Teaching Assistant

Senploy; Liverpool City Region; On-site; GBP 18,000 - 19,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

£95-£105 per day

Full-time, long-term role

ASAP start

Job summary

Senploy is seeking a Specialist SEND Teaching Assistant to join a supportive Knowsley school in Merseyside on a full-time, long-term basis with an ASAP start.

You will work closely with pupils with autism, ADHD, SEMH, and other needs, providing 1:1 and small-group support, adapting learning materials, and helping pupils progress towards EHCP outcomes. This role fosters independence and confidence in learners.

Qualifications

• Previous experience with children or young people would be important, particularly within: Schools SEND, Early Years, Youth Work, Children's Care, Residential Support, Behaviour Support, Mentoring

Responsibilities

• Provide one-to-one and small-group SEND support.
• Help pupils access lessons and classroom activities.
• Adapt learning materials around individual needs.
• Support pupils working towards EHCP and individual outcomes.
• Deliver structured interventions alongside teaching staff.
• Support communication and social interaction.
• Help children develop emotional-regulation strategies.
• Use visual, practical or sensory approaches where appropriate.
• Support positive behaviour and engagement.
• Help pupils manage routines and transitions.
• Encourage independence and problem-solving.
• Provide mobility or personal-care support where required.
• Monitor progress and share observations with teaching staff.
• Work collaboratively with teachers, the SENCO and other professionals.

Job description

Specialist SEND Teaching Assistant - ASAP Start

Location: Knowsley, Merseyside.

Pay: £95-£105 per day.

Contract: Full-Time | Long-Term

Start Date: ASAP

The Goal Isn't to Help a Pupil Forever

It's to help them reach the point where they need you less.

To give them strategies they can use themselves.

To build their confidence to attempt something independently.

And to help them discover that they're capable of more than they perhaps believed.

A supportive school in Knowsley is looking for a Specialist SEND Teaching Assistant to join its team as soon as possible.

You’ll work closely with children and young people who require additional support to participate in education, helping them overcome individual barriers while developing greater confidence and independence.

Start With What the Individual Child Needs

Pupils May Have a Range Of Additional Needs, Including

• Autism (ASC)
• ADHD
• SEMH
• Learning Difficulties
• Speech & Language Needs
• Communication Needs
• Sensory Differences
• Physical Needs

The support you provide will look different for every pupil.

One child may need visual prompts to understand what's happening next.

Another might need learning broken into smaller steps.

A pupil experiencing anxiety may need support managing a transition, while another may require additional help with communication, mobility or personal care.

You’ll learn what works for the individual child and use that understanding to help them engage more successfully with school.

Help Pupils Do More for Themselves

Your role will involve providing the right level of support without automatically stepping in and taking over.

You’ll encourage pupils to try, make choices, communicate and gradually take greater ownership of their learning.

Day To Day, You May

• Provide one-to-one and small-group SEND support.
• Help pupils access lessons and classroom activities.
• Adapt learning materials around individual needs.
• Support pupils working towards EHCP and individual outcomes.
• Deliver structured interventions alongside teaching staff.
• Support communication and social interaction.
• Help children develop emotional-regulation strategies.
• Use visual, practical or sensory approaches where appropriate.
• Support positive behaviour and engagement.
• Help pupils manage routines and transitions.
• Encourage independence and problem-solving.
• Provide mobility or personal-care support where required.
• Monitor progress and share observations with teaching staff.
• Work collaboratively with teachers, the SENCO and other professionals.

Small Steps Can Represent Significant Progress

SEND support often requires you to notice achievements that other people might overlook.

A pupil completing a task with one prompt instead of five.

A child independently asking for a break before becoming overwhelmed.

Someone joining a group activity they previously avoided.

A young person managing a change in routine without needing the same level of reassurance.

These are the moments where you can see your support beginning to work.

What Will You Bring?

We're looking for someone who understands that effective support requires patience, consistency and adaptability.

Previous experience with children or young people would be important, particularly within:

Schools

• SEND
• Early Years
• Youth Work
• Children's Care
• Residential Support
• Behaviour Support
• Mentoring

You May Currently Be a

• SEN TA
• Learning Support Assistant
• 1:1 Support Worker
• Behaviour Mentor
• Children's Support Worker

You'll Ideally

• Have experience supporting children or young people.
• Be interested in developing your SEND knowledge.
• Build positive relationships while maintaining professional boundaries.
• Remain calm when situations become challenging.
• Recognise when a pupil needs support and when they need space to try independently.
• Be comfortable adapting your approach around individual needs.
• Communicate effectively with teachers and other professionals.
• Follow safeguarding and individual-support procedures consistently.
• Be reliable, resilient and willing to learn.

An Enhanced DBS on the Update Service, or willingness to obtain one, will be required.

Turn Your Experience Into a SEND Career

This role can give you valuable practical experience across different areas of SEND.

You might discover a particular interest in autism, SEMH, communication, behaviour or specialist learning support.

Over Time, That Experience Could Support Progression Towards

• HLTA
• Specialist SEND Practitioner
• Behaviour Mentor
• Pastoral Support
• Teaching
• SEND Leadership

You’ll Benefit From

• £95-£105 per day.
• A full-time, long-term position.
• ASAP start.
• Practical experience supporting a range of additional needs.
• Opportunities to develop specialist SEND knowledge.
• Experience with personalised learning and EHCP outcomes.
• Exposure to different communication and support strategies.
• Ongoing training and professional development.
• Experience working alongside teachers and SEND professionals.

Help a Pupil Realise What They Can Do

The best support doesn't make a young person dependent on the adult beside them.

It gives them the confidence and skills to begin taking the next step themselves.