SEN Teaching Assistant
Job description
Original text imported from Reed
SEN Teaching Assistant Opportunities - Primary Schools - Chigwell
Start Date: September | Full-Time |
Are you passionate about supporting young people with special educational needs? We are recruiting SEN Teaching Assistants to join a range of Primary schools across Chigwell this September.
This is a rewarding opportunity and challenge to support students who require additional help to thrive in their education and daily school life.
About the Role:
As an SEN Teaching Assistant, you will work closely with students with a range of needs, including autism, ADHD, speech and language difficulties, and social, emotional, and mental health challenges. Your role will involve providing tailored support, building positive relationships, and helping students access the curriculum in a meaningful and inclusive way.
Key Responsibilities:
- Provide one-to-one or small group support for students with SEN
- Implement strategies outlined in EHCPs and by the SENCO
- Assist the classroom teacher in adapting learning activities
- Promote positive behaviour and emotional wellbeing
- Support students with personal care or mobility needs where required
We are looking for candidates who:
- Are patient, resilient, and compassionate
- Have experience supporting young people with SEN (school-based or in other settings)
- Are excellent communicators and team players
- Understand the importance of inclusion and safeguarding
- Are committed to making a real difference in a school community
What We Offer:
- Opportunities across a range of inclusive and supportive Primary schools in Harlow
- Ongoing professional development and training
- A chance to be part of a dedicated SEN support team
- Competitive pay and the opportunity for long-term or permanent roles
Whether you're an experienced SEN TA or looking to start a career in education and special needs support, we welcome your application.
Key skills
AI-extracted from the job advert
Application advice
5 AI-generated recommendations to maximise your chances.
⭐ Highlight your direct SEN experience at the top of your CV in a Personal Statement, specifically naming conditions you have supported (autism, ADHD, SEMH) as the advert lists these explicitly.
📊 Quantify your impact: e.g. 'Provided one-to-one support for 4 students with EHCPs across Year 3 and Year 4, contributing to improved attendance from 74% to 91% over one term.'
🎯 Reference EHCP and SENCO collaboration directly in your CV bullet points — the advert specifically requires implementing EHCP strategies, so show you understand this process.
🛡️ Include a clear DBS disclosure status (Enhanced DBS) and any safeguarding training (e.g. Safeguarding Level 1 or Prevent training) as safeguarding is explicitly listed as a priority.
🤝 Mention any experience in non-school SEN settings (youth work, residential care, therapy support) as the advert explicitly welcomes candidates from outside school environments.
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 one-to-one EHCP-aligned support for 3 students with autism and ADHD across KS1 and KS2, contributing to a 20% improvement in on-task behaviour recorded in termly reviews.
- •Collaborated with the SENCO to adapt 15+ lesson resources per week, enabling full curriculum access for students with speech and language difficulties in a 28-pupil mainstream classroom.
- •Implemented de-escalation and positive behaviour strategies for a Year 4 student with SEMH needs, reducing classroom incidents by 35% over a single half-term period.
Free to copy — tailoring requires a 30-sec CV upload.
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Letter preview — tailored to Tradewind Recruitment
Dear Hiring Manager,
Tradewind Recruitment's SEN Teaching Assistant vacancies across Chigwell's primary schools align directly with my experience supporting students with autism, ADHD, and social, emotional, and mental health needs. Having worked closely with EHCPs and alongside SENCOs to deliver tailored one-to-one and small group interventions, I understand the structured yet flexible approach these roles demand.
My background in SEN support has equipped me with practical strategies for behaviour management, curriculum adaptation, and building the trusting relationships that allow students with complex needs to engage meaningfully with their learning. I am trained in safeguarding and hold an Enhanced DBS certificate, and I have consistently prioritised inclusion in every setting I have worked in.
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Interview questions
10 questions generated from this advert.
Technical
- ›How would you implement strategies outlined in a student's EHCP during a classroom session?
- ›What approaches would you use to support a student with autism who becomes dysregulated during a lesson?
- ›How do you adapt learning activities to make the curriculum accessible for a student with speech and language difficulties?
- ›What is the role of the SENCO and how would you work alongside them day to day?
- ›How would you support a student with ADHD to stay on task during a 45-minute lesson?
Behavioural
- ›Tell me about a time you supported a young person through a particularly challenging emotional episode — what did you do and what was the outcome?
- ›Describe a situation where you had to adapt your approach mid-session because a student was not responding as expected.
- ›Give an example of how you have promoted inclusion for a student who felt isolated from their peers.
- ›Tell me about a time you raised a safeguarding concern — how did you handle it and what steps did you take?
- ›Describe a time you worked as part of a team to support a student with complex needs — what was your specific contribution?
STAR answer examples
Model answers using the Situation-Task-Action-Result framework. Adapt to your own experience.
Tell me about a time you supported a young person through a particularly challenging emotional episode — what did you do and what was the outcome?
Give an example of how you have promoted inclusion for a student who felt isolated from their peers.