Early Years SEND Advisor
About the job
Salary: £33,143 – £36,363 a year plus £963 essential car user allowance
Hours per week: 37
Contract type: Permanent
We have an exciting opportunity for a dedicated and experienced professional to lead the planning, coordination, and delivery of Early Years educational programmes across Luton — including the Portage Service. You will play a vital role in shaping inclusive early education by supporting children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) and their families during their crucial early years.
A key part of your role will involve offering expert advice and support on inclusive practice to private, voluntary, and independent early years settings. Working closely with Inclusion Co-ordinators, you will contribute to the planning and delivery of services for disabled children and their families through the Children’s Centre Advisory Boards. You will also plan, write, and deliver training programmes aligned with DfE and Children’s Services guidance, helping to build capacity and expertise across the early years sector.
You will identify, assess, and support pre-statutory school-aged children with SEN, developing and monitoring Individual Education Plans in collaboration with parents, professionals, and early years providers. This will include managing statutory assessments under the Education Act 1996, preparing educational advice for EHCPs, and attending key transition and review meetings as required.
Supporting families is at the heart of this role. You will provide guidance on appropriate provision, ensuring smooth and well-managed transitions from early years settings into school. By developing strong partnerships with other agencies — including Educational Psychologists, Advisory Teachers, and the Child Development Centre — you will ensure a coordinated and responsive approach to meeting the needs of young children with SEN.
In addition, you will manage referrals and caseloads, contribute to the Early Years Panel process, monitor funding allocations, and work collaboratively with senior colleagues to oversee elements of the Early Years budget. You will also play an active role in supporting the Government’s two-year funding initiative by contributing to local policy and promoting good practice across the sector.
This is a varied and rewarding role for someone passionate about inclusion, early intervention, and improving outcomes for all children in Luton.
Please note this role does not attract sponsorship.
About you
You will be an experienced and dedicated early years professional with a strong commitment to inclusive education and improving outcomes for young children with special educational needs (SEN) and their families.
You’ll bring substantial experience of working with pre-statutory aged children, building positive and supportive relationships with parents and carers, and delivering early intervention through the Portage model. You will have a proven track record of multi-disciplinary working, collaborating effectively with a wide range of professionals and agencies to deliver joined-up support for children and families.
Your expertise in observing, assessing, and identifying the needs of young children with SEN will be essential. You’ll be confident in producing clear, well-structured, and objective reports for a variety of purposes, demonstrating a sound understanding of the SEN Code of Practice, relevant legislation, and the Foundation Stage curriculum. A solid knowledge of child development and familiarity with Early Support materials will also be key to your success in this role.
As a skilled communicator and trainer, you’ll be able to plan, deliver, and evaluate high-quality training to a range of audiences, supporting the professional development of early years practitioners and Inclusion Co-ordinators. You will have the ability to take initiative within policy guidelines, manage conflicting demands, and work under pressure with tact and diplomacy.
You’ll be organised, flexible, and capable of managing your own workload to meet deadlines and service priorities. Your ability to work collaboratively as part of a team, while also maintaining effective professional relationships with colleagues and external partners, will be vital.
You will hold a relevant early years qualification (Nursery Nurse, NNEB, BTEC or equivalent), be Portage trained, and have undertaken additional training in SEN. You will also be adaptable and willing to work occasionally outside normal contracted hours (up to once per month) to meet service needs.
Above all, you’ll share our commitment to inclusion, equality, and ensuring every child in Luton has the opportunity to reach their full potential.
This is a public facing role so you’ll need to show off your fluency in speaking and writing English.
About us
Our ambitious Luton 2040 Vision – that no-one in Luton will have to live in poverty – is at the heart of everything we do. We recognise that our people are remarkable, talented, committed and passionate about serving our residents.
The people of Luton depend heavily on this council – and that means our workforce! Are you ready to realise the remarkable and help us deliver our vision?
We welcome applications from all sections of the community and are committed to developing a workforce that reflects the diversity of our borough
Application Process
Because of the nature of this job, it will be necessary for the appropriate level of criminal record disclosure to be undertaken. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare all unspent cautions and convictions; and also any adult cautions (simple or conditional), and spent convictions that are not protected as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020). A person’s criminal record will not in itself prevent a person from being appointed to this post. Applicants will not be refused posts because of offences which are not relevant to, and do not place them at or make them a risk in, the role for which they are applying. However in the event of the employment being taken up, any failure to disclose such offence, as detailed above, will result in dismissal or disciplinary action by the Authority.
On occasions, we may close a vacancy early due to a very high number of applications being received.
Benefits
We offer a range of excellent staff benefits which include:
- From 25 to 32 days’ annual leave: linked to length of service and grade
- Buying annual leave scheme: buy up to 20 days additional annual leave
- Career Pathways: step up in your career or move into a specialist area
- Pension scheme: with generous employer contributions of up to 20.2 per cent (at July 2023) and 3x salary death in service grant
- Generous relocation package: up to £8,000 (subject to eligibility)
- Employee Assistance Programme: a free, 24/7 confidential counselling and wellbeing support service available to all employees, their partner or spouse and dependent children over 16 still living at home
- Work/life balance: flexible working options including working from home where possible. We welcome requests for flexible working arrangements including part-time hours and alternative working patterns
- Training and support: unlimited access to development courses, mentoring and support and clear career pathways
- Staff offers: includes discounts on your MOT, gym and fitness, restaurants and salons
- Arriva Travel Club: great value savings on local bus travel
How to apply
We understand that job applications take time and effort, but a high-quality application shows that you are professional with a good attention to detail. The recruiting manager may receive a number of applications for each job advertised so you want yours to stand out!
Our ‘How to apply' page has more tips to help with your application: How to apply
Available documents
Attached documents are available under links. Clicking a document link will initialize its download.Salary range
- £33,143 - £36,363 per year