SEST Specialist Teaching Assistant

Job Introduction

Job Title: Specialist Teaching Assistant (Children’s Services: Inclusion Team)
Working Pattern: Full time - term time only pro rata (32.5 hours per week), permanent
Salary:  £30,856 - £32,597 pro rata - term time only
Location: Lincolnshire - countywide, peripatetic, with a nominated contractual work base and opportunities for home working
Closing Date: Tuesday 21st April 2026
Interviews: Thursday 7th May 2026

About the Role

You will join the Sensory Education Support Team (SEST) as a Specialist Teaching Assistant. One full-time 1.0 FTE post is available (Term time only: 32.5 hours per week, pro rata), to start as soon as possible. The position is countywide as per service demand, with most of the time spent supporting individual children and young people with sensory needs, their families and educational settings. This involves the delivery of Programmes of Support, working with children, families and settings, observing and supporting educational access, liaising closely with the specialist SEST teachers, as well as the creation of accessible resources.  Lincolnshire County Council pay a generous mileage allowance of 45p per mile for all business mileage undertaken from the designated work base. A full UK driving licence with access to a vehicle is essential. 

About the Team

SEST is a highly skilled team of specialist teachers and teaching assistants, composed of a variety of smaller sub-teams: Vision Impairment, Hearing Support, Multi-Sensory Impairment, Habilitation, and Specialist Assistive Technology. The team assess and support children and young people in Home, Early Years', Mainstream, Special, and Post 16 settings in relation to their sensory impairment and their associated access to education and learning. The team is highly valued by settings and families. SEST work with children and young people from 0-25 and are part of the wider Inclusion Team, working closely with the Special Educational Needs and Disability Service (SEND).

About You

Ideally, you will have at least 5 years of relevant SEN experience and a Teaching Assistant qualification. Significant experience of working with children and/or young people with a sensory loss or a willingness to undergo further training in this area is essential. You will be highly motivated and possess strong interpersonal skills with the ability to develop excellent working relationships with staff across a range of settings as well as parents. You will happily work within a multi-disciplinary team, according to the needs of the individual child or young person. You will be a confident user of technology with a willingness to learn about specific assistive technology to support learners with sensory needs. Experience in using Braille and/or British Sign Language (BSL), and one or more of the following qualifications would be advantageous:

• A recognised qualification in British Sign Language (BSL) Level 2 minimum

• Grade 1 & 2 UEB Braille

About our Offer

This is a great opportunity for a Teaching Assistant with a passion for supporting those with sensory needs, as well as relevant experience, who wants to work in an outstanding Children's Service.

Further details about the benefits of working for Lincolnshire County Council are available here: Rewards and benefits – Lincolnshire County Council

For an open and informal discussion about this role, please contact Erika Burkitt, SEST Senior Lead Teacher, on 07775 032308 or erika.burkitt@lincolnshire.gov.uk

Applications close on Tuesday 21st April 2026, interviews are to be held on Thursday 7th May 2026.

We would love to hear from you and wish you the best of luck with your application!

Due to recent changes in immigration law in the UK we are unable to offer skilled worker visa sponsorship for this role as it does not meet the requirements.

Please refer to our Job Information Pack here to support you in your application.

Please be advised that this position may be subject to a criminal record check.

On occasion we receive significantly more applications than expected for some vacancies and under such circumstances we reserve the right to bring forward the closing date of the advertisement. We therefore strongly advise you to apply for the role promptly to avoid disappointment should the closing date be brought forward. Please also note: once an application is submitted it is final and cannot be amended. If you withdraw your application, it cannot be reinstated and you will not be able to submit another application for that vacancy. If you have an issue with your submitted application, please contact recruitment@lincolnshire.gov.uk.

We operate a talent pool scheme whereby candidates who are not successful on this occasion may be considered for a period of up to 3 months for equal positions.

Lincolnshire County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

A Smarter Working Employer

We have embraced new ways of working and hybrid working will be a feature of this role. You will be given a nominated contractual work base and you will be required to commute to this work base when necessary.  Working arrangements regarding hybrid working will be discussed as part of the appointment process.

Our technology platform and equipment is very good enabling you to connect and collaborate remotely. We require that you have in place good connectivity, and we will discuss during the recruitment process if support with this is needed.

Fluency Duty 

In accordance with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016 (Fluency Duty), the ability to converse at ease with customers and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post.

Our values – collaborative, adaptable, eco-conscious, supportive, and responsible – guide everything we do. We’re looking for candidates who share these values and bring them to life in their work, helping us build strong teams and make a real difference in the communities we serve.