SEND Teaching Assistant – Autism, SEMH & Complex Needs

Location: Feltham, West London
Pay: £90 – £100 per day (PAYE only)
Contract: Full-time, term-time only
Start Date: ASAP

This role is not for people looking for “any classroom job.”

This is for people who genuinely understand SEND.
For people who know that behaviour is communication.
For people who stay calm when a child is dysregulated, overwhelmed, or shut down.
For people who want to be part of meaningful progress, not just supervision.

A specialist education setting in Feltham is seeking a dedicated SEND Teaching Assistant to support children with Autism (ASC), SEMH, ADHD, communication needs, and a range of complex learning profiles.

This is a role where emotional intelligence matters just as much as experience. You will be part of a team that supports children who may be non-verbal, highly anxious, sensory-sensitive, or struggling to regulate their emotions.

If you are looking for an easy classroom role, this will not be the right environment. If you care deeply about doing SEND properly, this could be exactly what you have been searching for.

The Type of Setting

This is a highly structured, specialist environment designed for children who need more than mainstream can offer.

Pupils may have:

• Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC)

• Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs (SEMH)

• ADHD

• Speech, Language and Communication Needs

• Sensory processing differences

• Trauma-related needs

• Learning difficulties including SLD and complex profiles

The setting focuses on communication, emotional regulation, independence, and building trust before academic progress.

Your Day-to-Day Role Will Include

• Supporting individual pupils and small groups to access learning in manageable, structured steps

• Supporting social communication and interaction throughout the school day

• Helping pupils regulate emotions and manage behaviour in a calm, trauma-informed way

• Promoting independence, confidence, and self-esteem

• Supporting literacy and communication development across lessons

• Providing structured support during transitions, unstructured times, and sensory breaks

• Supporting emotional and pastoral needs, including distressed or dysregulated pupils

• Feeding back to teachers on progress, triggers, and effective strategies

• Supporting behaviour plans and individual support strategies

• Helping create a calm, predictable learning environment

• Preparing and using resources to support individual learning needs

The Reality of the Role

This work is deeply rewarding, but it can be emotionally and physically demanding.

Some days will involve:

• Supporting pupils in emotional distress

• Managing dysregulated behaviour

• Supporting children who struggle with communication

• Staying calm when progress feels slow

• Working as part of a close team to manage challenging moments safely and professionally

People who thrive here are resilient, reflective, patient, and genuinely motivated by helping children who need specialist support.

This Role Is Right For You If You:

• Have genuine SEND experience, professional or personal

• Understand Autism, SEMH, and communication needs beyond surface level

• Stay calm under pressure

• Are emotionally intelligent and reflective

• Care about building trust with vulnerable children

• Want to develop professionally in specialist SEND

• Are not just looking for “any” school job

• Can commit to consistency and routine

• Believe in trauma-informed, child-centred practice

What You Can Expect

• A supportive specialist team environment

• Clear structure and training

• Meaningful work where you see real impact

• PAYE only, fully transparent pay

• Ethical, specialist SEND recruitment support through PSI Inclusion

• Honest communication and long-term SEND career support

PSI Inclusion is a specialist SEND recruitment consultancy. We work exclusively in SEND and place people who genuinely care about doing this work properly. We operate transparently, ethically, and PAYE only.

Safeguarding

This role requires an enhanced DBS and full safeguarding checks. References will be taken, and safeguarding remains the highest priority.

If you're interested please reach out to Luke at Parker Smith Inclusion.

INDSUPP