Location: Burgess Hill, West Sussex
Position: SEMH Teaching Assistant
Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:30am – 3:30pm
Pay: £100 per day
Contract: Full-time, Temporary to Permanent
Start Date: ASAP
Pink Tile Education are currently seeking a confident, resilient and engaging Teaching Assistant to join an SEMH setting in Burgess Hill, supporting secondary-aged students with a range of Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs.
This is a rewarding but challenging role, working with young people who may have experienced difficulties accessing mainstream education. The students may include school refusers, pupils who have been excluded from education, and young people who have struggled to engage with traditional educational settings.
As a result, there can be challenging behaviour within the setting, including verbally challenging behaviour, refusal to engage and testing of boundaries. The successful candidate will need to remain calm and consistent, whilst developing positive relationships with students and helping them to re-engage with education.
Supporting secondary-aged students with a range of SEMH needs.
Building positive, trusting relationships with students who may have had negative experiences of education.
Supporting students who may be reluctant to attend, engage or participate in learning.
Managing challenging and verbally challenging behaviour in a calm, consistent and professional manner.
Identifying students’ individual interests and using these to build rapport and encourage engagement.
Providing encouragement, reassurance and positive reinforcement.
Maintaining clear and appropriate boundaries, particularly with students who may test limits.
Supporting students both academically and socially, helping them to develop confidence and independence.
Working closely with teachers and other staff to provide consistent support and strategies.
Contributing to a safe, positive and supportive learning environment.
Encouraging students to develop positive attitudes towards education and their future.
The ideal candidate will be someone who is confident, patient and resilient, with the ability to connect with young people while maintaining clear professional boundaries.
You will ideally have experience working with SEMH, challenging behaviour, alternative provision, exclusions, school refusal or similar settings, although relevant experience working with young people in other environments will also be considered.
You should be:
Confident managing challenging and verbally challenging behaviour.
Calm and composed when faced with difficult situations.
Able to build genuine relationships and rapport with young people.
Creative in finding ways to engage students based on their individual interests.
Consistent and confident in maintaining boundaries.
Patient, understanding and non-judgemental.
Resilient and able to see beyond challenging behaviour.
A strong communicator and team player.
Passionate about helping young people who may have struggled within mainstream education.
As this position is available to start ASAP, candidates must either:
Hold a valid DBS on the Update Service, or
Be in a position where a new DBS can be applied for immediately through Pink Tile Education.
At Pink Tile Education, we specialise in education recruitment across Sussex and pride ourselves on building long-term relationships with both our candidates and schools.
As a candidate working with us, you can expect:
Dedicated support from an experienced education consultant.
Access to a range of SEND and SEMH opportunities across West Sussex.
Competitive daily rates of pay.
Weekly pay.
Support throughout the application, interview and onboarding process.
A straightforward and supportive registration process.
Opportunities for temporary, long-term and temp-to-perm positions.
Access to schools and provisions that may not always advertise directly.
Ongoing support once you are placed into a role.
If you are passionate about education and eager to make a difference in the lives of young learners, we would love to hear from you. Apply below.
Looking for a different area or start date? Register with Pink Tile Education to be the first to hear about new opportunities in your area.
Pink Tile Education, our schools and candidates all share the expectation of “Best Fit, Every Time”, and our job is to ensure that every candidate we place has a positive impact on the team of their new employer.
The pay stated is inclusive of the additional 12.07% PAYE holiday pay.
We are fully committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Successful applicants will be required to undertake various background checks, including obtaining a DBS certificate, if they do not already hold a valid certificate registered on the Update Service.
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