SEN Teaching Assistant (SEN TA)
Job description
Original text imported from Reed
Do you want to do work that genuinely makes a difference each day? Are you driven to support children with additional needs to feel confident, understood and ready to learn?
We’re partnering with a friendly, inclusive school in Stockton-on-Tees that’s looking for a SEN Teaching Assistant to join their team. This is a place where every child is recognised as an individual, and where staff work together to create a calm, supportive environment where pupils can truly flourish.
You’ll be stepping into a role where empathy, consistency and teamwork really matter, and where your contribution won’t go unnoticed.
What you’ll be doing:
As a SEN Teaching Assistant, you’ll support pupils on a one-to-one basis and in small groups, helping them to access learning in a way that works for them. You’ll play a key role in building their confidence, independence and social skills, while working closely with teachers and support staff to bring personalised learning strategies to life.
Every day will be different, but your focus will remain the same, helping pupils engage with their education and reach their full potential.
Your day-to-day will include:
- Providing tailored support for pupils with SEN, SEMH and PMLD
- Adapting your approach to suit different learning styles and needs
- Supporting children who may need extra emotional or behavioural guidance
- Encouraging participation, focus and a positive approach to learning
- Assisting with personalised learning plans and behaviour strategies
- Building strong, trusting relationships with pupils, staff and families
What we’re looking for:
- Experience working with children or young people, SEN experience is a bonus but not essential
- A calm, patient and compassionate approach
- Strong communication and listening skills
- A background in care, youth work, education or similar support roles is highly valued
Not Thrive trained yet? That’s absolutely fine. Protocol Education offers free Thrive training to help you build your skills and boost your profile with schools. It’s a brilliant addition to your CV and your confidence in the role.
If you’re ready to play a meaningful part in a child’s journey through education, we’d love to hear from you. Apply today, visit our website or give us a call on for a chat about the role.
All applicants will require the appropriate qualifications and training for this role. Please see the FAQs on the Protocol Education website for further 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.
Protocol Education is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. We undertake safeguarding checks on all workers in accordance with the 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 FREE online safeguarding and Prevent Duty training to all our workers. All candidates must undertake or have undertaken a valid enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and subscribe to the DBS Update Service.
Full assistance provided. For details of our privacy policy, please see visit the Protocol Education website.
Key skills
AI-extracted from the job advert
Application advice
5 AI-generated recommendations to maximise your chances.
⭐ Highlight any experience with SEN, SEMH or PMLD pupils at the top of your CV as the school specifically mentions supporting these needs
📊 Quantify your impact with children: "Supported 8 SEN pupils to improve focus by 40% over one term"
🌐 Emphasise your calm, patient approach as the advert specifically values these qualities for working with additional needs pupils
🎯 Mention any care, youth work or education background prominently as these are highly valued by the employer
🤝 Show your ability to build trusting relationships with pupils, staff and families as this is explicitly mentioned in the role requirements
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:
- •Provided one-to-one SEN support for 6 pupils with SEMH needs, improving classroom engagement by 65% over 12 weeks
- •Implemented personalised learning plans for 12 children with additional needs, achieving 85% of individual learning targets
- •Supported small groups of 4-6 PMLD pupils using adapted communication methods, increasing participation rates by 50%
Free to copy — tailoring requires a 30-sec CV upload.
Your cover letter is ready
We've drafted a cover letter for Protocol Education. Preview the opening, then unlock the full personalised version.
Letter preview — tailored to Protocol Education
Dear Hiring Manager,
Protocol Education's SEN Teaching Assistant role in Stockton-on-Tees perfectly aligns with my passion for supporting children with additional needs. My experience in one-to-one support and implementing personalised learning plans makes me well-suited to help pupils with SEN, SEMH and PMLD needs flourish in your inclusive school environment.
My background in working with children has developed my calm, patient approach and strong communication skills essential for building trusting relationships with pupils, staff and families. I understand the importance of adapting teaching methods to suit different learning styles and providing the emotional and behavioural guidance that helps children engage with their education.
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Interview questions
10 questions generated from this advert.
Technical
- ›How would you adapt learning materials for a pupil with PMLD?
- ›What strategies would you use to support a child with SEMH needs?
- ›How do you implement personalised learning plans in practice?
- ›What behaviour management techniques work best for SEN pupils?
- ›How would you support a non-verbal pupil to engage with learning?
Behavioural
- ›Tell me about a time you helped a child overcome a learning challenge
- ›Describe a situation where you had to remain calm under pressure with children
- ›How do you build trust with pupils who may be resistant to support?
- ›Give an example of when you worked as part of a team to support a child's needs
- ›Tell me about a time you had to adapt your communication style for different needs
STAR answer examples
Model answers using the Situation-Task-Action-Result framework. Adapt to your own experience.
Tell me about a time you helped a child overcome a learning challenge
How do you build trust with pupils who may be resistant to support?
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