Specialist Teacher Communication and Interaction

• Suffolk County Council
• Address: Countywide across Suffolk - Hybrid working and Community based
• Salary:  £32,916 - £51,048 per annum, plus SEN allowance per annum (pro rata if part time) 
• Hours: FTE), flexible working options available
• Contract: Permanent

Innovation is at the heart of everything we do at Suffolk County Council. We're looking for a creative and driven Specialist Teacher (Communication & Interaction) to help us reimagine public services for the 21st Century. If you're passionate about finding new solutions and making a real difference, we want to hear from you.

Reimagine the possibilities.

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Suffolk County Council (SCC) Specialist Education Services (SES) in the Cognition and Interaction Service (C and I) as a Specialist Teacher for Communication and Interaction.

The role is countywide and as such travel across the county will be necessary. 

• Do you have recent experience working with learners with Communication and Interaction needs?
• Are you passionate about promoting inclusive environments in schools across Suffolk?
• Are you committed to making a positive difference in the lives of children and young people in Suffolk?
   

 Your role and responsibilities

As part of the Specialist Education Services (SES), you will be responsible for managing a caseload, writing action plans, visit notes and reviewing reports. As well as working with professionals in schools to promote good practice, you will liaise with other teams within the Inclusion Service, as relevant, to raise awareness of inclusion for children and young people on caseload. You will update your own knowledge and qualifications through continued professional development. You will be responsible for delivering training to schools at individual and cluster levels and contribute to training at county level.

You will:

• support schools and settings to meet the needs of children and young people across the key stages
• ensure a focus on enabling and empowering school and setting-based professionals to meet the needs of their learners
• liaise with and facilitate joint working with families and with other relevant partners and agencies to review progress and to secure the learner's success and inclusion
• work in partnership with schools and settings; modelling best practices and demonstrating and sharing a variety of resources, impactful approaches, and strategies to enable the learners' access, progress, and inclusion.
• promote inclusive classrooms through target setting, supporting school staff and delivering effective and high-quality training.
• work collaboratively with the other services within the Specialist Education Services (SES) and the wider Inclusion Service.

You will need:

• to be an experienced teacher with experience working with learners who have SEND, specifically with Communication and Interaction needs
• to evidence continuing professional development
• excellent interpersonal skills, working well with children and young people, their families, and school staff as well as a multi-disciplinary team of colleagues
• good written communication skills for report writing and the production of training materials
• the ability to advise and guide school staff on a range of issues relating to inclusion and provision, to meet the needs of learners with SEND including Communication and Interaction needs.

You can view a full list of requirements in Job and Person Profile (docx). If you think you have what it takes to be successful in this role, even if you don't meet all the requirements, please apply. We would appreciate the opportunity to consider your application.

The team 

The Communication and Interaction team are qualified teachers with experience in mainstream and specialist provision, and with primary and secondary expertise. 

We are well respected and dedicated and work collaboratively to develop our strengths. We provide a good induction package and will value the expertise you bring to the team.

Empowering Everyone 

We're big believers in potential, possibility and the power of different ideas. We're always searching for ways to encourage, respect and enable everyone to be the best they can be. We want to represent the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all individuals, especially those from groups that are currently underrepresented in the organisation, as shown in our Workforce Equality Report.

For more information 

Please contact Toni Wainwright (she/her) for a casual conversation. You can reach them by calling or emailing 

How to apply

Step 1 - Read the Job and Person Profile (Word). 

Step 2 - Click 'Apply Now' to start your online application.

Step 3 - Upload a supporting statement indicating how you meet each of the criteria in the 'Person Profile' section of the JPP.  

• You should use the Supporting Statement template.  
• Please use Arial font size 11 and keep your statement to a maximum of two sides of A4. 

We value authentic applications that showcase your genuine skills and experiences. Applications suspected of being generated by AI may be rejected. We ask you to present your own work and ideas throughout the application process. 

 Please note: Without a supporting statement, your interest will not be progressed. If you require any reasonable adjustments to the application process before the next selection stage, please contact our Recruitment Team by emailing or calling If you are invited to the next stage of selection, you will have another opportunity to request adjustments for the next stages of the process. 

Closing date: 11.30pm, 16 November 2025

Shortlisting: 17 November 2025

Interview date: 26 November 2025

If you are selected for an interview but are not available on this date, please make contact to arrange an alternative.

This authority 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. DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks or police vetting will be required for relevant posts. #LI-Hybrid