HEAD OF SPECIALIST SEND
| Posting date: | 16 September 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £74,287 per year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 05 October 2025 |
| Location: | HU1 2AA |
| Company: | Hull City Council |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 33068 |
Summary
Head of Specialist SEND services
Due to the retirement of our long-serving, expert and passionate service manager, a rare opportunity arises to lead a suite of specialist SEND services which has for many years enhanced the outcomes of some of Hull’s most vulnerable children and young people. The preferred candidate may not be expert in all areas but is likely to have field-leading knowledge and experience in at least one area of need, as well as an experienced SENCO’s understanding of all special needs. They will be a strategic and responsive professional, dedicated to the principles of inclusion and to the strong partnership working which underpins it. They will be both a team player and a fearless champion of children with SEND.
We are in Hull committed to promoting the independence and wellbeing of children who have relatively low incidence but high impact sensory needs, such as blind and deaf children, as well as those with physical disabilities and speech and language disorders. Our Integrated Physical and Sensory Service (IPASS) has a national reputation for innovation and expertise and is constantly striving to improve, engaging with the best available evidence in the interests of its cohort. National shortages of, for example, Qualified Teachers of the Deaf (QToD) have been mitigated through a highly successful ‘grow our own' approach to workforce development, which has also included increasing the capacity of mainstream and special schools to provide targeted interventions and the appropriate adjustments to enable full inclusion and flourishing. For more information, and evidence of real impact, the IPaSS Annual Report is an essential read.
The service is loved by families and dedicated to their service. It sits beneath a wider umbrella of SEND outreach services which has recently been expanded to include all primary needs. A culture of collaboration and shared moral purpose has recently found expression through the introduction of a ‘SEND Outreach Network Panel’ which enables SENCOs to access timely advice from specialists across Health, Education and Social Care, including IPaSS. All partners are committed to the embedding of Hull’s coproduced graduated approach and collaborate on the delivery of the city’s SEND training offer which underpins the document. The buy-in from city Trusts is very strong, owing to the quality of the training offer, shared commitment to SEND, and the level of need in our city, which is significant and rising.
IPASS Teams
A Primary Hearing Impairment Resource Base at Christoper Pickering Primary School
A Secondary Hearing Impairment Resource Base at Sirius West
A Visual Support Peripatetic Team
A Deaf Support Peripatetic Team
A habilitation service
A Physical Disabilities Team
A Language Unit & Outreach
A Cognition and Learning Service (new from January 2026)
If you feel that you have the passion, commitment and experience to lead this diverse group of services towards the delivery of a shared mission, we look forward to hearing from you.
For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Mary Meredith, on 07554 737 873 or mary.meredith@hullcc.gov.uk
Please ensure that your application demonstrates how you meet the essential criteria against the person specification as listed in the job description.
Due to the retirement of our long-serving, expert and passionate service manager, a rare opportunity arises to lead a suite of specialist SEND services which has for many years enhanced the outcomes of some of Hull’s most vulnerable children and young people. The preferred candidate may not be expert in all areas but is likely to have field-leading knowledge and experience in at least one area of need, as well as an experienced SENCO’s understanding of all special needs. They will be a strategic and responsive professional, dedicated to the principles of inclusion and to the strong partnership working which underpins it. They will be both a team player and a fearless champion of children with SEND.
We are in Hull committed to promoting the independence and wellbeing of children who have relatively low incidence but high impact sensory needs, such as blind and deaf children, as well as those with physical disabilities and speech and language disorders. Our Integrated Physical and Sensory Service (IPASS) has a national reputation for innovation and expertise and is constantly striving to improve, engaging with the best available evidence in the interests of its cohort. National shortages of, for example, Qualified Teachers of the Deaf (QToD) have been mitigated through a highly successful ‘grow our own' approach to workforce development, which has also included increasing the capacity of mainstream and special schools to provide targeted interventions and the appropriate adjustments to enable full inclusion and flourishing. For more information, and evidence of real impact, the IPaSS Annual Report is an essential read.
The service is loved by families and dedicated to their service. It sits beneath a wider umbrella of SEND outreach services which has recently been expanded to include all primary needs. A culture of collaboration and shared moral purpose has recently found expression through the introduction of a ‘SEND Outreach Network Panel’ which enables SENCOs to access timely advice from specialists across Health, Education and Social Care, including IPaSS. All partners are committed to the embedding of Hull’s coproduced graduated approach and collaborate on the delivery of the city’s SEND training offer which underpins the document. The buy-in from city Trusts is very strong, owing to the quality of the training offer, shared commitment to SEND, and the level of need in our city, which is significant and rising.
IPASS Teams
A Primary Hearing Impairment Resource Base at Christoper Pickering Primary School
A Secondary Hearing Impairment Resource Base at Sirius West
A Visual Support Peripatetic Team
A Deaf Support Peripatetic Team
A habilitation service
A Physical Disabilities Team
A Language Unit & Outreach
A Cognition and Learning Service (new from January 2026)
If you feel that you have the passion, commitment and experience to lead this diverse group of services towards the delivery of a shared mission, we look forward to hearing from you.
For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Mary Meredith, on 07554 737 873 or mary.meredith@hullcc.gov.uk
Please ensure that your application demonstrates how you meet the essential criteria against the person specification as listed in the job description.
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