Teaching Assistant – Autism & Mental Health Support (Secondary School)
Ideal for Psychology Graduates | SEN | Autism | Anxiety | Behaviour Support
Specialist Autism Base in Barry – Secondary School (CF62)
Monday–Friday | 08:10am–3:10pm | Term Time Only
£90 per day | Pay increase April 2026
February Start – July 2027 (Potential Permanent School Contract)
Are you a Teaching Assistant, Psychology graduate, or aspiring SEN / mental health professional looking for a meaningful, career-building role?
We are recruiting a dedicated Teaching Assistant to work in a warm, supportive specialist Autism base within a secondary school. This role is perfect for someone passionate about autism, anxiety, mental health, emotional regulation, and behaviour support.
About the Role
You will be supporting two secondary-aged pupils with:
- Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC)
- Severe anxiety and emotional needs
- Challenging behaviour linked to mental health
- Difficulty accessing mainstream lessons
The pupils require high levels of emotional, academic, and pastoral support in a low-stimulus, nurturing environment.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide support to 2 pupils within the base
- Support pupils with mental health, anxiety management, and emotional regulation
- Deliver adapted curriculum work in partnership with subject teachers
- Liaise with teaching staff to gather lesson plans and learning materials
- Encourage engagement with learning at an individual pace
- Support life skills, independence, and social development
- Respond calmly and confidently to challenging behaviour
- Build trusted, consistent relationships with pupils who struggle in traditional classroom settings
Who This Role Is Perfect For
✔ Teaching Assistants (Mainstream or SEN)
✔ Psychology Graduates
✔ Education, Youth Work, Criminology, or Mental Health graduates
✔ Individuals with experience supporting autism, anxiety, SEN, or behavioural needs
Essential Skills & Experience
- Experience working with children or young people (school, SEN, care, or youth settings)
- Understanding of autism, anxiety, and mental health needs
- Calm, patient, and emotionally resilient
- Firm but kind approach to boundaries and behaviour management
- Passion for additional needs, SEN education, and child psychology
- Excellent communication and teamwork skills
Why This Role Stands Out
✨ Work in a specialist Autism provision
✨ Gain hands-on experience in mental health and SEN support
✨ Ideal stepping stone into Educational Psychology, Clinical Psychology, SEN teaching, or therapy roles
✨ Term-time only = great work–life balance
✨ Long-term role with potential permanent school contract
Interviews are being held at the school on Wednesday 4th February.
Start date: ASAP once vetting checks cleared.
All applicants will require the appropriate qualifications and training for this role. Please see the FAQ’s on the Teaching Personnel website for details.
All pay rates quoted will be inclusive of 12.07% statutory holiday pay. This advert is for a temporary position. In some cases, the option to make this role permanent may become available at a later date.
Teaching Personnel is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. We undertake safeguarding checks on all workers in accordance with DfE statutory guidance ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ this may also include an online search as part of our due diligence on shortlisted applicants.
We offer all our registered candidates FREE child protection and prevent duty training. All candidates must undertake or have undertaken a valid enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. Full assistance provided.
For details of our privacy policy, please visit the Teaching Personnel website.
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