HLTA | SEMH Behaviour Support
Brentwood
£100–£130 per day PAYE
Full-Time | Temp to Perm
September Start
Some days, progress doesn't look like a worksheet being completed.
It looks like a pupil making it through a lesson without walking out.
It looks like a young person who normally meets every adult with resistance deciding, eventually, that you're someone they can trust.
And sometimes, the biggest win is simply getting a student back through the classroom door.
We're working with a specialist SEMH school in Brentwood looking for an exceptional HLTA to join their team this September.
This is not a role for someone who wants to spend their day simply delivering lessons.
It's for someone who understands that relationships, regulation and consistency come before learning — and who knows how much difference the right adult can make.
The School
This is a specialist setting supporting young people with Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs, including pupils who may have experienced trauma, disrupted education and significant challenges beyond the classroom.
The school has built its approach around one simple principle:
Understand the behaviour. Don't just react to it.
The environment is calm, structured and consistent. Boundaries are clear. Expectations are high. And staff are given the support and training needed to work effectively with young people whose needs can be complex.
You'll be joining a team where relationships genuinely matter — and where staff work together rather than dealing with challenging situations in isolation.
What You'll Actually Be Doing
As an HLTA, you'll be one of the adults pupils see, rely on and gradually learn to trust.
Your day could involve:
- Leading learning with individuals and small groups
- Taking lessons and covering classes when required
- Supporting pupils when they're dysregulated or struggling to engage
- Helping students develop practical strategies for emotional regulation
- De-escalating situations calmly and confidently
- Building relationships with young people who may initially reject support
- Maintaining clear boundaries without creating unnecessary confrontation
- Working alongside teachers, therapists and pastoral staff
- Helping create the consistency that many of these pupils haven't experienced elsewhere
You won't be expected to have a magic wand.
You will be expected to stay calm, think clearly and keep showing up.
The Person We're Looking For
You might already be an experienced HLTA.
You might be a strong SEND Teaching Assistant ready for your next step.
Or you might come from a behaviour, youth work, residential, mentoring or similar background and have the right experience to make the transition.
What matters most is how you respond when things get difficult.
You'll be someone who:
✔ Has experience supporting young people with SEMH needs
✔ Can remain calm and consistent when behaviour escalates
✔ Doesn't take challenging behaviour personally
✔ Understands that trust is earned over time
✔ Can hold boundaries while maintaining positive relationships
✔ Is confident leading learning and managing a classroom
✔ Reflects on what works — rather than simply blaming the pupil
✔ Genuinely wants vulnerable young people to succeed
Why You'll Want to Stay
This is a school that understands something important:
You can't ask staff to support complex young people without supporting the staff themselves.
You'll receive:
- Specialist SEMH and behaviour training
- Ongoing professional development
- A strong and consistent behaviour support framework
- A trauma-informed, restorative approach
- Supportive leadership and pastoral teams
- A culture where staff wellbeing is taken seriously
- The opportunity to move into a permanent position
This Is the Bit That Matters
You won't change every student's life overnight.
Some pupils will test you.
Some days will be hard.
And sometimes, you'll go home wondering whether you actually made any difference.
Then a student who wouldn't speak to you three months ago will walk into your room and start talking.
A pupil who used to leave lessons will stay.
Someone who expected you to give up will realise you haven't.
That's the job.
If you're the kind of HLTA who understands that progress isn't always obvious — but knows how important it is — we'd love to hear from you.
Contact Elisha: elisha@psinclusion.co.uk