Behaviour Support Worker

senploy; London Borough of Newham; On-site; GBP 17,000 - 24,000; Full time

Job summary

Senploy is recruiting a Behaviour Support Assistant for a mainstream secondary school in Newham, East London. The role focuses on supporting pupils with behaviour, emotions and relationships to enable learning, including 1:1 support and small group work.

You'll de-escalate conflicts, maintain boundaries and work with teachers and pastoral teams to help pupils return to productive lessons. Occasional cover supervision may be required, with a calm, confident presence in the classroom.

Qualifications

• Previous experience working with young people is essential.
• Ability to de-escalate conflict and manage behaviour.
• Calm, confident and consistent in challenging situations.

Responsibilities

• Provide 1:1 behaviour support and small group work
• Record incidents and interventions accurately
• Supervise pupils during lessons and less structured times
• Assist with supervision during cover when teachers are absent

Skills

Behaviour management

Calm under pressure

Boundary setting

Relationship building

Job description

Newham, East London | Mainstream Secondary School

Full-Time | Competitive Daily Rate | Weekly Pay

When everyone else is escalating, can you stay calm?

A student refuses an instruction. An argument is getting louder. Someone walks out of a lesson. A pupil arrives at school already angry about something that happened before they even reached the gates. In behaviour support, your response can influence what happens next.

We're recruiting a Behaviour Support Assistant for a mainstream secondary school in Newham, working as part of an established pastoral and inclusion team.

The school needs someone who is calm, confident and consistent - particularly when the young person in front of them isn't.

You're Not There to Win an Argument

Good behaviour support isn't about proving who's in charge.

It's about maintaining boundaries, understanding what's happening and helping pupils get back to a point where education can continue.

You’ll work with students who need additional help managing behaviour, emotions and relationships within school.

That will include:

• - Providing 1:1 behaviour support
• - Working with small groups of identified pupils
• - De-escalating conflict and challenging situations
• - Supporting pupils following incidents- Supervising reflection, isolation or internal exclusion spaces
• - Supporting pupils during less structured parts of the school day
• - Recording incidents and interventions accurately
• - Working alongside teachers, SENCOs and pastoral colleagues

The aim isn't simply to get through today's incident.

Where possible, you'll help pupils develop the skills to handle tomorrow's situation differently.

There's Another Side to This Role

This is a mainstream secondary school, so you'll occasionally be asked to provide cover supervision when a teacher is absent.

That means standing in front of a whole class, setting expectations and ensuring pupils complete the work provided.

You won't be expected to teach unfamiliar curriculum content from scratch.

You will need enough presence and confidence to manage a secondary classroom.

For the right candidate, that variety can be a real positive - you're not confined to one intervention room or working with the same pupils all day.

Can You Hold a Boundary Without Creating a Battle?

That's probably the most important question.

We're looking for someone who can build positive relationships with teenagers while remaining clearly and consistently the adult in the situation.

Previous experience working with young people is essential.

That might come from:

• Secondary Education
• Behaviour Support
• Youth Work
• SEMH
• Alternative Provision
• Mentoring
• Pastoral Support

You’ll also need:

• - Confidence managing challenging behaviour
• - Emotional resilience
• - A calm and consistent approach
• - Confidence supervising a full secondary class
• - An understanding of safeguarding
• - An Enhanced DBS on the Update Service, or willingness to obtain one

Team Teach, de-escalation or similar behaviour-support training would be useful but isn't essential.

The Opportunity

You'll join a supportive pastoral team within a mainstream Newham secondary school, with access to ongoing CPD and training.

The position offers a competitive daily rate with weekly pay and the opportunity to develop valuable experience across behaviour, pastoral support and classroom supervision.

If you're the person who can lower the temperature rather than add to it, we'd like to hear from you.