SEND Teaching Assistant – Feltham

Autism, SEMH & Medical Needs (Diabetes Support)

Location: Feltham, West London
Pay: £90–£100 per day (PAYE only)
Contract: Full-time, long-term
Start date: ASAP or next available start

This role is not for everyone. That is intentional.

This is a SEND Teaching Assistant role for someone who understands that supporting children with additional needs is relational, demanding, and deeply meaningful work. The pupils you will support need adults who are emotionally steady, observant, patient, and genuinely invested in SEND, not someone simply looking for classroom experience.

If you are drawn to work where emotional safety, regulation, and consistency matter as much as learning outcomes, this could be the right next step.

The setting

This is a specialist primary setting supporting children with a range of needs including Autism/ASC, SEMH, ADHD, communication differences, and associated learning needs such as MLD and SLD.

Pupils may experience sensory overload, anxiety, emotional dysregulation, or difficulties with attention, transitions, and social communication. Some children are pre-verbal or use alternative communication methods. Others are working significantly below age-related expectations and require personalised, flexible support throughout the school day.

In addition, this role includes responsibility for supporting pupils with medical needs, specifically diabetes, across Year 3 and Year 6, ensuring their safety, wellbeing, and inclusion in daily learning.

The role

As a SEND Teaching Assistant, you will work closely with class teachers and the wider support team to provide consistent, trauma-informed support across the day.

Your role will include:

• Providing 1:1 and small-group support for pupils with Autism, SEMH, and complex learning needs

• Supporting emotional regulation, behaviour, and engagement using calm, consistent approaches

• Helping pupils access learning through adapted tasks, structure, and sensory-aware strategies

• Supporting communication needs, including visual supports and alternative communication methods

• Assisting with transitions, routines, and unstructured times such as play and lunch

• Supporting pupils with diabetes, including monitoring, awareness of symptoms, and following agreed care plans in partnership with staff

• Working across Year 3 and Year 6 where required, adapting support to different developmental stages

• Building trusting, professional relationships with pupils while maintaining clear boundaries

• Recording observations and contributing to support strategies and reviews

The reality of the role

This work can be challenging. Pupils may present with dysregulation, emotional outbursts, avoidance, or heightened anxiety. Progress is not always linear and some days require more patience than others.

The people who thrive here are those who stay calm under pressure, reflect rather than react, and understand that behaviour is communication.

Who this role is for

This role is right for someone who:

• Has genuine SEND experience, professionally or personally

• Understands Autism, SEMH, and emotional regulation beyond surface-level knowledge

• Is confident supporting children with additional medical needs, or willing to learn and follow clear care plans

• Communicates calmly, clearly, and respectfully with children and adults

• Is emotionally resilient and reflective rather than reactive

• Is committed to SEND support as a career path, not a temporary role

This role is not suitable for candidates without SEND experience or those seeking a general teaching assistant position.

Why work with PSI Inclusion

PSI Inclusion is a transparent, ethical SEND-specialist recruitment consultancy. We work exclusively with PAYE placements and focus on long-term, meaningful matches rather than short-term fixes.

We take the time to understand both the setting and the people we place, because consistency matters for children with additional needs.

If you are an experienced SEND Teaching Assistant who understands the responsibility and impact of this role, and you want to work somewhere your presence genuinely matters, this is a role worth applying for.