Trainee Secondary SEND Support Assistant

Protocol Education Ltd; Sunderland; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading education consultancy is seeking a Trainee Secondary SEND Support Assistant in Sunderland. The role offers an excellent opportunity for those new to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) to gain skills while supporting pupils with learning and emotional management. Applicants need to possess a caring personality, a willingness to learn, and an interest in SEND or SEMH. Comprehensive training, including FREE courses and coaching from experienced staff, ensures a strong foundation in this specialist area.

Benefits

FREE Thrive course

FREE SEND, autism, and behaviour CPD

Ongoing coaching from experienced staff

Qualifications

• A caring and grounded personality is essential.
• Must be willing to learn and accept feedback.
• A genuine interest in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), autism, or Social, Emotional, and Mental Health (SEMH) is required.

Responsibilities

• Support pupils with learning, confidence, and behavior.
• Learn de-escalation and restorative practice.
• Help young people manage emotions.
• Support personalized learning and small victories.

Skills

Caring personality

Willingness to learn

Interest in SEND, autism, or SEMH

Job description

Trainee Secondary SEND Support Assistant – Sunderland

Pay: £89 to £110 per day
Start: ASAP
Contract: Full-time, long-term

This trainee pathway is ideal if you’re new to SEND or SEMH but have the right mix of patience, curiosity and resilience.

The school offers structure, clear routines and supportive staff who will guide you through everything from communication strategies to trauma-informed practice.

You’ll be doing:

• Supporting pupils in class with learning, confidence and behaviour
• Learning how to use de‑escalation and restorative practice
• Helping young people manage emotions
• Supporting personalised learning and small victories

What you need:

• A caring, grounded personality
• Willingness to learn and accept feedback
• A genuine interest in SEND, autism or SEMH

Training provided:

• FREE Thrive course
• FREE SEND, autism and behaviour CPD
• Ongoing coaching from experienced staff

A brilliant stepping stone into specialist secondary education.

All applicants will require the appropriate qualifications and training for this role. Please see the FAQs on the Protocol Education website for further details.

All pay rates quoted will be inclusive of 12.07% statutory holiday pay. This advert is for a temporary position. In some cases, the option to make this role permanent may become available at a later date.

Protocol Education is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. We undertake safeguarding checks on all workers in accordance with the DfE statutory guidance ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’, this may also include an online search as part of our due diligence on shortlisted applicants.

We offer FREE online safeguarding and Prevent Duty training to all our workers. All candidates must undertake or have undertaken a valid enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and subscribe to the DBS Update Service.

Full assistance provided. For details of our privacy policy, please see visit the Protocol Education website.