SEN Teaching Assistant
Job description
Original text imported from Reed
Are you passionate about making a genuine difference in the lives of children with complex learning and communication needs? Do you possess the resilience and patience required to help vulnerable pupils thrive in a specialist environment? Are you looking for a rewarding, full-time role within a highly supportive educational community?
If so, Randstad Education wants to hear from you. We are currently recruiting a dedicated, empathetic, and proactive SEN Teaching Assistant for a fantastic specialist school site in the Leeds area. This role offers an immediate or September start on a full-time, long-term basis.
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Full-time, Monday to Friday (Term-time only)
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Start Date: ASAP or September
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SEN Teaching Assistant
They are a highly regarded Specialist Inclusive Learning Centre (SILC) dedicated to providing an inclusive, stimulating, and safe learning environment for pupils with wide-ranging Special Educational Needs (SEN). Operating across multiple sites, they cater to a diverse community of learners with complex cognitive, physical, and communication difficulties. They focus heavily on individual progress, independence, and well-being, ensuring that every child is given the tools and confidence to succeed within a collaborative and supportive team environment.
Skills Required-
Proven experience working with children or young people with complex needs, such as autism, physical disabilities, or severe learning difficulties.
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A flexible mindset to support students across various age groups and educational activities, from classroom tasks to sensory sessions.
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Strong interpersonal abilities to effectively interact with non-verbal pupils and collaborate with school staff and speech therapists.
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A calm, professional, and patient nature when supporting students who may face frustration or express challenging behaviours.
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Providing 1:1 and small group support to pupils to ensure they can fully access the curriculum and specialised learning resources.
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Assisting the class teacher in managing classroom dynamics and maintaining a safe, positive, and focused environment.
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Supporting students with their personal care, mobility, and sensory regulation needs throughout the school day.
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Monitoring, tracking, and recording student progress, ensuring all safeguarding and pastoral protocols are strictly followed.
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Full eligibility to work in the UK (visa sponsorship is not available for this role).
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An enhanced DBS check covering both children and adults on the update service, or a willingness to undergo a new check via Randstad.
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Previous experience working with children or young adults within a UK school or care setting.
When you partner with Randstad Education, you are supported by a global recruitment leader with a deeply personal, local approach. Benefits include:
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Earn £300 in Love2shop vouchers for every person you successfully refer to us (T&Cs apply).
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Free access to professional development courses, including Team Teach training.
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Guidance from a specialist SEND consultant to manage your placement and support your career goals.
If you are ready to start a rewarding career that truly matters, please apply directly or contact the SEN team for further details:
Email: Call:
Key skills
AI-extracted from the job advert
Application advice
5 AI-generated recommendations to maximise your chances.
⭐ Open your Personal Statement with direct SEN experience — the advert specifies autism, physical disabilities, and severe learning difficulties, so name the conditions you have supported explicitly.
📊 Quantify your support experience: e.g. 'Provided 1:1 and small group support to 6 pupils with ASD and complex communication needs across a 12-month placement'.
🎯 Confirm your enhanced DBS status prominently in your CV header or a short profile line — the advert lists this as an essential requirement and recruiters screen for it immediately.
🌐 Reference any collaboration with speech therapists, occupational therapists, or EHCP review processes, as the advert specifically highlights multi-professional working within a SILC environment.
🤝 Include a dedicated 'Key Skills' section listing safeguarding, personal care, sensory regulation, and progress monitoring — these are all named job responsibilities and will be scanned by ATS filters.
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 and small group support to 5 pupils with ASD and complex communication needs, contributing to measurable progress in 4 out of 5 individual EHCP targets over one academic term.
- •Assisted with personal care, mobility, and sensory regulation for 3 pupils with physical disabilities across a full-time, term-time timetable, maintaining zero safeguarding incidents across 38 weeks.
- •Monitored and recorded pupil progress using school tracking systems, producing weekly updates reviewed by the class teacher and SENCO, supporting accurate EHCP annual review submissions for 6 students.
Free to copy — tailoring requires a 30-sec CV upload.
Your cover letter is ready
We've drafted a cover letter for Randstad Education. Preview the opening, then unlock the full personalised version.
Letter preview — tailored to Randstad Education
Dear Hiring Manager,
Randstad Education's SEN Teaching Assistant vacancy at the Leeds Specialist Inclusive Learning Centre stands out because of its focus on 1:1 support for pupils with autism, complex communication needs, and physical disabilities — areas where I have built hands-on, practical expertise. The emphasis on sensory regulation and safeguarding protocols aligns directly with the work I have delivered in specialist educational settings.
My background in SEN support includes providing structured 1:1 and small group interventions for pupils with ASD and severe learning difficulties, collaborating closely with class teachers and speech therapists to implement individual learning plans, and maintaining accurate progress records in line with safeguarding requirements. I hold a current enhanced DBS certificate covering both children and adults on the update service.
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Interview questions
10 questions generated from this advert.
Technical
- ›How do you adapt your communication approach when supporting a non-verbal pupil with complex needs?
- ›What strategies have you used to support sensory regulation for pupils with autism or physical disabilities?
- ›How do you monitor and record student progress in line with safeguarding and pastoral protocols?
- ›Describe your experience assisting with personal care and mobility needs within a school setting.
- ›How do you support a pupil to access the curriculum when they display challenging or distressed behaviour?
Behavioural
- ›Tell me about a time you remained calm and professional when a pupil displayed highly challenging behaviour.
- ›Describe a situation where you had to adapt quickly to support a student with needs outside your usual experience.
- ›Give an example of how you have collaborated effectively with a class teacher and external therapists to support a pupil's progress.
- ›Tell me about a time you identified a safeguarding concern and the steps you took to address it.
- ›Describe a moment when your patience and resilience made a measurable difference to a vulnerable pupil's day.
STAR answer examples
Model answers using the Situation-Task-Action-Result framework. Adapt to your own experience.
Tell me about a time you remained calm and professional when a pupil displayed highly challenging behaviour.
Describe a situation where you had to adapt quickly to support a student with needs outside your usual experience.