
• Contribute to the College’s ‘local offer’ information, advice and guidance services for students with SEN.
• To contribute to the assessment of learners, from application through to progression, to inform appropriate placing on course, the setting of targets, milestones and provision of support.
• Keep up to date in relevant areas of professional expertise through reading; attendance at meetings and relevant training; membership of networks as appropriate.
• To co-ordinate the completion of all relevant paperwork, including the provision of support evidence required from the college in the case of independent specialist placements and tribunal cases.
• To develop and contribute to existing databases which support the funding claims and which provide auditable evidence of support costs incurred.
• To co-ordinate the organisation and maintenance of personal files and EHC plans representing high needs learners within the college.
• To liaise with college health & safety, safeguarding officer and other delivery sections regarding all aspects of the legal requirements relating to specialist support needs requested in an EHC plan.
• To assist in the delivery of advice and guidance to learners in regard to their chosen vocational interests to provide robust and well-informed advice.
• To report regularly to the Specialist Learning Support Lead and Head of Student Support and Wellbeing on all areas of work for which this post has responsibility.
• To undertake such other duties as may be assigned commensurate with the grade and purpose of the post.
• To contribute to and comply with, the common inspection framework for self-assessment.
• To comply with the requirements of the Health and Safety at Work Regulations. To take reasonable care for the Health and Safety of themself and for others affected by their work and to co-operate with the employer in ensuring that the Health and Safety responsibilities are carried out.
• To carry out all duties in accordance with local and legislative requirements relating to Equal Opportunities in such a way that no trainee/participant is unfairly discriminated against in terms of racial origin, colour, religion, disability, sexuality or gender.
• To participate in the College’s performance management process.

GENERAL ACCOUNTABILITIES

• To commit to the safeguarding and promotion of the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults

To participate in the College’s Performance Management Scheme and attend such training events as are necessary to enable him/her to carry out the duties of the

• .
• To continually improve teaching, learning and assessment through proactive CPD and sharing best practice.
• To actively participate in the College’s Quality System, including quality improvement strategies and initiatives.
• To undertake such other duties as may be assigned commensurate with the grade and purpose of the post.
• To take reasonable care for the health and safety of him/her and for others affected by his/her work.
• To actively support College Safeguarding, Equality and Diversity policies.
• To operate/conduct all HR tasks and functions within the principles of GDPR.

• This is current at the date shown below and is a guide to the work you will be required to undertake. In consultation with the post holder, it may be changed from time to time by the College to meet changing circumstances.

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  CONDITIONS OF SERVICE

• The appointment is subject to the Conditions of Service for Business Support Staff.

• All successful applicants will undergo the following checks:

• • Enhanced DBS
  • 2 x References, one of which must be your current or most recent employer
  • Qualification validation check

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  SALARY
  

• The salary range for this post is from £31,466 up to £34,291 per annum. Your starting salary will be dependent upon your qualifications and experience. Once you have successfully passed your probationary period, your salary will increase within the salary band on an annual incremental basis, until you reach the top of the salary scale.

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  HOURS OF WORK

• The hours of work will be based on 37 hours per week, 52 weeks per annum.

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  ANNUAL LEAVE

• The post carries 25 annual leave days, plus eight public bank holidays plus a further five concessionary days as ‘leave to be taken at the Principal’s discretion’.

• After 2 years continuous service, your annual leave entitlement will increase to 30 days per annum.

• Please note that only in exceptional circumstances, with your Directors permission, will staff be able to take more than 3 consecutive weeks of leave in any leave year.

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  PENSION SCHEME

• The College operates an occupational pension scheme, namely the ‘Local Government Pension Scheme’.

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  PROBATIONARY PERIOD

• All newly appointed staff have to serve a 6 month probationary period. During the probationary period you will have to attend the corporate staff induction day, a Teaching and Learning Induction session if you deliver learning and additional mandatory courses on: Equality & Diversity session, Prevent, GDPR, Safeguarding Training session and Health & safety training session. Failure to attend these will prevent you from successfully completing your probation.

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  REFERENCES

• All candidates have to have 2 satisfactory references.

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  LOCATION

• The successful applicant will be based cross campus and therefore, will be required to travel to our other campuses or surrounding areas as required.

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  MEDICAL

• The successful applicant will be required to satisfy the Medical Officer as to his/her fitness to carry out the duties of the post.

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  VALIDATION OF QUALIFICATIONS

• The College will undertake qualification validation by writing to the appropriate educational institute. Only those qualifications which are essential for the post will be followed up.

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  CONTRACTUAL REQUIREMENT TO OBTAIN A QUALIFICATION

• If you are required to obtain a qualification as a contractual requirement, the College reviews its CPD budget on an annual basis regarding availability of funds, and cannot therefore guarantee that newly appointed staff will receive either part or full funding for the course fees. However, student loan facilities are available.

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  MATHS AND ENGLISH

• All staff are required to have a minimum level 2 qualification in both English and Maths. If you are not already in receipt of one or both of these qualifications, you will be expected to obtain it (them) during your employment at the College.

