SEND Portage and Early Years Specialist We have an exciting opportunity for a Permanent, Full Time, SEND Portage and Early Years Specialist to join Southampton City Council (SCC) in the Children’s Services, Education and learning team. About the team: Our Portage Home Teachers are dedicated members of the National Portage Association, delivering high-quality early intervention services to children with moderate to severe special educational needs. The team works closely with families, providing individualised home learning programmes based on the Portage model and supporting parents/carers to use positive teaching strategies. We collaborate with a wide range of professionals across education, health, and social care to ensure a coordinated approach, while staying informed of local and national initiatives. Committed to making a real difference, we focus on building strong relationships with families, promoting inclusive practice, and helping children access the activities and services they need to thrive. About the role: As a Portage Home Teacher, you will play a vital role in supporting young children with moderate to severe special educational needs and their families. You will design and deliver individualised home learning programmes using the Portage model, working in partnership with parents and carers to promote positive teaching strategies. The role involves home visits, small group sessions, and close collaboration with multi-agency professionals to ensure a holistic approach to each child’s development. You will monitor progress through regular reports, contribute to transition planning, and provide training to parents, early years settings, and other professionals. The successful candidate will work as part of the SEND & Portage Early Years Specialist team, delivering Portage teaching and wider support to families of 0–3-year-olds with developmental delays, additional needs, or disabilities. As a good all-round communicator with a passion for SEND and Early Years, you will join a supportive team where you will be trained and supported to develop. We provide a high-quality and effective range of services for children with SEND. This is a challenging, varied, and interesting role within a very busy environment that requires strong relationship-building skills, adaptability, and a commitment to safeguarding and improving outcomes for children. For further information about this role please view the job description. About you: Essential skills for the role include: Minimum 4 years’ experience working with children aged 0–4 years. Foundation degree or equivalent in child development. Experience supporting children with additional needs. Strong report writing and organisational skills. Ability to work independently and meet deadlines. Creative approach to designing learning programmes. Proven experience working in partnership with families and professionals. Experience engaging diverse communities and hard-to-reach families. Excellent collaboration and communication skills. Full UK driving licence or ability to travel as required. If you feel you have the necessary background, experience, and skills to undertake this role we would like to hear from you. W hat we can offer you: Salary: The salary band for this role is £37,280 - £40,778 per annum. The starting salary is £37,280 with annual progression through the salary bands. Here at SCC we have a range of different benefits, a few examples can be found below. Excellent local government pension with 16.8% employer contribution Death in service benefit of x3 salary, and optional salary sacrifice shared cost AVC (additional voluntary contribution) Generous holiday 25–31 days, based on role and service Flexible working options (role-dependent) Family-friendly policies - Maternity, Paternity, Adoption, Shared/Unpaid Parental Leave, Time off for Dependents Training and development, including coaching and mentoring Health and wellbeing support - Employee Assistance Programme, Menopause Pledge, Mental Health First Aiders and access to a variety of staff networks Veteran-friendly employer with the Armed Forces Covenant Retail discounts and savings through the Southampton City Council benefits platform Discounted memberships at local sports and fitness centres Sustainable travel benefits - low emission car scheme, cycle to work, season ticket loans Employee volunteering scheme with 2 paid days leave to volunteer F or further information on our benefits package please visit : Employee benefits (southampton.gov.uk) Contact details for informal discussion: For further information and details regarding the role, please contact Joanne Mellor on 07881 797079 Joanne.mellor@southampton.gov.uk or Katherine Boriani on 07881 707371 or Katherine.boriani@southampton.gov.uk Recruitment contact details: Email: recruitment@southampton.gov.uk Tel: 023 8083 4033 For more information about SCC please visit Southampton City Council Follow us on social media for regular updates on our featured jobs and latest news. 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