SEND Teaching Assistant

Sense Education Limited; Carlisle; On-site; GBP 16,000 - 20,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay

Long-term role

Supportive team environment

Impactful work

Job summary

Sense Education Limited in Carlisle is seeking a SEND Teaching Assistant to work in a specialist school, supporting children with SEND within a nurturing environment.

You will collaborate with teachers and therapists, use PECS/Makaton for communication, assist with sensory activities, and support learning during swimming and outdoor sessions. DBS required; weekly pay and term-time options.

Qualifications

• Experience supporting children or adults with complex needs or disabilities.
• Understanding of communication and regulation strategies.
• Calm, patient approach and ability to respond sensitively to pupils’ needs.
• Flexible, collaborative mindset.
• A relevant qualification in care, teaching assistance, health, or social care.

Responsibilities

• Supporting non-verbal communication using PECS and Makaton.
• Working with teachers and therapists to maintain a positive classroom environment.
• Assisting pupils in sensory sessions and supporting emotional regulation.
• Helping children enjoy activities such as swimming and outdoor learning.
• Providing calm, consistent care to meet educational and personal needs.

Skills

Calm

Empathy

Flexible collaboration

Education

Care/Teaching assistance/Health or Social Care qualification

Tools

PECS

Makaton

Job description

SEND Teaching Assistant

We are currently looking for a SEND Teaching Assistant to work in a specialist school in the Carlisle area.

This is a deeply meaningful opportunity to support children and young people with SEND in a specialist school setting. As a SEND Teaching Assistant, you’ll be part of a skilled, caring team that places communication, consistency, and connection at the heart of every school day. If you’re driven by purpose and have a calm, nurturing approach, this long-term role could be the perfect fit.

The Role

You’ll be supporting pupils with a wide range of needs including Autism, Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD), Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN), and complex medical conditions. This is not just about education—it’s about unlocking joy, building trust, and helping each child engage with learning in their own way.

Key responsibilities include:

• Supporting non-verbal communication using tools such as PECS and Makaton
• Working collaboratively with teachers and therapists to maintain a positive, predictable classroom environment
• Assisting pupils in sensory sessions, supporting emotional regulation and curiosity through light, sound, and tactile play
• Helping children enjoy enriching experiences such as swimming and outdoor learning, where movement, exploration, and confidence-building take centre stage
• Providing calm, consistent care to meet both educational and personal needs

The Ideal Candidate

We are looking for caring compassionate people with the right mindset with a person centered approach. This role would suit someone with a background in care, support work, or education who is looking to bring their empathy and experience into a classroom setting. Ideally, you’ll have:

• Experience supporting children or adults with complex needs or disabilities
• An understanding of communication and regulation strategies
• A calm, patient approach and the ability to respond sensitively to pupils’ needs
• A flexible, collaborative mindset
• A relevant qualification in care, teaching assistance, health, or social care

The School

This specialist school offers a nurturing, highly personalised learning environment for pupils with complex needs. Class sizes are small, support ratios are high, and each child is supported to feel safe, seen and valued. Staff are known for their empathy, teamwork, and deep commitment to inclusive practice.

Hours

• Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 3.30pm
• Full-time and part-time applications welcome
• Term time only

Why Apply?

• Competitive pay
• Long-term role with potential for permanency
• Highly supportive team environment
• Opportunity to make a genuine impact every day

This is your chance to help young people feel safe, supported, and understood.

Safeguarding children is an integral part of what we do and we have a stringent safer recruitment process. We undertake checks on all the candidates we work with. As such we require a current Enhanced DBS Disclosure for everyone working in Schools. If you do not have a subscription to the DBS Update Service, you may be required to complete a new DBS application as part of the registration process. If you take a temporary role with Sense Education you will be paid on a weekly basis. All pay rates quoted will be inclusive of 12.07% statutory holiday pay. This advert is for a temporary position but long term. In some cases, the option to make this role permanent may become available.

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