Teaching Assistant

Teaching Assistant (Behaviour Support) – Shaftesbury

Location: Shaftesbury
Contract: Permanent, Full-time
Start: November 2026
Age Range: 5–19

The Opportunity

Are you experienced in supporting children and young people whose behaviour can communicate an unmet need?

Teaching Personnel is recruiting an experienced Behaviour Support Teaching Assistant for a specialist SEND setting in the Shaftesbury area. The pupils are aged 5–19 and have a range of additional needs including Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs, autism and associated difficulties.

This is not a role for someone looking to simply supervise pupils. The school needs somebody who can build trust, understand what may sit behind challenging behaviour and help young people feel safe enough to engage in their education.

What Will You Be Doing?

You will work alongside teachers and specialist colleagues to support pupils both academically and emotionally.

• Providing individual and small-group support
• Helping pupils regulate their emotions
• De-escalating challenging situations calmly
• Encouraging positive choices and independence
• Supporting engagement with classroom activities
• Building consistent and professional relationships
• Helping young people develop confidence and self-esteem

The setting places significant importance on positive relationships and views behaviour as a form of communication.

Who Are We Looking For?

We need someone with previous experience supporting children or young people, ideally within SEND, SEMH, autism, behaviour support, alternative provision or a similar environment.

You will need to be resilient, patient, adaptable and confident, with the ability to hit the ground running. These pupils need adults who remain consistent when days become challenging and who recognise that progress can look different for every young person.

Why Work Through Teaching Personnel?

• Support from a dedicated SEND consultant
• Competitive weekly pay
• Access to training and professional development
• Opportunities across our network of SEND schools
• Support throughout the recruitment process
• Refer-a-friend opportunities
• Potential to build a long-term SEND career

Interested?

If you have the experience and want a permanent role where your support can make a genuine difference, apply today.

Call [phone removed] and ask for Himaya!

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.
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