Learning Support Practitioner

East Kent College; Canterbury; On-site; GBP 18,000; Full time

Job summary

An educational institution in Canterbury is looking for a compassionate Learning Support Practitioner to aid students with additional needs. This role focuses on providing tailored support, helping learners to thrive in various subjects from Entry Level to Level 3. The position offers a balanced work-life schedule, ensures all school holidays off, and includes generous benefits to promote wellbeing and professional growth.

Benefits

Generous holiday pattern aligned with academic calendar

Learning and development opportunities

Exclusive discounts and perks

Wellbeing and health support

Competitive pension scheme

Qualifications

• Experience working with individuals with visual/hearing impairments or developmental delays.
• Ability to support students with social, emotional, and mental health needs.

Responsibilities

• Provide one-to-one and group support in classroom and workshop settings.
• Assist students with personal care and mobility needs where required.
• Collaborate with teaching staff to ensure a supportive learning environment.

Skills

Strong communication skills

Understanding of behaviour management

Passion for inspiring students

Education

Relevant educational qualifications

Job description

About The Role

Make a Difference Every Day – Support Students to Succeed!

Join our team and help empower young people with additional needs to reach their potential – all while enjoying a work-life balance that fits around family and personal commitments.

We are seeking a compassionate and committed Learning Support Practitioner to provide tailored, one-to-one and group support to students with high levels of need, studying across a wide range of subjects – from Entry Level to Level 3, including Functional Skills and GCSE English and Maths.

You’ll be supporting learners with a variety of learning difficulties and/or disabilities, helping them thrive in the classroom, during work placements, and with any personal care or welfare needs.

In This Role, You Will

• Provide inclusive, person-centred support to students with SEND
• Assist learners in classroom sessions, workshops and enrichment activities
• Offer guidance and encouragement to promote independence and confidence
• Work collaboratively with teaching staff and external professionals
• Support students in achieving their qualifications and progression goals
• Assist with personal care where required (full training provided)

What We Offer

• No weekend work
• No night shifts
• All school holidays off
• A rewarding role where you make a daily impact
• Ongoing training and development opportunities

If you’re passionate about inclusion and education and want a role that works around your life, we’d love to hear from you.

Hours per week: 35

Weeks per year: 38

Salary per year: £17,448

Holiday pay: £2,528

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
• Flexible Personal Leave - Time off for your child’s first day at nursery, school or college, moving homes and for interviews
• Exclusive Discounts & Perks - Inc. restaurant, grocery, retail and holidays discounts as well as car leasing and tech purchasing schemes, on-site nursery
• Wellbeing and Health Support - Generous sick pay, counselling services, discounted gym membership, free eye tests and glasses vouchers, flexible support for medical appointments and return-to-work transitions
• Competitive Pension Scheme - 18% company contribution
• 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

About You

If you have strong communication skills, understand behaviour management, thrive under pressure, and have a passion for inspiring students to engage in learning, this could be the perfect opportunity for you.

We are looking for someone who is enthusiastic about supporting students with high levels of need and is committed to helping them succeed both academically and personally.

Ideally, You Will Have Experience Working With Individuals With

• Visual and/or hearing impairments
• Global developmental delay
• Language and communication difficulties
• Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC)
• Social, emotional, and mental health (SEMH) needs
• Sensory or physical needs

As part of the Inclusive Learning Support team, you will

• Provide one-to-one and group support in classroom and workshop settings
• Help students develop confidence, independence, and active engagement in learning
• Collaborate with lecturers and other support staff to ensure a consistent and inclusive learning experience
• Support students\' personal care, mobility, and medical/feeding needs where required
• Receive full training to support all elements of the role

Experience in any of the above areas would be an advantage, but full training will be provided for the right candidate. If you’re passionate about making a difference and want to support young people in reaching their full potential, we would love to hear from you.

Ready to apply?

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 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.

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