1:1 Teaching Assistant

Polaris Community; Leeds; On-site; GBP 18,000 - 24,000; Full time

Job summary

Polaris Community in Leeds is seeking a caring 1:1 Teaching Assistant to support a young person with additional learning needs. You will build a trusting relationship, help access education, and foster confidence and independence in learning.

You will provide dedicated one-to-one support, assist lessons, break tasks into steps, adapt resources, and support communication and concentration. You will monitor progress and collaborate with teachers and professionals to safeguard wellbeing.

Qualifications

• Experience in education settings or SEND roles is valuable.
• Ability to support a pupil 1:1 and adapt to learning needs.
• Commitment to safeguarding and wellbeing.

Responsibilities

• Provide dedicated one-to-one support throughout the school day.
• Help the pupil access lessons and learning activities.
• Break tasks into manageable steps and adapt resources for individual needs.
• Support communication, engagement and concentration.
• Monitor progress and share observations with teaching staff.
• Work alongside SEND professionals and therapists where appropriate.
• Encourage independence and develop organisation skills.

Skills

Patient

Empathetic

Encouraging

Communication

Observant

Collaborative

Safeguarding

Job description

Sometimes a child doesn't need someone to give them the answers. They need someone who understands how they learn. Someone who recognises when they're becoming overwhelmed, knows when to offer encouragement and can break something difficult into smaller, achievable steps. Polaris Community is looking for a caring and committed 1:1 Teaching Assistant to support a young person with additional learning needs in Leeds. You'll build a consistent working relationship with the pupil, helping them access education, develop confidence and become increasingly independent in their learning.

What Will You Be Doing?

• Providing dedicated one-to-one support throughout the school day.
• Helping the pupil access lessons and learning activities.
• Breaking tasks into manageable and achievable steps.
• Adapting resources and approaches around individual needs.
• Supporting communication, engagement and concentration.
• Helping develop organisation and independent-learning skills.
• Encouraging positive relationships and participation.
• Supporting individual learning plans and agreed targets.
• Monitoring progress and sharing observations with teaching staff.
• Working alongside SEND professionals and therapists where appropriate.
• Encouraging the pupil to do as much as possible independently.

Build Confidence, Not Dependence

Great 1:1 support isn't about sitting beside a pupil and doing everything for them. It's about understanding when to step in - and when to step back. Over time, success might mean fewer prompts, greater confidence starting a task, asking for help appropriately or managing something independently that previously felt impossible.

We're looking for someone who is:

• Patient, empathetic and encouraging.
• Able to build a positive and trusting relationship with a young person.
• Comfortable adapting their approach to different learning needs.
• Observant and able to recognise small changes in progress.
• A clear and confident communicator.
• Able to work collaboratively with teachers and other professionals.
• Committed to safeguarding and supporting young people's wellbeing.

Previous experience as a Teaching Assistant, SEND Teaching Assistant, Learning Support Assistant or 1:1 Support Assistant would be particularly valuable. Experience supporting children or young people within education, SEND, care, mentoring or youth work may also be relevant.

Be Part of Their Progress, If you're looking for a 1:1 Teaching Assistant role in Leeds and want a position where you'll really get to know the pupil you're supporting, we'd love to hear from you.

This is an opportunity to develop valuable experience in personalised learning and SEND while helping one young person build the skills and confidence they need for the future.