SEND East Services Coordinator

SEND East Services Coordinator

Key terms

Salary: £23,865 per annum (£29,831 full-time equivalent, pro rata for four days a week)

Hours: Four days a week (30 hours), with flexible working days and the option to spread hours across the week to suit the candidate

Working pattern: Every Saturday in term time, 9:30am to 2:30pm, is an essential part of the role, as this is when our sessions run, with 13-14 Saturdays off throughout the year during school holidays. The remaining days are flexible, including Mondays in the office.

Occasional evenings: Some weekday evenings to support coach training, with time off in lieu

Location: East London site – Hackney with hybrid working. Most of the Monday – Friday work can be done from home

Reports to: Director

Contract: Permanent

Holiday: 20 days plus bank holidays and 1 day birthday leave, pro rata

Pension: Workplace pension scheme with a 3% employer contribution

Probation: Six months

About KEEN London

KEEN London delivers inclusive sport, physical activity and creative sessions for children and young people with SEND across three sites in East, South and North London. Our sessions are run by a small staff team and a large, dedicated community of volunteers, who work one-to-one with the children we support.

Role purpose

The Services Coordinator is at the heart of KEEN London’s work. You’ll lead the safe, inclusive and high-quality delivery of our Saturday sessions for children aged 5 to 11 with SEND.

At KEEN London, we call the children who attend our sessions ‘athletes’ and our volunteers ‘coaches’. This is a hands-on, relationship-led role. You’ll work directly with athletes, families and coaches to create a supportive sporting and play environment where every child can thrive.

Responsibilities

Session delivery and SEND practice

• Lead the safe and effective running of Saturday sessions at your site throughout term time. Use a strong, practical understanding of SEND, including autism and learning disabilities, to plan and adapt each session.
• Plan and deliver a varied, high-quality activities programme for every Saturday session.
• Build trusted relationships with athletes, parents and carers, responding to each child’s support needs with confidence and care.
• Work with schools and other agencies to gather relevant information about athletes, supporting good safeguarding practice and a clear understanding of each child’s needs.
• Manage group dynamics in a sporting and play environment, adapting activities in the moment so sessions stay safe, inclusive and enjoyable for everyone.
• Plan, risk assess and deliver off-site trips.
• Act as Site Safeguarding Lead, reporting to KEEN London’s Designated Safeguarding Lead, and as First Aider for your site. Paediatric first aid training will be provided.
• Contribute to the development and delivery of new services.

Service delivery and administration

• Analyse attendance, service delivery and impact data to inform planning and reporting.
• Keep families informed about upcoming sessions and other relevant information.
• Create profiles for new athletes and keep existing profiles up to date on our CRM (Salesforce).
• Handle personal information about athletes and families in line with GDPR and KEEN London’s data protection policies.
• Proactively manage and prioritise the waiting list for your site.
• Help promote our services in your local area.

Volunteer coordination

• Work with the Volunteer Manager to plan coach attendance.
• Brief and debrief coaches at every session, covering athlete support needs, safeguarding, and health and safety.
• Pair coaches with athletes each week, matching each volunteer’ experience to each athlete’s needs.
• Guide and support coaches during sessions so they feel confident and valued.
• Co-design coach training with the Volunteer Manager and help deliver it on occasional weekday evenings.

Person specification

Essential criteria

• Experience working directly with disabled children and children with additional needs, including autistic children and children with learning disabilities
• A sound understanding of safeguarding and child protection legislation and guidance
• Confidence working with schools and other agencies to inform safeguarding practice and understanding of each child’s needs
• Hands-on experience managing group dynamics in a sporting, play or similar face-to-face setting
• Excellent communication skills, including with parents and carers
• Strong time management and organisational skills
• The ability to stay calm and think clearly in a crisis or difficult situation
• The ability to work independently and as part of a team
• The ability to monitor and maintain safe working practices
• Accurate and reliable data recording, and the ability to use data to inform planning
• Availability to work every Saturday in term time, 9:30am to 2:30pm

Desirable criteria

• Experience managing or supervising volunteers
• Experience delivering training or workshops to volunteers.
• Experience using a CRM system, ideally Salesforce
• Lived experience of SEND, whether personally or as a parent, carer or family member

Safeguarding

KEEN London is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. We follow safer recruitment practice. This post requires an enhanced DBS check with a children’s barred list check, two satisfactory references and proof of your right to work in the UK.

Inclusion

We want our team to reflect the diversity of the families and communities we work with. We particularly welcome applications from people with lived experience of SEND, including parents and carers.

If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, such as information in a different format or extra time at interview, please let us know. We’ll be happy to help.

How to apply

• To apply: send your CV and a supporting statement referencing the person specification to
  [email removed]
• Interviews: We’ll be reviewing applications and interviewing on a rolling basis, so we encourage you to apply early. We may close the advert before the closing date if we find the right candidate
• For an informal conversation about the role, contact Neil Nute at [email removed]