Math's Specialist Learning Support Assistant

What if your love of Maths could genuinely change the direction of a young person's life?

Teaching Personnel is recruiting on behalf of a highly regarded, non-maintained specialist SEMH school set in the beautiful West Sussex countryside near Horsham. This is a school with a national reputation for outstanding practice, a full in-house therapy team and a curriculum built from the ground up around the wellbeing and personal development of every pupil. It has been officially recognised as a Trauma-Informed School and is a Centre of Excellence for Inclusion — and it's the kind of place where the right person can do the most meaningful work of their career.

They are looking for a Maths specialist LSA to join their secondary team from September 2026. This is not a standard classroom assistant role. You will be working directly with secondary-aged boys with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs, autism and trauma backgrounds, using your subject knowledge to make Maths accessible, engaging and genuinely relevant to young people who may have disengaged from education entirely before arriving at this school.

What you'll be doing

• Providing targeted 1:1 and small group Maths support to secondary pupils with SEMH needs, working alongside specialist teachers to close gaps, build confidence and rekindle engagement with the subject.
• Adapting Maths content, resources and approaches to meet the emotional and cognitive needs of individual pupils, moving away from rigid delivery and towards flexible, creative support.
• Supporting pupils to develop the numeracy and problem-solving skills they need for GCSE and BTEC qualifications, as well as for everyday life beyond school.
• Building consistent, trusted relationships that help pupils feel safe and regulated enough to engage with learning.
• Working within a trauma-informed, person-centred framework alongside teachers, therapists and pastoral staff.
• Contributing to each pupil's Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) targets and supporting regular progress reviews.
• Maintaining accurate records and following safeguarding procedures at all times.

Who we're looking for

• A strong working knowledge of Maths at secondary level, with the confidence to support pupils from entry level through to GCSE.
• Experience working with young people with SEMH, trauma, autism or behavioural and emotional needs — in a school, care or community setting.
• A calm, patient and adaptable approach, with the emotional intelligence to understand when a pupil needs academic support and when they need something else entirely.
• Genuine belief that every young person can make progress in Maths with the right support — however far behind they may appear to be.
• Resilient, warm and professionally grounded, with a sense of humour and a commitment to showing up consistently for every pupil, every day.
• Enhanced DBS on the Update Service, or willingness to apply for one.
• A clean UK Driving Licence and own trasnport is essential for this role

What's in it for you

• From £26,000 per annum, with full pay during half terms and school holidays on completion of probation — a genuinely competitive package for a support role.
• A permanent, full-time position at a school with a national reputation for innovation, inclusion and exceptional practice.
• A rich, multi-disciplinary working environment with access to in-house therapists, specialist teachers, and a well-established CPD and training programme.
• The chance to be part of a staff team that is deeply committed to the young people in their care and to each other.
• A genuinely beautiful working environment set in West Sussex countryside — because where you work matters too.

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.
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