Job Title: SEMH Teaching Assistant – Sunderland
Location: Sunderland
Salary: £89–£108 per day
Contract: Full-time, Long-Term
Start Date: Immediate
Some days will be tough. All of them will matter.
We’re looking for a resilient, compassionate Teaching Assistant to support pupils with social, emotional, and mental health needs (SEMH) in a specialist setting in Sunderland.
This isn’t your average classroom support role. You’ll be helping young people navigate big emotions, build trust, and re-engage with learning—often after difficult starts. If you’re calm under pressure and know the value of patience, this school wants to meet you.
What you’ll be doing:
-
Supporting pupils 1:1 and in small groups with SEMH needs
-
Helping manage behaviour through consistent routines and relational approaches
-
Working alongside experienced SENCOs, pastoral teams, and therapists
-
Creating a safe, calm space where pupils can thrive
What you’ll bring:
-
Experience working with young people facing barriers to learning
-
A calm, grounded approach (Team Teach or Thrive training a plus, but not essential)
-
Great communication and a natural way of building rapport
-
A sense of humour and a lot of empathy
Why this school?
You’ll join a team who get it—who understand how complex behaviour often comes from complex needs. You’ll be supported, trained, and truly valued for the role you play.
What Protocol Education offers:
-
Weekly PAYE pay with no umbrella hassle
-
Access to free CPD including SEMH, de-escalation and safeguarding
-
One-to-one support from a local SEN consultant
-
A smooth, friendly registration process
Want to do work that matters every day? Apply now or get in touch for more info.
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.