BSL Teaching Assistant | Specialist SEND School | South Shields

Location: South Shields
Job Type: Full Time, Term Time Only
Start Date: September 2026
Hours: 8:30am–3:30pm / 4:30pm
Pay: Competitive daily rate, dependent on experience

Use your BSL skills to make a real difference every day.

Protocol Education are currently recruiting for a BSL Teaching Assistant to join a specialist SEND setting in South Shields.

This is a fantastic opportunity for an individual with British Sign Language skills and a genuine passion for supporting children and young people to play a key role in their education, communication and personal development.

The successful candidate will work closely with teaching staff and other professionals to ensure pupils who are Deaf, hearing impaired or use BSL as part of their communication can fully access their education and feel confident within the school environment.

The Role

As a BSL Teaching Assistant, you will provide support throughout the school day, helping pupils to communicate, engage with learning and develop their independence.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Using British Sign Language to communicate effectively with pupils.
• Supporting pupils to access lessons and the wider curriculum.
• Providing 1:1 and small-group support where required.
• Facilitating communication between pupils, teachers and other members of staff.
• Supporting pupils during classroom activities, practical lessons and enrichment activities.
• Helping pupils communicate with their peers and develop social interaction skills.
• Reinforcing learning and instructions through BSL.
• Supporting pupils to develop confidence and independence in their communication.
• Adapting communication approaches to meet individual pupils' needs.
• Building positive, trusting and professional relationships with pupils.
• Supporting pupils during break and lunchtime.
• Encouraging participation in the wider life of the school.
• Working closely with teachers and the wider SEND team to provide consistent support.
• Sharing observations about pupils' communication, engagement and progress.
• Supporting a calm, inclusive and accessible learning environment.

Communication Is at the Heart of the Role

This role is about much more than simply knowing BSL.

The successful candidate will understand the importance of accessible communication and building genuine relationships with pupils.

You will be someone who can recognise when a pupil may be struggling to communicate, help remove barriers and give them the confidence to express themselves.

You will play an important role in ensuring pupils aren't simply present in the classroom, but are actively included, understood and able to participate.

The Ideal Candidate

We are looking for someone who is:

• Confident using British Sign Language.
• Warm, approachable and patient.
• Passionate about supporting children and young people.
• An excellent communicator.
• Confident building relationships.
• Adaptable and willing to learn.
• Able to work effectively as part of a wider team.
• Calm and reassuring.
• Committed to promoting inclusion and independence.
• Comfortable supporting pupils with a range of SEND needs.

Previous experience working with Deaf pupils, hearing-impaired pupils or within a specialist SEND setting would be highly desirable.

Candidates with experience in education, care, support work, youth work, communication support or other SEND environments are encouraged to apply.

A recognised BSL qualification would be advantageous, although the required level of BSL will depend on the individual pupils and role requirements.

What Could Make You Stand Out?

We would particularly welcome applications from candidates who have:

• BSL Level 2, Level 3 or above.
• Experience working within a Deaf education or SEND environment.
• Experience supporting communication and language development.
• Knowledge of different communication approaches.
• Experience supporting children or young people with additional needs.
• A strong understanding of inclusive education.
• A genuine interest in helping pupils become more independent.

Why Work With Protocol Education?

As a Protocol Education candidate, you will receive:

• Competitive daily pay.
• Weekly PAYE payments.
• FREE CPD and online training.
• Dedicated education consultant.
• Ongoing support throughout your placement.
• Access to long-term and permanent opportunities.
• £50 Refer a Friend bonus.

Interested?

If you are a confident BSL communicator who wants to use your skills to help children and young people access education, communicate confidently and achieve their potential, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply today to find out more about this fantastic BSL Teaching Assistant opportunity in South Shields.

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.

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