SEMH Teaching Assistant - Trauma and Behaviour Support - Hillingdon
£90 to £100 per day PAYE
Monday to Friday, 08:30 AM to 04:00 PM
Full-time, long-term contact (term-time only)
ASAP start
If you have worked with children who have SEMH needs or experienced trauma, you will know that real progress is not driven by pressure. It grows from a sense of safety, consistent support, and adults who can stay calm and regulated when a child cannot.
In your current role, you are likely focused on getting through each day and supporting the students in front of you. There is often little time to step back and consider whether your setting truly enables you to do this work in the way it should be done. However, it is worth reflecting on, because the right environment has a significant impact, not only on the children, but on you as well.
This role is based in a small, specialist SEMH school in Hillingdon, built entirely around trauma-informed, relationship-led practice. Most students attend through EHCP funding, and the school has been purposefully designed to support children who have struggled to feel safe, secure, and understood within mainstream education.
As soon as you walk into the setting, it is clear this is not a behaviour-driven school. There are no reward charts or sanctions. Behaviour is understood as communication, and adults respond with curiosity and understanding rather than punishment.
The school:
This is a low-arousal therapeutic environment supporting children and young people with SEMH and trauma histories of primary age.
The structure of the school reflects this approach:
- Small class sizes with one teacher and one trusted adult
- High staffing ratios to prioritise consistency and relationships
- Students are supported to regulate before returning to learning
- Learning paused when needed
Lessons are typically around 45 minutes, but flexibility is built in because regulation comes first. Alongside core subjects, students access a curriculum that includes therapeutic learning, relationships, human rights, cooking, and weekly forest school. This is education designed around real life, not just outcomes.
The role:
As a SEMH 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 learning, as well as regulation, reflection, and repair when situations feel difficult.
You will not be expected to manage behaviour through control. Instead, you will:
- Build trusting relationships with students over time
- Support emotional regulation through co-regulation
- Understand when learning needs to pause
- Stay calm and reflective during moments of dysregulation
You will also work alongside an integrated therapeutic team, including Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Educational Psychology, and creative therapies. Support for students and staff is genuinely built into the model.
Support for staff:
Working in a trauma-informed environment is demanding, and this school understands that. Staff have daily reflection practice built into the timetable, providing a safe and professional space to process the work. All staff receive a protected 30-minute lunch break, and there is a structured induction programme during your first several weeks, so you are properly supported from the start. You will also have access to ongoing bespoke training and CPD programmes.
Who this role suits:
This role suits someone who:
- Has genuine SEMH, Autism, ADHD, or trauma-related experience (professional or lived)
- Is emotionally intelligent, reflective, and resilient
- Understands that behaviour is communication
- Wants to work in a setting where values and practice are aligned
- Inspiring teacher, clinical psychologist, or therapist
This role is not suited to anyone seeking a traditional Teaching Assistant position or to those who rely on sanctions or reward-based behaviour systems. If this opportunity aligns with where you are in your career and what you value in SEN education, I will welcome a conversation.
Whether it is this role or another trauma-informed SEMH opportunity, I can support you in thinking carefully about 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 SEMH Teaching Assistant position, apply today or contact Mohammed at Parker Smith Inclusion.