Job Description:

Location: Blackpool, Lancashire (FY)

Salary: Aligned with NJC Pay Scale (Paid to scale from Day 1 based on experience)

Contract Type: Full-Time

Start Date: September 2026 (or sooner for the right candidate)

Are you a resilient, empathetic, and passionate individual looking to support youth with Social, Emotional, and Mental Health (SEMH) needs?

We are recruiting a dedicated SEMH Teaching Assistant to join a forward-thinking secondary school environment right here in Blackpool. Whether you are an experienced SEN TA, a community youth worker, or a psychology graduate looking to build your career in education, this is a highly rewarding opportunity to make a measurable difference.

We believe that exceptional support staff deserve fair, transparent compensation. That's why this position offers official NJC (National Joint Council) scale pay from Day 1 ensuring your expertise and hard work are fully valued right from the start.

• Targeted SEMH Support: Provide tailored emotional, social, and academic mentoring to secondary students facing complex SEMH or behavioural barriers.

• De-escalation & Crisis Management: Use positive behaviour strategies to create a calm, safe, and productive learning environment.

• 1:1 & Small Group Interventions: Lead targeted sessions outside the classroom to boost emotional regulation, resilience, and student self-esteem.

• Collaborative Tracking: Partner closely with the school SENDCo, class teachers, and inclusion teams to monitor, adapt, and report on student progress.

• Experience with SEMH/SEN: Background in a school, alternative provision, youth centre, PRU (Pupil Referral Unit), or residential care setting is highly valued.

• The Right Mindset: High levels of emotional intelligence, deep empathy, and the resilience needed to support students on their toughest days.

• Strong Communication: An innate ability to build trust and rapport quickly with hard-to-reach secondary students.

• Local Availability: Based in or around the Blackpool area and ready for a September 2026 intake (or an immediate transitional start).

• Honest, Scaled Pay: No flat agency rates. You are mapped directly to the NJC Pay Scale from your very first day.

• Career Progression: Direct pathways into permanent school contracts, behaviour management roles, or specialist pastoral paths.

• Comprehensive Support: Access to ongoing safeguarding, trauma-informed practices, and specialised behaviour de-escalation training.

If you have the heart, the stamina, and the dedication to transform an educational journey for a vulnerable young person in Blackpool, we want to hear from you.

Click 'Apply Now' or send your CV directly to (url removed) to secure an interview.