Neurodiversity Advisor

This permanent role has a starting salary of 33,552 per annum, based on a 36-hour working week.

We are hiring a Neurodiversity (ND) Advisor to join our fantastic Team Around the School Support Hub (TAS SH). The team is based in Woking. The role is hybrid working with regular travel to schools across Surrey and occasional office days.

The ND Advisor role is a pivotal part of our early intervention offer. You will be working as part of the Team Around the School Support Hub in close collaboration with our SEND Advisers and Team Around the School Coordinators, at times, as part of a collective response to whole school need and at other times working on an individual basis. Therefore, an ability to manage your own work while being flexible to step in and support colleagues is essential.

Rewards and Benefits

• 26 days' holiday (prorated for part time staff), rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years' service
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
• 2 paid volunteering days per year
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources

About the Team

The Team Around the School Support Hub is within the Early Intervention, Prevention and Support (EIPS) sector of Children, Families and Lifelong Learning (CFLL) Directorate.

We work closely with schools, early years settings, partners services and families to help children thrive in mainstream education wherever possible. Our goal is to enhance the great work already happening in schools with targeted support that makes a real difference.

Our focus is on:

Emerging needs
Pupils at SEN Support level
Disadvantaged pupils

We constantly evaluate our service offering to be assured of value and relational health in addition through whole school approaches. The service is also committed to restorative and relational practice.

About the Role

You will working directly with selected schools to enhance their understanding and knowledge of how best to support children and young people who may be neurodivergent. The aim is to complement and build upon the excellent training and outreach already offered by Surrey, helping school staff feel more confident in meeting the needs of pupils within the classroom through coaching and mentoring approaches.

A key aspect of the role is to embed and promote a clear understanding of what is ordinarily available through universal and targeted health services. It also includes developing sustainable and empowering support mechanisms for staff working within schools.

You will be responsible for exploring the potential to establish and lead a community of practice for the Learning Support workforce, encouraging approaches that are responsive to the needs of neurodivergent cohorts. Additionally, you will initiate and implement new programmes of training and support tailored for frontline school support staff.

The role plays an integral part in delivering the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINs) initiative.

This role is not working directly with children and young people in a support capacity.

Shortlisting Criteria

To be considered for shortlisting for this position, your application will clearly evidence the following:

• Substantial experience of working with children and young people in an educational setting who are or may be neurodivergent or those who have experienced trauma
• Commitment to the principles of inclusive education
• Ability to influence and model best practice
• Experience of managing small projects from implementation to evaluation
• Comfortable presenting and delivering training to a variety of audiences
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.

Application Process

As part of your application, you will be asked to upload your CV and answer the following application questions:

• What has motivated you to apply for this role?
• Describe your experience working with neurodivergent children and young people or those who have experienced trauma in educational settings. How did you adapt your approach to meet their needs?
• Tell us about a small project you managed from start to finish. What were the key stages, and how did you evaluate its success?
• Describe a time when you delivered training or coaching to school staff. What strategies did you use to ensure the training was engaging and impactful?

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 09/10/25 with interviews planned for 17/10/2025.

An enhanced DBS 'Disclosure and Barring Service' check for regulated activity (formerly known as CRB) and the Children's and Adults' Barred List checks will be required for this role.

Local Government Reorganisation

Surrey County Council is preparing for Local Government Reorganisation which will allow us to implement the Government led policy of devolution, which is all about giving more powers to local areas.

Currently, Surrey has a two-tier council system, with 11 district and borough councils and a county council, all responsible for different services. All these councils will be reorganised into a smaller number of new unitary councils which will come into effect in April 2027. At this point, this role will be transferred, with all existing terms and conditions intact into one of the new unitary councils.

Join our dynamic team and shape the future of local government. Make a lasting impact with innovative solutions and improved services for our community. Help us build a brighter future for our residents!

Our Commitment

Surrey County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. A guaranteed interview will be offered to all disabled applicants where:

• The candidate has evidenced the minimum criteria for the role through their application
• The candidate has chosen to share that they have a disability on the application form

Our application form and onboarding process will provide an opportunity to request any reasonable adjustments for the interview and/or the role. We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all underrepresented groups.