Learning Support Assistant
Job description
Original text imported from Reed
1:1 Learning Support Assistant – Specialist SEMH & SEN Provision
Location: Farnborough
Setting: Specialist SEMH & SEN School (Ages 4–16)
Pay Rate: £14.25 per hour
We are seeking a committed and compassionate 1:1 Learning Support Assistant to join a welcoming and supportive specialist education provision in Farnborough, supporting pupils aged 4–16 with Severe Learning Difficulties (SLD) and Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs.
This is a highly rewarding opportunity to provide tailored, individual support that enables a young person to build confidence, strengthen emotional resilience, and engage positively in education.
The school provides a structured and nurturing learning environment, with small class sizes of approximately six pupils, strong Learning Support Assistant provision, and a collaborative multidisciplinary team dedicated to delivering personalised support and achieving positive outcomes for every child.
The provision operates across two nearby sites and supports pupils with a broad range of SEMH and Special Educational Needs (SEN).
Key Responsibilities-
Provide dedicated 1:1 support to encourage engagement with learning and promote educational progress
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Support emotional regulation and help pupils develop positive coping strategies
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Work collaboratively with teachers, pastoral staff, and wider school teams to deliver tailored support plans
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Contribute to creating a calm, consistent, and positive learning environment
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Build professional, trusting relationships that encourage confidence, participation, and independence
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Support pupils to access learning in a way that meets their individual needs
We would welcome applications from individuals who demonstrate:
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Experience supporting children or young people with SEMH, SEN, behavioural needs, or additional learning needs
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A calm, patient, and resilient approach to supporting pupils
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Strong relationship-building skills and confidence in behaviour support strategies
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Experience working within educational, specialist, or care settings (desirable)
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A proactive and flexible approach within a collaborative school environment
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A Child Workforce DBS registered on the Update Service is required, or applicants must be willing to obtain one prior to employment
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Opportunity to make a meaningful and lasting impact on a young person’s educational journey
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Small class sizes and enhanced staffing support
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Supportive and experienced leadership team
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Collaborative and specialist working environment
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Valuable experience within SEMH and specialist education
If you are looking for a role where you can make a genuine difference each day while working as part of a supportive specialist team, we encourage you to apply.
Please submit your up-to-date CV to be considered for this opportunity.
All applicants will require the appropriate qualifications and training for this role. Please see the FAQ’s on the Teaching Personnel website for details.
All pay rates quoted will be inclusive of 12.07% statutory holiday pay. This advert is for a temporary position. In some cases, the option to make this role permanent may become available at a later date.
Teaching Personnel is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. We undertake safeguarding checks on all workers in accordance with DfE statutory guidance ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ this may also include an online search as part of our due diligence on shortlisted applicants.
We offer all our registered candidates FREE child protection and prevent duty training. All candidates must undertake or have undertaken a valid enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. Full assistance provided.
For details of our privacy policy, please visit the Teaching Personnel website.
Key skills
AI-extracted from the job advert
Application advice
5 AI-generated recommendations to maximise your chances.
⭐ Open your Personal Statement with direct reference to SEMH and SEN experience, as the advert lists these as the primary support needs for the role.
📊 Quantify your impact where possible: e.g. 'Provided 1:1 support to a pupil with SEMH needs across 3 terms, contributing to a 40% reduction in behavioural incidents'.
🎯 Explicitly state your DBS status (Child Workforce, Update Service) near the top of your CV, as the advert flags this as a hard requirement before employment.
🤝 Highlight any experience working within multidisciplinary or specialist teams (e.g. SENCO, pastoral staff, therapists), as the advert emphasises collaborative working across two school sites.
🌐 Include specific examples of implementing or contributing to tailored support plans or Individual Education Plans (IEPs), as the advert references personalised support delivery as a core responsibility.
Suggested CV bullets
3 bullets our AI drafted for this specific advert, mirroring its ATS keywords.
Add these 3 bullets under your most recent experience:
- •Delivered daily 1:1 support to a pupil with SEMH and SLD needs across a full academic year, contributing to a 35% reduction in recorded behavioural incidents by term three.
- •Collaborated with a 6-person multidisciplinary team including SENCO and speech therapist to review and update tailored support plans for 4 pupils each half-term.
- •Implemented structured emotional regulation routines for a Year 3 pupil with SEMH needs, enabling consistent classroom participation across 80% of sessions within 6 weeks.
Free to copy — tailoring requires a 30-sec CV upload.
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Letter preview — tailored to Teaching Personnel
Dear Hiring Manager,
Teaching Personnel's 1:1 Learning Support Assistant vacancy at the specialist SEMH and SEN provision in Farnborough immediately caught my attention. With hands-on experience supporting young people with Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs and Severe Learning Difficulties, I understand the importance of consistent 1:1 relationships and evidence-based emotional regulation strategies in enabling pupils to access learning confidently.
My background in specialist educational and care settings has equipped me with practical behaviour support strategies and the ability to contribute meaningfully to multidisciplinary team reviews. I have supported the delivery of tailored support plans for pupils aged 5–14, working closely with SENCOs and pastoral staff to adapt approaches in response to individual progress and daily needs. I hold a Child Workforce DBS registered on the Update Service.
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Interview questions
10 questions generated from this advert.
Technical
- ›How do you adapt a support plan for a pupil with both SLD and SEMH needs who is having a particularly dysregulated day?
- ›What strategies have you used to support emotional regulation in a 1:1 setting with a young person aged 4–16?
- ›How would you contribute to a multidisciplinary team review of a pupil's progress and support needs?
- ›Describe your understanding of the Graduated Approach within SEN provision and how it applies to 1:1 support.
- ›What behaviour support strategies have you found most effective when working with pupils displaying challenging behaviours linked to SEMH?
Behavioural
- ›Tell me about a time you built a trusting relationship with a pupil who was initially resistant to support.
- ›Describe a situation where you had to remain calm and patient under significant pressure in an educational or care setting.
- ›Give an example of when you worked collaboratively with teachers or pastoral staff to adjust a pupil's support approach.
- ›Tell me about a time you helped a young person develop a coping strategy that made a visible difference to their engagement in learning.
- ›Describe a situation where you had to be flexible and adapt your approach quickly to meet a pupil's changing needs.
STAR answer examples
Model answers using the Situation-Task-Action-Result framework. Adapt to your own experience.
Tell me about a time you built a trusting relationship with a pupil who was initially resistant to support.
Describe a situation where you had to remain calm and patient under significant pressure in an educational or care setting.
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