BSL Learning Support Specialist in Canterbury

About The Role

Support Students. Empower Education. Open Opportunities. As a Communication Learning Support Practitioner, you'll play a vital role in supporting deaf and hearing impaired students to thrive by providing British Sign Language (BSL) interpretation and tailored learning support across a range of programmes and courses.

Please note we have more than one position available and are happy to discuss flexible working.

Key information:

• Hours per week: 35
• Weeks per year: 37
• Salary: £21,651 (including holiday pay)
• Working Pattern: 08:45 to 17:00 Monday to Thursday. 08:45 to 16:30 Friday

You will work closely with tutors and the wider Learning Support team, and use a range of communication and support strategies to ensure every student has equal access to learning and the opportunity to achieve their full potential.

What you'll be doing:

• Provide British Sign Language (BSL) interpretation and communication support for students during lessons and college activities.
• Adapt learning resources and support strategies to meet individual student needs.
• Work collaboratively with tutors and the wider Learning Support team to create an inclusive learning environment.
• Promote awareness and understanding of hearing impairment across the college.
• Support students with hearing impairments to access their programmes of study and achieve their learning goals.
• Contribute to EHCP In-Year Reviews, providing feedback on student progress and support requirements.
• Signpost and support learners to access the wider services available throughout Canterbury College.
• Attend support meetings, including Annual Reviews, where required.
• Build positive relationships with students, encouraging confidence, independence and success.

If you're passionate about inclusion, have excellent BSL skills and want to make a genuine difference to students' lives every day, we'd love to hear from you.

About You

We're looking for an enthusiastic and skilled British Sign Language (BSL) Support Worker to provide high-quality signing support to individual students and small groups, helping them fully engage in college life and succeed in their studies.

You’ll be a confident and creative communicator, qualified to a minimum of Level 3 in British Sign Language, with a passion for making a real difference. You’ll build positive relationships with students, encourage independence, and support outstanding learning experiences that help every learner thrive.

In this role, you will:

• Provide BSL signing support for students in lessons and other learning activities.
• Enable learners with hearing impairments to access education confidently and independently.
• Work closely with teaching staff and support teams to promote inclusive learning.
• Contribute to a positive, supportive environment where students can achieve their full potential.

The role may also involve supporting students with:

• Personal care.
• Mobility assistance.
• Medical or feeding needs.

Experience supporting these needs would be an advantage, but full training will be provided, making this a fantastic opportunity for someone who is passionate about supporting learners and developing their skills.

About Us

Outstanding Ofsted Provider. East Kent Colleges Group is an Ofsted Outstanding rated provider. It is proud to be the first General Further Education college organisation in the country to have received the Outstanding grade against each of the strands under the new Ofsted inspection framework. An inclusive provider, our colleagues place our students and the communities we serve at the heart of everything they do across EKC Group and this is illustrated in our ‘Strong’ skills grading by Ofsted.

Commitment to Safeguarding. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and we ensure that all staff are aware of their responsibilities for upholding these principles. As a designated establishment, we are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore have an obligation to carry out checks to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children and vulnerable adults. These checks include conviction/caution self-declaration, Enhanced DBS check and obtaining sufficient referencing. It is a criminal offence to apply for a post which involves engaging in regulated activity relevant to children if you are barred from doing so. If you are successful in being shortlisted to interview, your suitability to work with children and vulnerable adults will be explored as part of the interview process.

Commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. East Kent Colleges Group is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all members of our communities. We are particularly keen to increase the diversity of our staff body and encourage applications from candidates where there is underrepresentation in our workforce. We are proud to hold the Positive About Disability Award and are a Disability Confident Employer. This confirms our commitment to interviewing all applicants who declare that they have a disability and who meet the essential criteria outlined in the person specification. With any successful candidate, we will explore any reasonable adjustments to a role due to health needs or disability. Similarly, we have a commitment to Care Leavers (Care Covenant Pledge) and to current or previous Armed Forces personnel (Armed Forces Covenant Pledge) with a commitment to interview applicants who meet the positions essential criteria and who have declared this on their application. We welcome applications from anyone wishing to work flexibly and those considering a return to work from a career break. We do not engage with agencies for permanent staff and have an in-house recruitment team.