Special Needs Teaching Assistant – Sutton/Surrey
£90 to £100 per day PAYE (dependant on experience)
Monday to Friday, 08:15 AM to 03:30 PM
Full-time, long-term contract (term-time only)
Easter/September Start
If you have worked with children who have Autism, SLD, physical disabilities, or complex needs, you will know that every milestone is an achievement. Progress grows from a sense of safety, consistent support, and adults who can stay calm and regulated when a child cannot.
As soon as you walk into the setting, it is clear how much the team genuinely loves their job and supporting SEND children. There is a strong sense of collaboration, positivity, and shared purpose across the provision staff team.
The School
This is a SEND provision supporting children with a diagnosis of Autism, SLD, and complex needs, many of whom have high presenting needs. The provision caters to teaching and learning, adapted carefully to meet each student's developmental stage.
Many pupils are working at an early developmental level, including supporting students' learning within a 6–18-month developmental range. Because of this, approaches rooted in early child development and play-based learning are essential to how students engage and make progress.
Key features of the setting include:
- Small class sizes with sensory and holistic-based teaching
- High staffing ratios to prioritise consistency and strong relationships
- A focus on regulation before learning
- An incredibly supportive staff team that works closely together and supports one another
- A culture where staff are encouraged to reset each day with a positive mindset, leaving difficult moments behind and returning ready to support students again
The Role
As a Special Needs Teaching Assistant, your role goes far beyond classroom support. You will provide a consistent adult presence for students who need reliability, calm, and emotional safety. You will work closely with the class teacher to support both learning and emotional regulation.
You will support students with a wide range of needs, including those who may not engage with learning in a typical way. Because of this, levels of engagement are key, and you will need to adapt your approach to suit each individual pupil.
Your responsibilities will include:
- Building trusting and meaningful relationships with students over time
- Supporting pupils with high and low presenting needs, adapting to each child’s communication and engagement style
- Supporting personal care where necessary - toileting, changing etc
- Supporting emotional regulation through co-regulation
- Recognising when learning needs to pause so a child can regulate
- Staying calm and reflective during moments of dysregulation
- Supporting children who communicate and engage in non-traditional ways
You will also work alongside an integrated therapeutic team, including Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Educational Psychology, and creative therapies. Support for both students and staff is genuinely embedded into the model.
Approaches to Learning
Many students in this setting learn best through curiosity-based and play-based learning approaches. Experience or understanding of the following would be particularly valuable:
- Early child development
- Play-based learning
- Attention Autism / curiosity-based learning
- Supporting children who may not engage in typical classroom interactions
Candidates with a background in Early Years education often transition very well into this environment, as many pupils are learning at a similar developmental stage.
Who This Role Suits
This role is suited to someone who:
- Has a genuine passion for working with children with Autism, SLD, complex needs, or trauma-related experiences
- Understands that behaviour is communication
- Is emotionally intelligent, reflective, and resilient
- Brings a positive mindset, enthusiasm, and a “can do” attitude
- Is someone who is in this work for the right reasons and truly enjoys supporting children with additional needs
- Is able to leave challenging moments behind and return each day ready to support students positively
- May have professional experience or lived experience supporting individuals with additional needs
Experience with Team Teach training would be desirable, but is not essential.
We also welcome candidates who bring valuable lived experience, as well as those from backgrounds such as Early Years, care, psychology, or therapy pathways.
This role can be particularly inspiring for someone considering a future career as a teacher, therapist, clinical psychologist, or specialist practitioner.
This role is not suited to someone seeking a traditional Teaching Assistant position or someone who relies heavily on sanctions or reward-based behaviour systems. The ethos here is relationship-based, reflective, and trauma-informed.
If this opportunity aligns with where you are in your career and what you value in SEN education, I would welcome a conversation.
Whether it is this role or another SEND Teaching Assistant opportunity, I can support you in carefully considering your next step and whether the setting is the right fit for you.
This is a role for someone looking for more than a job. It is for someone seeking the right environment to carry out meaningful work.
If you are interested in this Teaching Assistant position, apply today or contact Jamie at Parker Smith Inclusion.