Learning Support Assistant - Kingston
ASAP start, full-time (term time only), Monday to Friday 8:30am to 4pm
£93 - £98 PAYE per day, paid weekly
Interviews arranged ASAP
If a child cannot tell you they are scared, tired or in pain, how would you know?
Many of the children in this school communicate without speech. Some use a few words. Others tell you how they feel through sounds, expressions and movement. As a Learning Support Assistant here, your job is to get to know each child well enough to understand them.
I am working with a specialist SEND school in South West London that supports children and young people with SLD, PMLD and Autism (ASC). They need a Learning Support Assistant to join the team on a long-term basis.
Is This Your Next Role?
Many people who do well in this kind of role did not start in school. They looked after a brother or sister with additional needs. They worked in care. They finished a psychology degree and were not sure what came next. What they share is patience, a steady temperament and a sense of humour on a hard day.
If your current job does not use those qualities, this one will, every hour of the day. You also come away with skills that open doors, whether you stay in SEND or go on to teaching or therapy.
A Day in the Role
No two days look the same. One morning, you might be in the water with a pupil during a sensory session. After lunch, you might help a child eat, support them with personal care, and then sit alongside a therapist working on how that child asks for what they want. The work is physical and hands-on. It takes patience and resilience. The reward is watching a child do something on Friday that they could not do on Monday.
About the School and the Pupils
Many pupils have Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN). Some are non-verbal, some use wheelchairs and others need help with mobility. Classes are small. Teachers, Learning Support Assistants and therapists work in the same rooms, so you learn from specialists simply by doing the job. The school has well-equipped spaces for therapy and sensory work, and it trains every new member of staff in the support each pupil needs.
The school is within easy reach of Wimbledon, Raynes Park, New Malden, Twickenham and Epsom.
What the Role Involves
- Supporting pupils with SLD, PMLD and Autism (ASC) one-to-one, in small groups and across the class
- Joining sensory and water-based sessions, including getting in the water with pupils
- Helping with feeding, toileting and personal care with dignity and respect
- Following communication plans from Teachers and therapists, and telling them what you notice
- Supporting pupils with mobility, including wheelchair users, so every child can join in the full school day
Who Should Apply
- You have some SEND experience, formal or personal. Family, volunteering, care and school experience all count
- You are comfortable with personal care, feeding and water-based sessions
- You are a graduate in psychology, education studies or a related subject and want a career in SEND
- You work in care or support work and want to move into a school
- You plan to train as a Teacher, Speech and Language Therapist or Occupational Therapist and want hands-on experience first
The school cares most about attitude. If you are flexible, communicate well and stay calm when plans change, they want to hear from you.
About Parker Smith Inclusion
PS Inclusion works only in SEND, and only in long-term and permanent roles. The consultants get to know each person well before suggesting a school, because the aim is to find a role you want to stay in. More than 1,500 educators have found new roles this way, and over 400 five-star Google reviews rate the team for efficiency and genuine support. One application gives you access to roles that never reach job boards.
How to Apply
The school is interviewing now and wants the right person in place as soon as possible. Apply through psinclusion.co.uk, reply to this advert, or contact Heeji Moon on 0203 011 4848 or at heeji@psinclusion.co.uk.