Communication Learning Support Practitioner

East Kent College; Canterbury; On-site; GBP 6,000 - 8,000; Part time

Job summary

A leading educational institution in Canterbury is seeking a Communication Support Practitioner to provide British Sign Language support for students with hearing impairments. The role necessitates working collaboratively with teaching staff and supporting individual students in their learning journeys. The ideal candidate will have Level 3 BSL qualifications and experience working in inclusive environments. This position offers competitive pay, generous leave policies, and various employee benefits including discounts and health support.

Benefits

Generous holiday pattern

Exclusive discounts and perks

Flexible personal leave

Wellbeing and health support

Competitive pension scheme

Qualifications

• Qualified to minimum level 3 in British Sign Language.
• Enthusiastic and imaginative signer with a positive attitude.
• Ability to support students with various needs.

Responsibilities

• Provide British Sign Language support to students.
• Encourage and motivate students undertaking their studies.
• Assist with personal care and mobility needs when required.

Skills

British Sign Language Level 3

Support strategies

Adaptability to learning styles

Experience with hearing impairments

Job description

About The Role

Support Students, Unlock Potential, Shape Futures - Join us Communication Support Practitioner

As a Communication Support Practitioner your role will be to provide British Sign Language signing and learning support to students on programmes of study and/or courses.

In your role as a Communication Support Practitioner you will use a range of support strategies to select and adapt tasks, resources and learning activities, to encourage and motivate students working in conjunction with ALS tutors and to undertake with teaching staff EHCP In‑Year Reviews for students with hearing impairment and attend/support communication in Annual Reviews.

Hours per week: 12.5

Weeks per year: 38

Salary per year: £6,625.36

Holiday pay: £960

Benefits

• Generous and Consistent Holiday Pattern - aligned with our academic calendar
• Exclusive Discounts & Perks - Inc. restaurant, grocery, retail and holidays discounts as well as car leasing and tech purchasing schemes, on‑site nursery
• Flexible Personal Leave - Time off for your child's first day at nursery, school or college, moving homes and for interviews
• Wellbeing and Health Support - Generous sick pay, counselling services, discounted gym membership at Canterbury College
• Culture and Recognition - Being part of Community Days, an annual Staff Celebration Day, and an eco‑friendly organisation dedicated to reaching net‑zero by 2030
• Competitive Pension Scheme – 18% employer contribution

About You

We are looking to appoint an enthusiastic person to provide BSL signing support to individuals and/or groups of learners with a hearing impairment, who are attending mainstream courses.

The ideal candidate will be an enthusiastic, motivated and imaginative signer who is qualified to minimal level 3 British Sign language and who will nurture positive attitudes to learning resulting in the best outcomes for our students. You will have an excellent understanding of the role and impact of additional learning support and will make a significant contribution to the development of teaching and learning at EKC Group.

The role may also include personal care, assisting with mobility and specific medical/feeding needs. Experience in working with the above needs would be an advantage but full training will be given.

No need to spend time updating your CV, just click apply and complete our short application form. You can save your progress as you go, and we’ll review all applications and get back to all candidates after the closing date.

If you are interested in an informal chat about the role, or have any queries, please email us on [e-mail] .

About Us

Outstanding Ofsted Provider

East Kent Colleges Group is an Ofsted Outstanding rated provider. It is proud to be the first General Further Education college organisation in the country to have received the Outstanding grade against each of the strands under the new Ofsted inspection framework. An inclusive provider, our colleagues place our students and the communities we serve at the heart of everything they do across EKC Group and this is illustrated in our ‘Strong’ skills grading by Ofsted.

Commitment to Safeguarding

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and we ensure that all staff are aware of their responsibilities for upholding these principles.

As a designated establishment, we are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore have an obligation to carry out checks to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children and vulnerable adults. These checks include conviction/caution self‑declaration, Enhanced DBS check and obtaining sufficient referencing.

It is a criminal offence to apply for a post which involves engaging in regulated activity relevant to children if you are barred from doing so.

If you are successful in being shortlisted to interview, your suitability to work with children and vulnerable adults will be explored as part of the interview process.

Commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

East Kent Colleges Group is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all members of our communities. We are particularly keen to increase the diversity of our staff body and encourage applications from candidates where there is underrepresentation in our workforce.

We are proud to hold the Positive About Disability Award and are a Disability Confident Employer. This confirms our commitment to interviewing all applicants who declare that they have a disability and who meet the essential criteria outlined in the person specification. With any successful candidate, we will explore any reasonable adjustments to a role due to a health needs or disability.

Similarly, we have a commitment to Care Leavers (Care Covenant Pledge) and to current or previous Armed Forces personnel (Armed Forces Covenant Pledge) with a commitment to interview applicants who meet the essential criteria and who have declared this on their application.

We welcome applications from anyone wishing to work flexibly and those considering a return to work from a career break.

Recruitment

We do not engage with agencies for permanent staff and have an in‑house recruitment team.