Learning Support Practitioner

Ashford College; Folkestone; Hybrid; GBP 18,000 - 22,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous holiday pattern

Flexible personal leave

Exclusive discounts & perks

Wellbeing and health support

Competitive pension scheme

Job summary

East Kent Colleges Group is seeking a compassionate Learning Support Practitioner for EKC Folkestone College to provide tailored, one-to-one and group support to students with high needs across a wide range of subjects. You will support learners with SEND in classrooms, workshops and enrichment activities, helping them gain independence and confidence.

You will work collaboratively with lecturers and external professionals to ensure a consistent, inclusive learning experience and support

Qualifications

• Strong communication skills and ability to manage behaviour in classroom settings.
• Passion for inspiring students to engage in learning and achieve their potential.
• Enthusiastic about supporting students with high levels of need and disabilities.

Responsibilities

• 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.
• Work with teaching staff and external professionals to support progression goals.

Skills

Communication skills

Behaviour management

Student support

Team collaboration

Personal care support

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 acompassionate and committed Learning Support Practitionerto join our team atEKC Folkestone Collegeto 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)

Key Details:

• Contract: Term Time only
• Salary: £20,284 (Including holiday pay)
• Hours per week: 35
• Working Pattern: Monday to Friday 08:30 to 16:00

Alongside our priority of excellent student experience, we also focus highly on our employees!

Here are just some of our benefits when working for the East Kent Colleges Group:

• Generous and Consistent Holiday Pattern
• Flexible Personal Leave
• Exclusive Discounts & Perks
• Wellbeing and Health Support
• Competitive Pension Scheme

Full list of company benefits

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.

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 CollegesGroup 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.