SEND Support Assistant

Are you passionate about making a real difference to children with complex SEND needs? Are you calm, resilient and ready for a role that is both incredibly rewarding and genuinely challenging? Kettering Park Infant Academy is seeking to appoint a highly committed and resilient Specialist Teaching Assistant to join our Rainbow Provision, supporting children with significant and complex special educational needs. This is not a general classroom Teaching Assistant role. Working within Rainbow Provision is demanding and requires someone who is prepared to work consistently and patiently with children who may have significant communication, sensory, social, emotional, behavioural and learning needs. Some children may be non-verbal or communicate in very different ways. Others may require a high level of adult support to regulate, communicate, engage with learning and develop their independence. At the same time, this is work where small steps can represent huge achievements. Seeing a child communicate something for the first time, become more independent, manage a previously difficult situation or access learning in a new way can be incredibly rewarding. You will work closely with the SENCO, teachers and wider inclusion team to support pupils' individual pathways and contribute to their learning, communication, regulation and independence. You will help implement individual support plans and EHCP outcomes, prepare and adapt resources, and support pupils both within Rainbow Provision and, where appropriate, as they access aspects of the wider school curriculum.

We are looking for someone who:

genuinely wants to work with children with complex and significant SEND needs; understands that this is specialist, demanding work, rather than a traditional classroom TA role; is calm, patient, emotionally resilient and consistent, even when situations are challenging; can build trusting relationships with children who may communicate without words or in highly individual ways; is willing to develop their understanding of autism, communication, sensory processing and emotional regulation; can recognise that behaviour is communication and respond with curiosity, patience and appropriate professional boundaries; can follow individual approaches consistently while also using their initiative; can adapt learning, communication and the environment to meet individual needs; is physically able to support children who may require a high level of adult assistance throughout the school day; is reflective and willing to learn from colleagues and from the children themselves; can work positively as part of a close-knit team and contribute to a consistent approach; has high expectations for every child, while understanding that progress may look very different for different pupils; is committed to safeguarding, inclusion and the wellbeing of children. What we can offer You will join a school that is committed to developing its specialist SEND provision and investing in staff expertise. You will have opportunities to develop your knowledge and skills through training, collaboration with experienced colleagues and practical experience within Rainbow Provision. This is a role for someone who wants to do more than support learning. You will help children develop communication, confidence, independence and the skills they need to participate in school and the wider world. If you are looking for meaningful, challenging work where your patience, resilience and commitment can make a profound difference to a child's life, we would love to hear from you. We strongly encourage School Visits, please contact the main school office on 01536 481922 to arrange a visit. Please note we follow Safer recruitment guidelines as set out in KCSIE.