Graduate Jobs in Leeds | Psychology, Education, Sports & Performing Arts Graduates
Leeds
Competitive daily pay
Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 3:30pm
Flexible start dates
Full-time and long-term roles

Looking for graduate jobs in Leeds that offer real experience, career progression, and meaningful work?

Protocol Education is recruiting graduates to work in specialist education settings across Leeds, including SEND schools, specialist provisions, SEMH settings, and alternative provisions.

We’re looking for graduates from Psychology, Education Studies, Sports, Drama, Performing Arts, and related degree backgrounds to support children and young people with additional needs.

These roles are ideal for anyone considering careers in:

• Teaching
• Educational Psychology
• Counselling
• Mental Health Support
• Youth Work
• Behaviour Support
• Social Work
• SEND Education

This is an excellent opportunity to gain hands-on experience supporting pupils with autism, ADHD, SEMH needs, learning difficulties, and behavioural needs.

Available roles:

SEND Teaching Assistant
Behaviour Support Assistant
Learning Mentor
‍ Classroom Support Assistant
Pastoral Support Worker
⚽ Sports Behaviour Mentor

The role will involve:

Supporting pupils on a 1:1 basis and in small groups in Special schools and Alternative provisions

Helping pupils with emotional regulation, behaviour, and classroom engagement

Supporting learning inside and outside of the classroom

Building positive relationships with pupils who need consistency and structure

Working closely with teachers, SENDCOs, and pastoral teams

Helping create safe, calm, and supportive learning environments

Why graduates from these backgrounds thrive in specialist settings:

Psychology Graduates
Strong understanding of behaviour, emotional wellbeing, and child development.

Education Graduates
Knowledge of learning, development, and classroom practice.

⚽ Sports Graduates
Excellent role models with strong communication, resilience, and behaviour management skills. Particularly valuable in behaviour support, mentoring, and SEMH settings.

Drama & Performing Arts Graduates
Confident communicators who build relationships quickly and engage pupils through creativity and energy.

You’ll be a strong fit if you:

Hold a degree in Psychology, Education, Sports, Drama, Performing Arts, or similar

Have experience working with children or young people, this can include coaching, tutoring, mentoring, care, or youth work

Are calm, resilient, and confident in challenging situations

Can build positive relationships and communicate effectively

Are interested in working in SEND, SEMH, or specialist education

No formal teaching assistant qualification required. Full support and training provided.

Why work with Protocol Education?

Weekly PAYE pay, no umbrella deductions

Free CPD and training, including Team Teach and SEND-focused development

Dedicated consultant support throughout your placement

Access to roles across SEND schools, SEMH provisions, and mainstream settings

Long-term opportunities with clear career progression

Experience that supports future careers in education, psychology, therapy, and pastoral care

✨ Thrive trained? Even better.

Not Thrive trained yet? Ask us about our free Thrive training. It’s a great way to build your confidence in supporting pupils with emotional and behavioural needs.

Apply today to start your career in specialist education with Protocol Education.

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.

Full assistance provided. For details of our privacy policy, please see visit the Protocol Education website.