Behavioural Support Assistant

Protocol Education Ltd; Lewisham; On-site; GBP 22,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a leading SEMH school in Lewisham as a Behavioural Support Assistant, supporting young individuals with social, emotional, and mental health needs. In this role, you’ll ensure that every student feels valued, fostering a safe and engaging learning environment. Your work will not only support their education but also help transform their lives, making a real difference to those who need it most. With a supportive team and training opportunities, this could be the challenge you've been waiting for.

Benefits

Weekly PAYE pay

FREE Thrive training

Access to CPD Academy

Expert support from a local consultant

Qualifications

• Experience working with young people with challenging behaviour (schools, youth work, sports, mentoring).
• Calm under pressure and approaches behaviour with empathy.
• Patient and emotionally intelligent.

Responsibilities

• Supporting pupils with social, emotional, and mental health needs.
• Providing 1:1 and small group support to help pupils regulate emotions.
• Building trusted relationships with young people.

Skills

Empathy

Patience

Behaviour Management

Resilience

Education

Experience with young people

Thrive training or Team Teach (preferred)

Job description

Behavioural Support Assistant – SEMH School | Lewisham

Not every day will be easy, but every day will matter.

We’re looking for brilliant, resilient Behavioural Support Assistants to join an outstanding SEMH school to work with young people who need structure, patience, and someone who genuinely won’t give up on them.

These students might test boundaries, push back, or come with big emotions—but with the right support, they can (and do) achieve incredible things.

What You’ll Be Doing:

• Supporting pupils with social, emotional, and mental health needs—many of whom display challenging behaviours.
• Providing steady, consistent 1:1 and small group support, helping pupils regulate emotions and stay engaged in learning.
• Building trusted relationships with young people who don’t always trust easily.
• Working closely with teachers and behaviour specialists to develop positive routines and de-escalation strategies.

About You:

• You’ve got experience working with young people with challenging behaviour (schools, youth work, sports, mentoring, or similar).
• You’re calm under pressure, know how to hold firm boundaries, and always approach behaviour with empathy.
• You’re patient, emotionally intelligent, and understand that progress is rarely a straight line.
• Thrive training or Team Teach is a big plus—if not, we can offer free training to help you build your toolkit.

What’s On Offer:

• Long-term, full-time role in a fantastic SEMH school with real support.
• Weekly PAYE pay—no umbrella deductions, no surprises.
• FREE Thrive training and access to Protocol Education’s CPD Academy.
• Expert support from a local consultant who genuinely cares about matching you with the right school.

Why This Role Matters:

In an SEMH school, you won’t just be supporting learning—you’ll be changing lives. You’ll be the calm when things get tough, the steady hand when a student’s having a bad day, and the person who helps them believe they can do better.

Up for the challenge? Apply now or get in touch to find out more.

All applicants will require the appropriate qualifications and training for this role. Please see the FAQs on the Protocol Education website for further 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.

Protocol Education is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. We undertake safeguarding checks on all workers in accordance with the 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 FREE online safeguarding and Prevent Duty training to all our workers. All candidates must undertake or have undertaken a valid enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and subscribe to the DBS Update Service.

Full assistance provided. For details of our privacy policy, please see visit the Protocol Education website.