Special Needs Teaching Assistant
Job description
Original text imported from Reed
SEN Teaching Assistant - Billinghurst
Prospero Teaching are supporting a specialist school in Billinghurst, West Sussex, that provides a highly supportive and inclusive environment for students aged 3-19 with complex neurological motor impairments, including cerebral palsy, alongside associated medical and sensory needs.
The school is looking to expand its team with dedicated staff who can offer consistent, compassionate support to students, enabling them to access learning, develop independence, and achieve their full potential.
We are looking for Teaching Assistants who:
- Have a calm, patient, and nurturing approach
- Can build strong, trusting relationships with students and staff
- Are attentive, empathetic, and comfortable supporting children with physical and sensory needs
- Are adaptable and confident working in a structured, multi-disciplinary environment
- Understand that progress may be gradual and celebrate small but meaningful achievements
- Are willing to support with personal care and medical needs where required
Contract details:
- Location - Billinghurst, West Sussex
- Position - SEN Teaching Assistant
- Start date - ASAP
- Contract type - Long term supply or temp to perm
- Duration - Ongoing
- Full time - Full time role
Eligibility:
- Grade C/4 or above in English and Maths (GCSE)
- A calm, consistent, and caring approach
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills
- Reliable, proactive, and able to use initiative
- Experience with SEN and/or care background is highly desirable
What you'll get:
- Free CPD, including safeguarding, SEN, and manual handling training
- Opportunity to work within a specialist setting with a supportive team
- Ongoing guidance from an experienced and dedicated consultant
Please note: you must register with Prospero Teaching to be considered for this role.
Apply now with your updated CV to express your interest.
Referrals welcome - recommend a friend and receive £150.
Key skills
AI-extracted from the job advert
Application advice
5 AI-generated recommendations to maximise your chances.
⭐ Highlight any direct SEN experience at the top of your CV personal statement, as the advert lists it as highly desirable and the role is in a specialist neurological school.
📊 Quantify your support experience where possible: "Supported 6 students with complex physical and sensory needs across a 30-week placement, contributing to 4 individual learning plans."
🎯 Explicitly mention any experience with cerebral palsy, physical disabilities, or sensory impairments, as the school specialises in neurological motor conditions — this directly matches the advert's student profile.
🛡️ Include your safeguarding training status (e.g. Level 1 or Level 2 certificate, date completed) as the advert offers safeguarding CPD and schools require this for compliance.
🤝 Reference experience working within multi-disciplinary teams (e.g. alongside speech therapists, physiotherapists, or occupational therapists) to demonstrate comfort in the structured MDT environment described.
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 1-to-1 and small-group SEN support for 5 students with physical and sensory needs across KS1-KS4, contributing to termly EHC plan reviews and tracking progress against 12 individual targets.
- •Completed manual handling, safeguarding Level 2, and Makaton training within first 4 weeks of placement, enabling immediate deployment across 3 specialist classrooms.
- •Supported personal care routines for 4 students with complex neurological conditions, maintaining dignity protocols and reducing transition anxiety by introducing a consistent visual timetable system.
Free to copy — tailoring requires a 30-sec CV upload.
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Letter preview — tailored to Prospero Teaching
Dear Hiring Manager,
Prospero Teaching's placement at the specialist school in Billinghurst aligns directly with my experience supporting students with complex neurological and sensory needs. The role of SEN Teaching Assistant — working with young people aged 3-19 with cerebral palsy and associated medical needs — is one I am well prepared for, having developed skills in personal care, manual handling, and structured SEN support within inclusive educational settings.
My background in SEN support has equipped me to work calmly and consistently within multi-disciplinary teams, contributing to individual learning plans and celebrating incremental progress with students who require patient, nurturing guidance. I hold a current safeguarding certificate and am committed to ongoing CPD, including manual handling and specialist SEN training.
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Interview questions
10 questions generated from this advert.
Technical
- ›How would you adapt a learning activity for a student with cerebral palsy who has limited fine motor control?
- ›What manual handling techniques have you used when supporting students with physical disabilities, and how did you ensure safety?
- ›How do you use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) tools to support students with complex sensory and communication needs?
- ›Describe how you would contribute to an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan review for a student with complex neurological needs.
- ›What strategies would you use to support a student experiencing a medical episode in the classroom, and who would you involve?
Behavioural
- ›Tell me about a time you supported a student who was making very slow progress — how did you stay motivated and celebrate small achievements?
- ›Describe a situation where you had to adapt quickly to a change in a student's needs or routine. What did you do?
- ›Give an example of when you worked as part of a multi-disciplinary team to support a child. What was your role and what was the outcome?
- ›Tell me about a time you had to provide personal care for a student. How did you maintain their dignity and build trust?
- ›Describe a moment when a student became distressed or dysregulated. How did you respond and what did you learn from it?
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 student who was making very slow progress — how did you stay motivated and celebrate small achievements?
Describe a situation where you had to adapt quickly to a change in a student's needs or routine. What did you do?
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