Learning Support Assistant - Colchester

We are currently working with a number of SLD & MLD SEN schools who are looking to appoint Teaching Assistants for a variety of day-to-day, short term and long term bookings around Chelmsford & Colchester. Special Needs Teaching Assistants support students with special educational needs (SEN) in the classroom as directed by an SEN teacher in order to help pupils succeed with their learning.

It takes a very special person to work with pupils with severe learning difficulties. Class sizes can be as small as 3/4 pupils and there is a high ratio of LSA support. SLD/MLD schools have pupils with complex needs, there may be pupils with degenerative illnesses, those who are completely non-verbal and communicate using basic signing tools like Makaton or through a series of lights and clickers. There may be pupils at the high end of the autism spectrum or with Cerebral Palsy. Ability levels can vary considerably. You'll be working with other professionals within the school, e.g. a nurse, physiotherapist, speech and language therapist, etc.

Your main duties will include:

• Inspiring and engaging with young adults with physical and mental difficulties.
• Assessing individual learning needs and working on a group basis
• Preparing materials, equipment and lessons
• Assessing and reporting on individual pupils' progress
• Assisting with the personal care needs of pupils; this may include feeding, changing and manual handling.
• Liaising with parents, carers and professionals such as mainstream teachers, education welfare officers, social workers and Healthcare professionals

The successful candidates need to have previous experience of working with SEN students and have a strong desire of getting involved in every aspect of the school. Experience with children and young adults that have PMLD, SLD, ASD & MLD would be preferable.

Other experience & qualifications desirable:

• Team Teach/MAPA qualified
• Positive handling
• Restorative justice
• First Aid trained