SEMH Teaching Assistant

The Opportunity

Are you passionate about supporting young people with SEMH needs? We are looking for a dedicated and compassionate Teaching Assistant to work in a secondary school, providing vital support to students facing mental health challenges and the effects of early childhood trauma. This role involves working both in class and out of class, helping students to engage with learning, manage emotions, and develop coping strategies. If you are resilient, patient, and committed to making a positive impact, we would love to hear from you.

The Role

As a SEMH Teaching Assistant, you will work closely with students who need additional emotional and behavioural support, ensuring they feel safe, valued, and ready to learn. You will collaborate with teachers, pastoral teams, and external professionals to implement tailored interventions and strategies that help students build confidence, resilience, and self-regulation skills.

Main Responsibilities

• Support students with SEMH needs in both classroom settings and one-to-one or small group interventions.
• Build positive and trusting relationships to help students feel secure and supported.
• Implement emotional regulation strategies and support students in managing anxiety, trauma responses, and challenging behaviour.
• Assist in developing and delivering personalised learning and well-being plans.
• Work closely with teachers, SENCOs, and mental health professionals to ensure a holistic approach to student support.
• Provide a calm, structured, and nurturing environment that encourages student engagement.
• Help students develop social and emotional skills that support their long-term success.
• Act as a role model, promoting positive behaviour and resilience.

Essential Criteria

Desirable Criteria

Experience in mentoring, counselling, youth work, or mental health support roles.

Knowledge of trauma-informed approaches, restorative practices, or de-escalation techniques.

Qualification in Education, Psychology, or Mental Health Support.

What can Five Education offer you?

Five Education operates a PAYE payroll; this is the most transparent way to be paid with no hidden fees such as admin fees or employers' NI. We are also proud to be an accredited Living Wage employer. Please note pay rate is for illustration and does include holiday pay.?

Vetting : Five Education is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all the staff we employ to share this commitment. Successful applicants will be required to undergo checks including reference checks and TRA checks. Applicants who do not have a non-voluntary enhanced DBS on the update service, will need to process a new one at a cost of £62.70. This will be refunded after 20 days of work and the DBS has been registered on the update service.

We welcome and encourage job applications from people of all backgrounds. We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as they are currently under-represented at this level.