Home Jobs West Northamptonshire TowcesterLearning Support Assistant (SEND)

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Learning Support Assistant (SEND)

Tradewind Recruitment·Towcester, West Northamptonshire·Posted 4 days ago

💰 £93-97/hour

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Job description

Original text imported from Reed

Learning Support Assistants (LSAs) - Specialist SEND School | Towcester Area | September Start

Tradewind Recruitment is currently seeking caring, patient, and enthusiastic Learning Support Assistants to work within a highly supportive specialist SEND school in the Towcester area.

This rewarding role involves supporting children and young people aged 4-18 with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), helping them to access learning, develop independence, and achieve their individual goals in a nurturing and structured environment.

The school supports pupils with a range of additional needs, including Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Severe Learning Difficulties (SLD). As an LSA, you will play a vital role in helping students thrive both academically and socially, working closely with teachers, therapists, and wider support staff.

The Role:

Provide 1:1 and small-group support to pupils with additional learning needs.
Assist students with classroom activities and personalised learning programmes.
Encourage positive communication, engagement, and independence.
Support pupils with social, emotional, and behavioural development.
Work collaboratively with teaching staff and specialist professionals.
Help create a safe, inclusive, and positive learning environment.

The Ideal Candidate Will Have:

Experience working with children or young people, ideally within education, care, support work, youth work, or SEND settings.
A genuine passion for supporting individuals with additional needs.
Patience, resilience, and excellent communication skills.
Experience supporting pupils with Autism (ASD), Severe Learning Difficulties (SLD), or other SEND needs would be highly advantageous.
A proactive and positive approach to learning and development.

Why Work Through Tradewind Recruitment?

Competitive daily rates of pay.
Ongoing long-term opportunities available.
Access to free CPD and SEND-focused training through The National College.
Dedicated consultant support throughout your placement.
Opportunities to gain valuable experience within specialist education settings.

This is an excellent opportunity for aspiring teachers, psychology graduates, support workers, care professionals, or experienced LSAs looking to make a genuine difference in the lives of young people with additional needs.

If you are passionate about SEND education and want to be part of a dedicated team helping students reach their full potential, apply today through Tradewind Recruitment.

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Key skills

AI-extracted from the job advert

Must-have skills

Experience working with children or young peopleSEND awareness1:1 pupil supportBehaviour support strategiesEHCP familiarity

Nice-to-have

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) support experienceSevere Learning Difficulties (SLD) support experienceSEND-focused CPD or trainingExperience in specialist education settings

Soft skills

PatienceResilienceCommunicationEmpathyProactivityCollaborationEnthusiasm

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Application advice

5 AI-generated recommendations to maximise your chances.

⭐ Highlight any direct SEND experience at the top of your CV under a Personal Statement, as the advert explicitly seeks candidates with ASD and SLD backgrounds.

📊 Quantify your support work where possible: "Provided 1:1 support to 6 pupils with EHCPs across KS1-KS4, contributing to 90% achieving their termly targets."

🎯 Reference EHCP familiarity explicitly in your CV, as the advert lists this as a core part of the role — even if your experience is indirect (e.g. contributing to reviews).

🌐 Mention any SEND-focused CPD or training courses completed (e.g. via The National College, Team Teach, Makaton) as the advert specifically highlights access to SEND training as a benefit.

🤝 Include a brief section on multi-disciplinary collaboration — the advert stresses working with teachers, therapists, and specialist professionals, so evidence of this teamwork will strengthen your application.

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Suggested CV bullets

3 bullets our AI drafted for this specific advert, mirroring its ATS keywords.

How to tailor your CV

Add these 3 bullets under your most recent experience:

•Delivered 1:1 and small-group support to 8 pupils with EHCPs across KS1-KS3, helping 85% meet their termly independence targets within a specialist SEND setting.
•Implemented personalised learning programmes for 4 pupils with Autism Spectrum Disorder, reducing classroom disruption incidents by 40% over a 12-week period.
•Completed 3 SEND-focused CPD courses via The National College, including Autism awareness and positive behaviour support, applying strategies directly across a caseload of 6 pupils with SLD.

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Dear Hiring Manager,

Tradewind Recruitment's Learning Support Assistant vacancy at the specialist SEND school near Towcester stands out to me because of its focus on 1:1 EHCP-guided support for pupils with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Severe Learning Difficulties — two areas in which I have built practical, hands-on experience. The September start and access to SEND-focused CPD through The National College make this an ideal next step in my career in specialist education.

My background in supporting children and young people with additional needs has equipped me with strong behaviour management skills and the ability to adapt personalised learning programmes to individual goals. I have worked collaboratively alongside teachers and specialist professionals to create inclusive, structured environments where pupils feel safe to develop both academically and socially.

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Interview questions

10 questions generated from this advert.

Technical

›How would you adapt a classroom activity to meet the individual needs of a pupil with Autism Spectrum Disorder?
›Can you describe your understanding of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and how you would use one to guide your support?
›What strategies would you use to encourage independence in a pupil with Severe Learning Difficulties?
›How would you support a pupil experiencing a sensory overload or meltdown in a classroom setting?
›What approaches have you used to track and record pupil progress within a SEND environment?

Behavioural

›Tell me about a time you supported a child or young person who was struggling to engage with learning. What did you do and what was the outcome?
›Describe a situation where you had to remain patient and resilient when working with a challenging pupil. How did you manage it?
›Give an example of when you worked as part of a multi-disciplinary team to support a young person's development.
›Tell me about a time you adapted your communication style to meet the needs of a pupil with additional needs.
›Describe a situation where you helped a young person achieve a personal goal. What was your role in that success?

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STAR answer examples

Model answers using the Situation-Task-Action-Result framework. Adapt to your own experience.

1Question

Tell me about a time you supported a child or young person who was struggling to engage with learning. What did you do and what was the outcome?

Situation: A 9-year-old pupil with Autism Spectrum Disorder in my Year 4 class was consistently disengaging during literacy sessions, often leaving his seat within 5 minutes of starting. Task: My role was to identify triggers and adapt his support to improve engagement. Action: I worked with the class teacher to introduce a visual task board breaking the session into 3-minute chunks, used a fidget tool to manage sensory needs, and offered a quiet corner as a regulated workspace. I also liaised with the school's SENCO to align this with his EHCP targets. Result: Within 4 weeks, his average on-task time increased from 5 minutes to 18 minutes per session, and he completed 80% of set literacy tasks independently.

2Question

Describe a situation where you had to remain patient and resilient when working with a challenging pupil. How did you manage it?

Situation: I supported a 14-year-old with Severe Learning Difficulties who frequently became distressed during transitions between lessons, sometimes resulting in physical refusal to move. Task: I needed to reduce transition-related distress without escalating the situation or disrupting other pupils. Action: I introduced a 5-minute pre-transition warning using a visual timer, created a personalised transition card with photos of each destination, and used a calm, consistent tone throughout. I attended a Team Teach refresher to ensure my de-escalation approach was up to date. Result: Over a half-term, transition incidents reduced from roughly 4 per day to fewer than 1, and the pupil began initiating transitions independently on 3 occasions per week.

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