SEN Teaching Assistant
Job description
Original text imported from Reed
We are currently recruiting for a Teaching Assistant / Learning Support Assistant to work full time in a specialist SEN school in Portsmouth.
This is an exciting opportunity to join a supportive and dedicated school team, working closely with teaching staff to support pupils with additional needs, to include Autism, sensory needs, speech and language difficulties, some physical needs, and development delay.
About the Role:You will be supporting students with a range of Special Educational Needs (SEN), helping them access learning, build confidence, and achieve their full potential. You will work in collaboration with teachers to deliver individual learning plans, and this can include 1:1 as well as group work.
While direct SEN experience is not compulsory, candidates should:
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Have previous experience working within a school environment
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Have a basic understanding of SEN and SEMH (Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs)
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Be patient, adaptable, resilient and proactive
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Full-time availability (term time only)
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A positive and supportive approach
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Confidence working as part of a wider teaching team
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A genuine interest and previous experience in supporting children with additional needs
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£14.25 per hour, paid weekly
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A supportive consultant to guide you through the vetting process and place you in your new role
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A rewarding role with opportunities to develop your experience in a Specialist setting.
If you have school-based experience and are looking to step into or further develop your career within specialist education, we would love to hear from you.
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.
⭐ Highlight your school-based experience prominently as this is explicitly required for the role
📊 Quantify your SEN support experience: 'Supported 8 pupils with autism, improving engagement by 40%'
🌐 Emphasise your understanding of SEMH needs as this is specifically mentioned in requirements
🎯 Showcase examples of 1:1 and group work delivery to match the role's dual support approach
🤝 Demonstrate your collaborative approach with teaching staff as teamwork is essential
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:
- •Supported 12 pupils with autism and SEMH needs through tailored 1:1 sessions, improving classroom engagement by 35% over one academic term
- •Collaborated with 6 teaching staff to implement individual learning plans for pupils with speech and language difficulties, achieving 90% target completion rates
- •Delivered group support sessions for 8 children with sensory needs, adapting learning materials to increase participation from 60% to 85%
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 SEN Teaching Assistant role in Portsmouth represents exactly the specialist education opportunity I've been seeking, combining my school-based experience with my passion for supporting pupils with autism and SEMH needs.
My background in educational support has equipped me with the patience, adaptability and collaborative approach essential for delivering individual learning plans through both 1:1 and group work settings.
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Interview questions
10 questions generated from this advert.
Technical
- ›How would you adapt learning materials for a child with autism?
- ›What strategies would you use to support a pupil with speech and language difficulties?
- ›How do you implement individual learning plans in practice?
- ›What approaches work best for supporting children with sensory needs?
- ›How would you handle a situation where a pupil with SEMH needs becomes distressed?
Behavioural
- ›Tell me about a time when you had to be particularly patient with a challenging situation
- ›Describe how you've adapted your approach when working with different learning needs
- ›Give an example of when you've worked collaboratively with teaching staff
- ›How do you maintain resilience when working with children who have complex needs?
- ›Tell me about a time when you helped a child build confidence in their learning
STAR answer examples
Model answers using the Situation-Task-Action-Result framework. Adapt to your own experience.
Tell me about a time when you had to be particularly patient with a challenging situation
Describe how you've adapted your approach when working with different learning needs