Job Description

SEMH Teaching Assistant - Aspiring Councellor

Bring your counselling strengths to support young people.

Summary
Are you passionate about supporting young people with SEMH? This role offers you the chance to apply your skills in a classroom?based position within a school setting supporting pupils with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs. You'll work in a classroom environment in the Whitehaven area and support young people who have experienced trauma, helping them feel safe, understood and ready to learn.

Your background may be in counselling, trauma?informed care, youth work, mental?health support, social services or therapy. If you're ready to bring those strengths into education?based work, this is an ideal opportunity: you'll use your experience of helping children and young people to thrive -- now in a school setting where you can make a meaningful, daily difference.

The Role

You will work in a specialised classroom environment supporting pupils who have SEMH needs, including those whose additional needs stem from trauma, attachment or emotional regulation difficulties. You will collaborate closely with the teaching team to deliver individualised plans (e.g., EHCPs) and therapeutic?informed interventions. You may support pupils with social, emotional and mental?health needs, attachment issues or trauma?related behaviours, helping build resilience and emotional regulation. You'll create a safe, nurturing space where pupils feel valued, supported and able to engage with learning and relationships. The role is Monday to Friday, consistent hours (8.30am-3.30pm), with no evenings or weekends -- full?time or part?time applications welcomed.
The Ideal Person and Skills/Education Needed

A qualification and/or significant experience in counselling, trauma?informed practice, social/health care, or youth & mental?health support. Excellent communicator, able to build trusting relationships with young people, colleagues and external professionals. Empathetic, calm and resilient -- you understand how trauma impacts learning and behaviour and can adapt your approach accordingly. Reliable and consistent -- you will offer stability to pupils whose lives may have lacked it. Able to collaborate in a team, willing to learn the classroom/education setting and translate your therapeutic skills into educational support. While prior classroom TA experience is beneficial, it is not essential: we welcome applications from those looking to make a purposeful transition from counselling/trauma care into education. For roles in Whitehaven in mainstream settings, a recognised Teaching Assistant qualification is required.
The School
You'll join a school that prioritises emotional wellbeing, therapeutic support and inclusive education for pupils with SEMH. The environment is rooted in trauma?informed practice, focusing on nurturing relationships, regulation strategies and meaningful learning. You'll work alongside a dedicated team of teachers, therapists and support staff committed to helping each young person thrive.

Hours
Monday to?Friday, 8.30?am?3.30?pm (full?time or part?time applications welcome).

The Benefits

Competitive pay Consistent weekday hours with no evenings or weekends The chance to develop highly transferable skills across education, counselling and therapeutic settings Ongoing training and support from an experienced SEND and trauma?informed team Long?term temporary role with the potential to become permanent
Safeguarding children is an integral part of what we do and we have a stringent safer recruitment process. We undertake checks on all the candidates we work with. As such we require a current Enhanced DBS Disclosure for everyone working in Schools. If you do not have a subscription to the DBS Update Service, you may be required to complete a new DBS application as part of the registration process. If you take a temporary role with Sense?Education you will be paid on a weekly basis. All pay rates quoted will be inclusive of 12.07% statutory holiday pay. This advert is for a temporary position but long term. In some cases, the option to make this role permanent may become available.

Job Types: Full-time, Part-time, Temp to perm

Pay: 91.00-105.00 per year

Work Location: In person