Job Title: SEND Teaching Assistant – SEMH School
Location: Islington, North London
Pay: £90–£95 per day (PAYE, no umbrella faff)
Contract: Full-time, Long-term
Start Date: ASAP

Looking for a role where you genuinely make a difference, not just fill a gap?

This one’s for the calm-in-the-chaos types. The ones who don’t take behaviour personally, who know when to give space and when to step in, and who understand that trust takes time.

We’re supporting a specialist SEMH school in Islington that’s on the lookout for a confident SEND Teaching Assistant to join their team. It’s a setting built on patience, structure, and strong relationships, and they’re after someone who gets that.

What you’ll be doing:

• Supporting pupils with social, emotional, and mental health needs

• Helping students manage emotions and stay engaged in learning

• Working closely with teachers and pastoral staff

• Building positive, consistent relationships with pupils

• Being a steady, reliable presence throughout the school day

What they’re looking for:

• Experience with SEMH, SEND, or challenging behaviour (school-based or similar)

• A calm, patient approach, even when things feel a bit unpredictable

• Someone who connects easily, pupils feel safe around you

• Resilience, empathy, and the ability to reset and go again

Why this school?

The team here know their pupils inside out. There’s a real focus on support, for the students and for staff. You won’t be left to figure things out on your own, and every bit of progress is recognised, no matter how small.

What you’ll get with us:

• Weekly PAYE pay, no umbrella companies

• Free access to our CPD Academy, with SEND and behaviour training

• A dedicated consultant who keeps things real and straightforward

• Long-term roles in schools that value what TAs bring

• Opportunities to build experience in specialist settings

All applicants will require the appropriate qualifications and training for this role. Please see the FAQs on the Protocol Education website for further 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.

Protocol Education is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. We undertake safeguarding checks on all workers in accordance with the 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 FREE online safeguarding and Prevent Duty training to all our workers. All candidates must undertake or have undertaken a valid enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and subscribe to the DBS Update Service.

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