Teaching Assistant - Special Educational Needs

842063

Email: [email removed] 

Website: https://northdenesprimary.co.uk

Headteacher – Victoria Bland

• Salary – Scale D, £13.92-£14.14 per hour
• Fixed Term until 31 August 2027
• Part Time
• 32.5 hours per week
• Term Time only

The Governors of North Denes Primary & Nursery School wish to recruit a full-time Special Educational Needs Teaching Assistant to join our Reception team and support a child with complex additional needs.

This is a rewarding opportunity for an experienced Teaching Assistant to make a real difference to a child's experience of school, supporting them to feel safe, valued, included and able to achieve their potential.

The successful candidate will hold a Teaching Assistant qualification, or equivalent, and will have experience of supporting children with SEND.

About the role

The successful candidate will become an important member of our Reception team, working alongside the class teacher and other adults to provide high-quality support for all children while ensuring that the individual needs of the child with complex SEND are met.

Support will be shared across the Reception team. Depending on the child's needs, the activity and the agreed provision, there will be times when the successful candidate provides focused 1:1 support, and other times when they will work as a general Teaching Assistant within the Reception classroom, supporting the wider group of children.

Working closely with the Reception class teacher, SENCo, Inclusion Team, parents/carers and, where appropriate, external professionals, you will support the child to:

• Access and engage with the Reception curriculum through appropriate adaptations, scaffolding and resources.
• Participate in continuous provision, play and whole-class learning alongside their peers.
• Develop communication and interaction skills.
• Develop independence and confidence.
• Recognise and manage emotions and develop strategies for regulation.
• Develop positive relationships and social skills.
• Access the wider school environment and school experiences.
• Overcome barriers to learning and experience success.

Working as part of the Reception team

You will be expected to:

• Work flexibly between providing individual support and supporting the wider Reception class.
• Communicate regularly with the class teacher and other Reception staff.
• Help create an inclusive classroom.
• Encourage independence.
• Share responsibility for the learning, wellbeing and safety of all children in the Reception environment.
• Adapt your level of support according to the pupils’ needs and the demands of the activity.
• Contribute positively to the wider work of the Reception team.

We are looking for someone who:

• Has experience of working with children with SEND and complex additional needs.
• Is calm, patient, caring and nurturing.
• Builds positive and trusting relationships with children.
• Has high expectations while recognising and responding to individual needs.
• Understands the importance of consistency, routine and clear boundaries.
• Can adapt their approach in response to a child's communication, sensory, emotional or learning needs.
• Is able to remain calm and supportive when a child becomes dysregulated or anxious.
• Understands the importance of promoting independence.
• Is confident working flexibly as part of a team.
• Can support the wider needs of a busy Reception classroom as well as providing individualised support when required.
• Is willing to develop their knowledge and skills in relation to complex SEND.
• Is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.

Experience of supporting children with communication and interaction needs, autism, sensory needs, physical needs or social, emotional and mental health needs would be particularly valuable.

Our approach to inclusion

At North Denes, we place relationships at the heart of our approach to supporting children. We are developing a whole-school approach to emotional wellbeing and regulation, drawing on Thrive principles.

We believe that understanding a child's individual needs and removing barriers to learning enables every child to make progress. We value the small steps as much as the bigger achievements and are committed to helping children become increasingly confident, independent and engaged learners.

What we can offer

• A welcoming and supportive Reception team.
• Close support from our experienced SENCo and Inclusion Team.
• A school committed to developing inclusive practice.
• Opportunities for training and professional development.
• The opportunity to develop specialist knowledge and skills in SEND.
• The opportunity to make a genuine difference to a child's experience of school.

If you are kind, patient, resilient, adaptable and passionate about helping children overcome barriers to learning, we would love to hear from you.

Visits to the school are warmly welcomed. To arrange a visit or for further information about the role, please contact the school office.

How to apply

To download an application form, click on the ‘Apply for Job’ button.

Completed forms should be returned to – [email removed] 

Closing date:  28 September 2026, 4pm

Interview date:  7 October 2026

North Denes Primary & Nursery School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful applicant will be subject to appropriate safer recruitment checks, including an enhanced DBS check.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act and you will be required to undergo an Enhanced DBS check or Enhanced DBS check with barred list. If you have information to declare it may be protected under the Exceptions Orders and you may not be required to declare it. You will be asked to make a criminal conviction declaration if you are shortlisted for the post. Guidance about whether a conviction or caution should be disclosed can be found on the Ministry of Justice website.