Complex Care Learning Support Practitioner

East Kent College; Folkestone; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 24,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Holiday pattern

Teacher training funding

Discounts & perks

Personal leave

Wellbeing support

Pension 18%

Job summary

East Kent Colleges Group is seeking a dedicated Complex Care Learning Support Practitioner at EKC Folkestone College to support students with profound learning needs. You will enable students to engage in classroom and community activities, delivering tailored programmes and ensuring safeguarding.

The role offers a supportive team, training opportunities including a Teaching Academy path, and a commitment to inclusive education. Hours: 35 per week, 37 weeks per year, salary £21,841.

Qualifications

• Strong communication skills to effectively engage with students and staff.
• Understanding of behaviour management strategies.
• Passion for inspiring students to be active in their learning.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist support for students with complex medical needs, including personal care, invasive feeding and medication.
• Assist students with daily routines, ensuring dignity and independence wherever possible.
• Deliver tailored programmes including physiotherapy, SALT and social communication activities.
• Keep accurate records to ensure the highest standards of care and safeguarding.
• Work closely with the Class Tutor and wider staff team, supporting students in small groups or on a 1:1 basis.
• Support learning in both the classroom and community settings, promoting engagement and inclusion.

Skills

Communication skills

Behaviour management

Student engagement

Resilience under pressure

SEN experience desirable

Job description

About The Role

Support Students, Unlock Potential, Shape Futures - Join us as Complex Care Learning Support Practitioner

EKC Group are seeking a Complex Care Learning Support Practitioner to join our team at EKC Folkestone College

In this rewarding role, you will make a real difference by supporting students with complex health care needs, enabling them to achieve their goals and thrive both in and outside the classroom.

What You’ll Do

• Provide specialist support for students with complex medical needs, including personal care, invasive feeding and medication
• Assist students with daily routines, ensuring dignity and independence wherever possible
• Deliver tailored programmes including physiotherapy, SALT and social communication activities
• Keep accurate records to ensure the highest standards of care and safeguarding
• Work closely with the Class Tutor and wider staff team, supporting students in small groups or on a 1:1 basis
• Support learning in both the classroom and community settings, promoting engagement and inclusion

Why join us?

• Be part of a supportive and professional team committed to student success
• Gain valuable experience in education and complex care support
• Make a lasting impact on the lives of young people every day

You will be an integral member of College staff, creating close bonds with students and being a key part in their daily social and educational journey.

You will need to be highly organised, friendly, responsive and adaptive in our small but fast paced environment. Essential skills are required, however, training will also be provided to meet student individual needs.

This is a great opportunity to make a real impact upon a student's College journey, preparing them for their future into adulthood, however that may look individually.

Visits to the college are welcomed. We are happy to discuss flexible working.

Key Details

• Hours per week: 35
• Weeks per year: 37
• Salary (inc holiday pay): £21,841

Benefits

• Generous and Consistent Holiday Pattern - aligned with our academic calendar
• Learning and Development Opportunities- If you are interested into developing into teaching, you could benefit from our £7000 investment into teacher training through our in house Teaching Academy, 3-4 annual paid group development days, bespoke training programmes and strong internal progression- 1 in 3 roles are filled internally
• 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 or school, 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 seeking to appoint a highly motivated and enthusiastic Complex Care Learning Support Practitioner to support our students with Profound Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD).

What We’re Looking For

• A passion for supporting students with complex and high-level needs.
• Experience working with individuals with PMLD, including:
  • Global Development Delay
  • Epilepsy
  • Cerebral Palsy
  • Rare Diseases
  • Sensory Impairments

Key Skills & Qualities

• Strong communication skills to effectively engage with students and staff.
• An understanding of behaviour management strategies.
• A passion for inspiring students to be active in their learning.
• The ability to work well under pressure in a dynamic environment.
• A background in special education needs (SEN) is desirable but not essential.

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 positions 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.

Contact

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

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