SEMH Teaching Assistant

five; Plymouth; On-site; GBP 17,000 - 24,000; Full time

Job summary

Five Education is seeking compassionate SEMH Teaching Assistants to support pupils with SEMH in Plymouth. This role is ideal for those who want to make a real impact on young people facing emotional and behavioural challenges.

You’ll work in a supportive school environment with sites across Somerset; responsibilities include 1:1 or small group support, helping students manage emotions, and reinforcing EHCP targets. Salary £90 per day, PAYE payroll, DBS processing may be required.

Qualifications

• Experience not essential.
• Backgrounds in youth work or mental health are beneficial.
• Successful DBS checks or DBS processing may be required.

Responsibilities

• Support pupils with SEMH needs one-to-one or in small groups.
• Help students manage emotions, behaviour and social interactions.
• Build positive relationships while maintaining professional boundaries.
• Assist with class activities and reinforce EHCP targets.
• Collaborate with teachers, SENCOs and support staff for consistent support.

Skills

SEMH support

Emotional resilience

Patience

Behaviour management

Team collaboration

Job description

Location: Plymouth

Skills, Experience, Qualifications.

Hours: 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM, Monday to Friday

Pay Rate: £90 per day

Contract Type: Temporary, full time or part time

Experience: Not essential

Do you have the resilience, empathy, and patience to support pupils with Social, Emotional, and Mental Health (SEMH) needs?

Five Education is seeking compassionate and committed individuals to join our team as SEMH Teaching Assistants. This role is ideal for those who want to make a real impact on the lives of young people who face emotional and behavioural challenges.

You’ll be working in a supportive school environment who have various sites across Somerset that are focused on helping pupils thrive, both academically and emotionally.

This is a highly rewarding position, ideal for those looking to develop their skills in behaviour support, mental health awareness, and trauma-informed practice.

About The Role

As a SEMH Teaching Assistant, your responsibilities will include:

• Supporting pupils with SEMH needs, either on a 1:1 basis or in small groups
• Helping students manage their emotions, behaviour, and social interactions
• Building positive, trusting relationships with young people who may have experienced trauma or disrupted education
• Assisting with class-based learning activities and reinforcing targets from Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs)
• Working collaboratively with teachers, SENCOs, and other support staff to provide consistent, structured support

What We’re Looking For

• Emotional resilience and a calm, patient manner
• A genuine passion for supporting vulnerable young people
• Confidence in dealing with challenging behaviour and de-escalation techniques
• A high level of initiative and commitment to safeguarding
• Ability to build positive relationships and maintain professional boundaries

Previous experience is not required. However, backgrounds in the following are beneficial:

• Youth work or mentoring
• Mental health or social care
• Behavioural support roles
• Security, armed forces, or public service roles
• Working with vulnerable or at-risk individuals

What We Offer

• Ongoing CPD and specialist SEMH training throughout the year
• Free, high-quality training delivered by Five Education
• Opportunities to move into permanent roles
• Full support from an experienced and dedicated consultant

If you're ready to start a meaningful career supporting children with SEMH needs, we would love to hear from you.

Your daily rate of pay would be £90* but with a potential to earn more based on your level of experience.

Pay: Five Education operates a PAYE payroll; this is the most transparent way to be paid with no hidden fees such as admin fee or employers NI. Please note pay rate is for illustration and does include holiday pay.

DBS: If you do not have a non-voluntary enhanced DBS on the update service, we will need to process a new one at a cost of £62.70. This will be refunded after 20 days of work, providing you have put the new DBS on the update service.

Vetting: Five Education is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all of the staff we employ to share this commitment. Successful applicants will be required to undergo checks including reference checks, TRA checks and will need to have a DBS; there will also be a face-to-face interview.

We welcome and encourage job applications from people of all backgrounds. We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as they are currently under-represented at this level.