SEN & Behaviour Support Mentor

EmpowerED; Thatcham; On-site; GBP 21,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

EmpowerED is seeking passionate, resilient and caring individuals to join a specialist education setting supporting children and young people with additional needs. This isn’t a traditional classroom role—it's about building trust, managing behaviours positively, and helping pupils develop confidence, independence and life skills.

You'll work 1:1 and in small groups, collaborate with teachers and therapists, and support communication, emotional regulation and social development.

Qualifications

• Experience in SEN schools or specialist education settings.
• Knowledge of SEMH (Social, Emotional & Mental Health).
• Experience with Autism (ASC).
• Experience with PMLD (Profound & MultipIe Learning Difficulties).
• Experience with challenging behaviour support.

Responsibilities

• Supporting pupils on a 1:1 and small group basis.
• Building positive relationships with children who may struggle to trust adults.
• Managing challenging behaviours using positive behaviour strategies.
• Supporting communication, emotional regulation and social development.
• Assisting with personal care where required.
• Encouraging independence and celebrating every achievement.
• Working alongside teachers, therapists and specialist staff.

Skills

Calm under pressure

Empathetic

Patient

Resilient

Team player

Job description

Are you someone who thrives on building relationships, supporting young people through challenges, and helping them achieve things they never thought possible?

We're looking for passionate, resilient and caring individuals to join a specialist education setting supporting children and young people with a wide range of additional needs.

This isn't a traditional classroom role. It's about being a positive role model, building trust, managing behaviours positively, and helping pupils develop confidence, independence and life skills.

We'd love to hear from you if you have experience in:

• SEN schools or specialist education settings
• SEMH (Social, Emotional & Mental Health)
• Autism (ASC)
• PMLD (Profound & Multiple Learning Difficulties)
• Challenging behaviour support
• Residential children's homes
• Youth work
• Care and support work
• Mental health services
• Sports coaching
• Prison, probation or rehabilitation services
• Community outreach programmes

What you'll be doing:

• Supporting pupils on a 1:1 and small group basis
• Building positive relationships with children who may struggle to trust adults
• Managing challenging behaviours using positive behaviour strategies
• Supporting communication, emotional regulation and social development
• Assisting with personal care where required
• Encouraging independence and celebrating every achievement, no matter how small
• Working alongside teachers, therapists and specialist staff

The ideal person:

• Calm under pressure
• Naturally empathetic and patient
• Resilient and able to build strong boundaries
• Passionate about helping young people succeed
• A team player with a positive attitude
• Looking for a rewarding career rather than "just a job"

Why this role?

Every day is different. One moment you could be helping a young person regulate after a difficult morning, the next you're celebrating a breakthrough that they've been working towards for months.

If you've worked in care, residential settings, youth work, behavioural support or specialist education and are looking for a role where you can genuinely change lives, we'd love to hear from you.

No school experience? No problem. If you have the right attitude, transferable experience and a genuine passion for supporting young people with additional needs, full training and ongoing support will be provided.