Specialist Education & Care Assistant
| Company: | senploy |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £90 - £90 |
| Hours: | Full-time |
| Location: | PLYMOUTH, DEVON |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Posting date: | 18 Aug 2026 |
| Closing date: | 13 Sept 2026 |
Summary
Start Your SEND Career: Education & Development Support Assistant - Plymouth
Location: Plymouth, Devon
Pay: £90 per day
Contract: Full-Time | Term-Time
Looking for a role that could be the starting point for a rewarding long-term career?
We are seeking a motivated and compassionate Education & Development Support Assistant to join a specialist education setting in Plymouth, supporting children and young people with a range of special educational needs and additional learning requirements.
This is an excellent opportunity to gain practical experience while working alongside experienced education professionals. You'll develop skills in SEND, behaviour support, communication and pupil development - experience that could help you progress into a variety of education, care and support careers.
You'll work directly with children and young people, helping them overcome barriers to learning and become more confident and independent.
Your day could involve:
- Providing one-to-one support for individual pupils
- Working with small groups during lessons and activities
- Helping students engage positively with their education
- Supporting pupils with SEND, including Autism, ADHD and SEMH needs
- Encouraging communication, confidence and social development
- Helping young people manage emotions and challenging situations
- Supporting positive behaviour and established routines
- Encouraging greater independence
- Working alongside teachers and experienced support professionals
- Celebrating individual progress and achievements
You'll gradually build your knowledge and confidence while gaining first-hand experience of how specialist education can transform outcomes for young people.
One of the biggest benefits of this opportunity is the experience you can take forward into your future career.
It could provide an excellent foundation if you're interested in progressing towards roles such as:
- Teaching Assistant or Higher Level Teaching Assistant
- SEND Specialist
- Teacher or SEND Teacher
- Behaviour Mentor
- Pastoral Support Worker
- Youth Worker
- Family Support Worker
- Social Care Professional
- Occupational or Speech and Language Therapy
- Psychology or Educational Psychology
You don't need to know exactly where you want your career to go yet. This role gives you the opportunity to gain experience, discover your strengths and explore different career paths while earning.
We're interested in people who genuinely want to make a positive impact on children and young people.
Previous experience in education, care, youth work, support work, coaching or a similar environment would be beneficial, but your attitude and willingness to develop are equally important.
You should be:
- Patient, compassionate and approachable
- Confident building relationships with young people
- Resilient when situations become challenging
- Willing to learn new approaches and techniques
- Comfortable working as part of a wider team
- Reliable and committed
- Enthusiastic about developing your skills and experience
This could also be an excellent opportunity for a graduate looking for practical experience before progressing into teaching, psychology, therapy, social work or another child-focused profession.
Alongside a competitive rate of £90 per day, this role offers something equally valuable - experience.
You'll have the opportunity to:
- Develop practical SEND knowledge
- Gain experience supporting different additional needs
- Learn from experienced education professionals
- Build your confidence working directly with young people
- Strengthen your future CV
- Develop highly transferable communication and interpersonal skills
- Gain insight into potential SEND and education career pathways
- Make a genuine difference to pupils every day
A support role can be much more than a job. It can be the first step towards becoming a teacher, SEND specialist, psychologist, therapist, pastoral practitioner or experienced education professional.
If you're ready to gain valuable experience, develop professionally and build a career supporting children and young people, we'd love to hear from you.
Apply today with your CV for this Education & Development Support Assistant opportunity in Plymouth.
This vacancy is being advertised on Senploy - the UK's specialist SEND and education job board.