SEN teaching assistant: the job and how to get it

An SEN teaching assistant supports children with special educational needs and disabilities, usually in a mainstream class or a special school. Many work one-to-one with a single pupil whose needs are set out in an education, health and care plan (EHCP). You do not need a degree, but schools look for experience with children, patience under pressure and, increasingly, training in areas like autism or speech and language needs. Pay follows the same council pay spine as other teaching assistants.

One-to-one and small-group support

Some SEN TAs are assigned to one child for most of the school day. Others work with a small group, or support several pupils with similar needs across a year group. Each child’s targets and the advice of specialists shape the work, which often includes:

• adapting tasks and resources so the pupil can take part in the lesson
• running short programmes set by a speech and language therapist or occupational therapist
• helping with communication, using signing, symbols or visual timetables
• supporting the pupil at break and lunch, which are often the hardest times of day
• recording progress and incidents for the teacher and the SENCO

Some posts include personal care, such as toileting, or support with feeding or medical needs. The advert normally names these, and the school should train you before you do them. Behaviour can be challenging, and some pupils become distressed or physically aggressive. Ask how the school supports staff when that happens and what training it gives in de-escalation.

How EHCPs shape the role

An EHCP is a legal document issued by the local authority under the SEND code of practice. It sets out a child’s needs, the outcomes they are working towards and the provision they must receive. If the plan says the pupil needs a certain amount of adult support, the school uses that, and the funding attached to it, to employ someone. That is often why one-to-one SEN TA posts exist.

You will not write the plan, but you are often the adult who knows the child best. Your notes feed into annual reviews, and you may be asked to attend review meetings. Pupils without an EHCP who still need extra help get SEN support, coordinated by the school’s SENCO, and you may work with them too.

Training and qualifications

Most SEN TA adverts ask for GCSE English and maths and experience with children or young people. A Level 2 or Level 3 qualification in supporting teaching and learning helps, and some colleges run units focused on special educational needs. Experience from care work, youth work or parenting a child with additional needs is relevant and worth spelling out on your application.

Schools usually provide training once you are in post. Common topics include autism, attachment, Makaton or other signing systems, manual handling, and positive behaviour support. Particular pupils may need you to hold first aid or medicine administration training. Keep a record of what you complete, as it strengthens later applications for higher grades or for HLTA status.

As with any school job you need an enhanced DBS check with a children’s barred list check. In England and Wales the fee is £41.00 from 5 October 2026, normally paid by the employer.

Pay and contracts

In maintained schools and many academies in England and Wales, SEN TAs are paid on the NJC pay spine through the employer’s grades. The 2026/27 award added 3.3% from 1 April 2026, and the lowest spine point is now SCP 3 at £25,614 full-time. A post graded a few points higher, for example SCP 8, is £27,709 full-time. The spine figures are calculated from the 2025 values plus 3.3%, so check the employer’s published scale.

Those are full-time, all-year figures. Most SEN TA jobs are term-time only and fewer than 37 hours a week. On the NJC advisory model, 39 weeks with a 36-day leave entitlement comes to 86.778% of full-time pay before you adjust for hours. Say a post is on SCP 8 and you work 30 hours a week in term time: £27,709 × 86.778% × 30 ÷ 37 comes to about £19,496 a year, spread over 12 months. Our guides to teaching assistant pay and term-time-only pay explain the method, and the take-home pay calculator shows what you would keep.

Special schools and some academies use different grades for the same work, so compare the spine point and hours as well as the job title.

Mainstream or special school

In a mainstream school you are often the main link between one pupil and the rest of the class, and you may be the only SEN-focused adult in the room. In a special school, classes are smaller and staffing is higher, so you work as part of a team with teachers, therapists and other assistants, and the needs are usually more complex. Our profile on teaching in a special school gives a sense of that setting.

Getting the job

Vacancies are advertised on council job sites, school websites and the DfE Teaching Vacancies service. Applications are on a form with a supporting statement, where you should describe specific situations in which you helped a child or adult with additional needs and what you did. Interviews often include time with pupils so the school can see how you relate to them. Browse current posts under teaching assistant jobs.