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  SAFEGUARDING
  

• The College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All newly appointed staff will be required to undertake safeguarding training during their probationary period.

• Heart of Worcestershire College adheres to the Department of Education’s guidance on ‘Keeping children safe in Education’. As part of your induction, you will be required to read and understand part 1 of this document.

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  DISCLOSURE & BARRING CHECK

• All successful applicants will be required to complete and pay for a Disclosure & Barring Service check. The costs of this check will be deducted from the applicants first salary payment from the College. The College adheres to the DBS Code of Practice and has policies covering the Recruitment of Ex-Offenders and the Secure Storage, Handling, Use, Retention and Disposal of Disclosures and Disclosure Information. Copies of these are available on request.

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  RECRUITMENT OF EX-OFFENDERS

• The College is committed to the fair treatment of its staff, potential staff or users of its services, regardless of race, gender religion, sexual orientation, responsibilities for dependants, age, physical/mental disability or offending background.

• As an organisation we use the Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) to assess the suitability of all prospective appointments. We undertake not to discriminate unfairly against any subject of a Disclosure on the basis of conviction or other information revealed.

• Applicants/employees are required to declare any pending criminal prosecutions they may have as well as any spent criminal convictions, cautions, reprimands and final warnings as defined under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975. The only exception to this requirement is that applicants/employees do not need to disclose any ‘protected’ cautions, or convictions as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2013.

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  Please read the ‘Guidance Note to applicants on disclosing information about cautions and convictions in their application’ document before you complete your application form.

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  Having a criminal record will not necessarily bar you from working with us. This will depend on the nature of the position and the circumstances and background of any offences.

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  TRAINING

• All successful applicants will be required to undertake all mandatory training and update sessions and any appropriate training and development as required, including Health and Safety.

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  SMOKING POLICY

• HoW College is a Smoke Free environment from the effects of direct/indirect contact with smoking, including using the following:

• • Cigarettes
  • E-cigarettes
  • Vaporisers
  • Pipe smoking
  • Cigars
  • And all other associated smoking products

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• APPLICANTS WITH DISABILITIES

• Candidates with a disability should contact the HR Department before interview if they require any adjustments to be made for the interview and/or selection tests.

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  APPLICATIONS

• A completed application form should be submitted. Curriculum vitae will not be accepted as a substitute.

• It would greatly assist the shortlisting panel if the information submitted on your application clearly identifies and demonstrates how your qualities match those listed under the essential requirements on the person specification.

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  Please remember that it is not sufficient to merely repeat what is in the specification – you must show how you meet each requirement. You must also provide details under ‘previous employment’ which must include all employment undertaken since leaving full time education.

• Completed application forms should be submitted by 24th June 2026 via our website at www.howcollege.ac.uk.

• INTERVIEWS

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  The Interview date for this post is TBC; short-listed candidates will be notified with the details for interview. In view of the high cost of postage, it is not our intention to notify unsuccessful applicants. If you have not heard from us within four weeks of the closing date, please assume that your application has been unsuccessful and accept our thanks for your interest in applying.

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  DATA PROTECTION/GENERAL DATA PROTECTION REGULATION (GDPR)

• Please be aware that HoW College complies with the current Data Protection Act and is currently developing systems to ensure that we will be fully compliant with GDPR when this comes into force in May 2018. GDPR is a European wide update to the Data Protection Act, with more requirements and stronger enforcement. As such we expect all staff to fully comply with the requirements of these legislation. Failure to do so will lead to formal disciplinary action.

• Members of staff will be provided with guidance in relation to GDPR to ensure that full compliance is achieved and maintained within the College.

• Further information can be obtained by using the following link:

• https://ico.org.uk/media/for-organisations/documents/1624219/preparing-for-the-gdpr-12-steps.pdf

Requirements

Attainment (e.g. Qualifications, Experience)

Essential:

• • Level 2 (at least) qualification in both Maths and English, or a willingness to gain
• • IAG qualification L2 or higher
• • Level 3 qualification in a relevant subject

Desirable:

• • A qualification relating to working with people with additional needs.
• • Initial teaching qualification or equivalent

General Skills

Essential:

• • Proven successful experience of supporting students in a post 16 environment.
• • Experience of working to support and provide advice to young people with high support needs.
• • Ability to assess learners’ individual needs and support plans to develop a programme of learning to maximise progress

Desirable:

• • Administrative experience.

Specific Special Skills

Essential:

• • Proven ability to work independently and as part of a team
• • Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of Safeguarding and Equality and Diversity Policies

Desirable:

• • Ability to organise and manage time.
• • Ability to communicate effectively and relate to a wide range of people.
• • Ability to use IT effectively.

Disposition/Personal Qualities

Essential:

• • Energy, enthusiasm and commitment.

Desirable:

• • Commitment to developing own practice and continuing professional development
• • Flexibility.
• • Patience, tolerance and the ability to work well with culturally diverse teams.
• • Innovative

General Points

Essential:

No Essential General Points

Desirable:

No Desirable General Points