SEND Officer

The starting salary for this full-time, permanent position is £28,546 per annum based on a 36 hour working week.

We are excited to be hiring a new SEND Officer to join our fantastic Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) service based at our Reigate office, Woodhatch Place.

The role is open to hybrid working and as a team we split our time between working from home and collaborating together in the office for a minimum of two days per week.

Our Offer to You

• 26 days’ holiday, rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years’ service, plus bank holidays
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Up to 5 days of carer’s leave and 2 paid volunteering days per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
• An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources
• Wellbeing and lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, and shopping
• A chance to make a real difference to the lives of our residents

About the Role

Join our SEND Service – Make a Real Difference! If you’re committed to collaboration, advocacy, and making things happen, we’d love to hear from you.

We’re looking for a compassionate, knowledgeable, and proactive individual who can build trusted relationships and communicate clearly. Our young people want adults who listen, explain things honestly, and keep them at the centre of every decision. Parents and carers value empathy, strong organisational skills, and a deep understanding of SEND legislation and diverse needs. Schools need consistent, accessible professionals who are experts in SEND and can guide them through the system with clarity and confidence.

At Surrey County Council, we’re committed to providing excellent support for children and young people with SEND. Our SEND services work together to deliver timely, effective support that leads to positive outcomes. We focus on building strong, respectful relationships with families, schools, and partner organisations, with relational and restorative working practices underpinning all our work.

Your key responsibilities as a SEND Officer will include:

• Being the first point of contact for all general SEND calls
• Dealing effectively with enquiries wherever possible, or referring to the relevant Officer as required
• Using your passionate approach to drive forward improvement, and your effective organisational skills to ensure the service you deliver is always the best it can be
• Supporting the wider SEND Teams to triage emails in the shared inboxes to the correct member of the team
• Processing children and young people who move out of county
• Working on a rotation basis to record the decisions made by our Multi-Agency Team Discussions

By working in close collaboration with children’s Social Care, Health, parents/carers and families, as well as schools, your impact will help us to achieve the best outcomes for the children we support.

We offer a thorough induction and there is always support and guidance on hand. Our teams are cohesive and provide ongoing peer support. There are lots of opportunities to develop in the role with ongoing training. Additionally, there are often opportunities to progress within the service to more senior positions.

Your Application

In order to be considered for shortlisting, your application will clearly evidence the following skills and align with our behaviours:

• Some knowledge or experience of SEND, and a willingness to develop this further
• Ability to communicate clearly, knowledgeably and with compassion, to build trusted relationships
• A proactive and organised approach to managing tasks and meeting deadlines
• Confidence using feedback and data to improve service delivery
• Excellent administrative and IT ability
• A genuine passion for improving outcomes for children and young people

Given the complexity of SEND processes, and the emotional impact they can have on families, there will be times when conversations require sensitivity and understanding. Experience in navigating difficult or emotionally charged situations with empathy and professionalism is essential.

An enhanced DBS ‘Disclosure and Barring Service’ check for regulated activity (formerly known as CRB) and the Children’s and Adults’ Barred List checks will be required for this role.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 19th July 2026 with interviews to follow.

Before submitting your application, we recommend you read the job description and our Life at Surrey Handbook to get an insight into working at Surrey.

We look forward to receiving your application, please click on the apply online button below to submit.

Contact Us

Please contact us for any questions relating to the role. This could be to discuss flexible working requests, transferable skills or any barriers to employment. For an informal discussion, please contact the team on sendoperations@surreycc.gov.uk.

Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)

Surrey County Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation, moving from a two-tier system to two new unitary councils in April 2027. If you are employed by Surrey on 1st April 2027, your role will transfer with current terms and conditions to one of the new organisations, supporting local devolution and greater powers for our communities.

Join our dynamic team and shape the future of local government. Make a lasting impact with innovative solutions and improved services for our community. Help us build a brighter future for our residents! Please see more information here: Information for applicants on Local Government Reorganisation - Surrey County Council.

Our Commitment

We are a disability confident employer which means if you have shared a disability on your application form and have evidenced you meet the minimum shortlisting criteria as displayed on the advert, we guarantee you an interview.

Your skills and experience truly matter to us. From application to your first day, we’re committed to supporting you with any adjustments you need, we value inclusion and warmly welcome you to join and help build a workplace where everyone belongs.