Job Description

Salary £32,061 - £36,363 | 32.5 hours per week | Permanent, Part time | Lancashire, United Kingdom

We are seeking to appoint 2 Specialist Higher Level Teaching Assistants to 2 fixed term posts effective from September 2026. The posts are being offered as temporary for 2 years. The Specialist Teaching Service is a specialist peripatetic service that supports the local authority and Lancashire families, settings and schools in meeting the needs of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. The service consists of highly qualified and experienced Specialist Teachers, Specialist Higher Level Teaching Assistants, Deaf Role Model and Sensory Technicians. We work closely with parents and other agencies to support children and young people in a range of settings including at home, early years settings, schools and colleges. From birth we support the youngest children with SEND through Portage and Early Years Sensory Support.

The Specialist Higher Level Teaching Assistant role consists of:

• Delivering the service Portage offer - providing advice to parents, carers and families to enable them to understand the nature of their child’s special educational needs and/or disability and understand how to support all aspects of their child’s development and learning, at home and in the community.
• Providing advice, guidance and support to Early Years practitioners to enable them to make provision for the needs of young children with known SEND including supporting transition in to school.
• Supporting assessment of children’s development and learning in relation to the Early Years Foundation Stage and, as appropriate, assessment to identify needs, outcomes and provision for children as part of the statutory Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment process (EHCNA).
• Liaising with parents/carers, practitioners and other professionals.
• Managing a caseload effectively.
• Using IT effectively to support both service delivery and administration.

We are looking for enthusiastic, highly motivated Higher Level Teaching Assistants who will contribute to the key work of the Specialist Teaching Service.

Candidates should be able to:

• Demonstrate a commitment to SEND, the principles of inclusion and have the vision and determination to make a difference.
• Demonstrate a commitment to Early Years education, from birth to four.
• Demonstrate evidence of experience of working with children with a range of special educational needs - ensuring they receive a high-quality educational experience that meets their needs.
• Confidently model teaching approaches to parents/carer and early years practitioners in order to raise standards for children with SEND.
• Work collaboratively with children receiving SEND support or those with EHCPs, their families and settings.
• Provide support and challenge to various settings, establishing clear actions for all partners, and evaluate the progress being made against these.
• Committed to and be accountable for improving outcomes for all children.