SEN Provision Officer: Pupil Funding

About the role

SEN Provision Officer: Pupil Funding

Permanent, Full Time

£36,375 to £42,794 per annum

Location: Chelmsford

Closing Date: 26th February 2026

Essex County Council has embarked upon a programme of change for provision and services with the ambition to profoundly improve the outcomes and life experience of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

This is an exciting opportunity to support our Special Educational Needs (SEN) Provision Team with the allocation and administration of High Needs Block funding.

We want to hear from you if you have experience of working with SEND funding, education finance or high-needs budgets. The role would suit somebody who has strong analytical skills, makes improvements to systems and processes and works on their own initiative.

This is an ‘Anywhere Worker’ role, meaning the postholder can work from our Office in County Hall, Chelmsford or from home. There is an expectation to be in the office at least two days a week.

Job Purpose

The SEN Provision Officer: Pupil Funding is responsible for the allocation and administration of High Needs Block funding for children and young people with SEN who reside in Essex.

The role is in the SEN Provision Team - a small team of nine, dealing with SEN funding and Commissioning. We oversee a yearly budget of over £200m, administering payments to over 1000 school and education providers. Essex currently supports over 15,000 children and young people with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

This role is responsible for managing the payments of Pupil Top-Up funding to Essex Mainstream schools and other education providers.

The postholder utilises payment and pupil data to forecast year end spend, to highlight budget implications, explaining any the reasons for any variances.

Accountabilities

Manages designated areas of ECC’s High Needs Block budgets to ensure funding is allocated promptly, appropriately, and recorded in line with ECC systems and processes.

Manages financial data and processes relating to High Needs Block budgets, supporting the accurate and timely forecasting of outturn spend.

Utilises available data to provide insight and support for the SEN Strategy & Innovation team to ensure effective monitoring of High Needs Block budgets.

Analyses data effectively to identify trends and patterns regarding spend, pupil numbers and geographical splits.

Responsible for developing guidance for High Needs funding, which is transparent, concise and delivered to SEN stakeholders.

Responsible for ensuring compliance to ECCs payment policies.

Works collaboratively with other teams in the Education function to ensure wider team members have a good understanding of SEN Funding.

Contributes to the planning process for projects to ensure able to meet deadlines and monitor progress.

Contributes to the development of the team by pursuing innovative ways to drive efficiencies.

The Experience You Will Bring

Educated to A level or equivalent.

Excellent IT skills, particularly in the use of Microsoft Excel.

Evidence of collating, interpreting and analysing data from multiple sources.

Experience of developing new, innovative ways of working, with a solution focused outcome and experience of working in a complex environment.

Evidence of continuing professional development.

Experience of exemplary organisational and planning skills.

Evidence of the ability to plan and highlight improvements.

Experience of working with stakeholders and partners, developing effective working relationships.

Knowledge and experience of SEN funding arrangements would be advantageous.

To read more about us please visit: Education - Working for Essex

Why Essex? Essex County Council has a location to be proud of. Our 1,300 square miles stretch from Constable Country to the Thames Estuary, from the dynamic M11 corridor to the traditional seaside resorts of Clacton and Walton. England’s oldest town, Colchester, and two of its newest – Basildon and Harlow – are right here. Along with the City of Chelmsford, the county town, they form our major population centres. It means real choice and makes Essex the ideal place for your career. Read more about us here.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process.

We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service.

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community here.

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email resourcing.team@essex.gov.uk

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