Teaching Assistant SEMH

Katharine Lady Berkeley's School; Wotton-under-Edge; On-site; GBP 18,000 - 19,000; Part time

Job summary

Katharine Lady Berkeley's School is seeking an enthusiastic SEMH Teaching Assistant to support students with complex social, emotional and mental health needs. The role involves building trusting relationships, providing emotional support and delivering targeted interventions to help students engage with learning.

Based in our supportive hub environment, the post requires excellent communication and teamwork, with the ability to supervise students in line with school policies.

Qualifications

• Experience with young people in educational/childcare settings is advantageous.
• Relevant transferable skills and experience are welcomed.
• Excellent communication and teamwork skills are essential.
• Confident in supervising students within school policies.

Responsibilities

• Support students with SEMH needs across designated rooms.
• Build positive relationships and provide emotional support.
• Deliver targeted interventions to help engagement with learning.
• Assist in Regulation Room, Reflection Room and Reintegration Room to de‑escalate situations.

Skills

Communication

Empathy

Behaviour management

Teamwork

Discretion

Job description

Katharine Lady Berkeley's School is seeking to appoint an enthusiastic and committed SEMH Teaching Assistant to support students with complex social, emotional and mental health needs.

The successful candidate will build positive and trusting relationships with students, provide emotional support, deliver targeted interventions and help create a calm, structured environment in which young people can engage positively with their learning. Working within our new support hub, they will provide assistance to students who may be struggling during the school day, helping them to regulate their emotions, reflect on their behaviour and successfully reintegrate into the classroom.

The role will involve working across our Regulation Room, Reflection Room and Reintegration Room, providing targeted support and helping students to manage challenging situations through appropriate de-escalation strategies.

Candidates should have a good standard of education and be able to support young people with their studies. Experience of working with young people in an educational, childcare or other relevant setting would be advantageous. While relevant qualifications and experience in intervention work would be desirable, we also welcome applications from candidates who can demonstrate relevant transferable skills and experience.

The successful candidate will have excellent communication and teamwork skills, enthusiasm and a genuine commitment to supporting the wellbeing, development and education of young people. They will be confident in supervising students within the school's policies and procedures, able to respond calmly and positively to challenging situations, and capable of managing their workload effectively with minimal supervision.

Katharine Lady Berkeley's School is a very successful comprehensive with excellent results at GCSE and at A Level. It sits at the heart of the local community with extensive links to the surrounding area. We are a large school of 1550 students with 290 in the Sixth Form. The school is within easy commuting distance of Bristol and Gloucester being just 10 minutes from Junction 14 of the M5.

The Sunday Times Parent Power Guide 2025 has once again placed the school third among all comprehensive secondary schools in the South West of England. The school has high expectations of all students and celebrates their academic progress and achievement. This is balanced with a tailored pastoral approach that ensures all students have opportunities to develop and succeed in a supportive environment. Our "Proud To Be..." message, which permeates all aspects of our planning and development, is deeply rooted in the school culture.

Further information about the school is available on our website.

This is a term-time-only position, working 27.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday, from 8.20am to 2.50pm, with a 60-minute unpaid break. There may be some flexibility around the working hours for the right candidate. The salary is NJC Points 11-14 (£29,071-£30,515) pro rata, dependent on experience, qualifications and hours worked. Actual salary is £18,067-£18,964.