SEND Nurture Teaching Assistant in Manchester

Location: Manchester & Surrounding Areas

Pay: Competitive hourly rate, dependent on experience

Hours: Flexible / Part-Time

Start: ASAP

Highly experienced SEND Teaching Assistants and Support Practitioners are needed. You have spent years supporting children and young people with additional needs. You know how to build relationships, recognise when a young person is becoming overwhelmed and adapt your approach when things aren't going to plan. For some children, a traditional classroom simply isn't the right environment for them at that moment in time.

SEND Inclusion Support is looking for highly experienced SEND Teaching Assistants and Nurture Practitioners to join our growing team across Manchester and the surrounding areas. This is an opportunity to take the skills and experience you've developed in education and use them in a more personalised, flexible setting, supporting children and young people who are struggling to access mainstream education.

You’ll work directly with individual pupils, helping them rebuild confidence, develop positive relationships, establish routines and begin to engage with learning again. Support may take place in the young person's home, within the community or another agreed learning environment. This isn't a traditional classroom Teaching Assistant role. You’ll be working with young people who need someone experienced, patient and confident enough to adapt their approach to the individual in front of them.

The children and young people you work with may have:

• Building positive, trusting relationships with children and young people who may have disengaged from education
• Delivering nurturing, engaging activities that support emotional wellbeing, confidence and personal development
• Supporting young people to develop communication, social interaction and emotional regulation skills
• Helping pupils establish positive routines and gradually increase their engagement with learning
• Supporting functional English, maths and wider learning activities appropriate to the pupil's abilities
• Using creative, practical and interest-led approaches to encourage participation
• Recognising signs of anxiety, distress or dysregulation and responding appropriately
• Supporting young people to develop independence, resilience and self-confidence
• Recording progress, engagement and achievements through regular session reports
• Working collaboratively with our wider Nurture Team to ensure support remains consistent and purposeful

This role requires someone who can confidently work independently with young people, make informed decisions during sessions and adapt activities when needed.

You'll have access to:

• Paid planning time
• Our bespoke Nurture Curriculum
• Curriculum resources and activity guidance
• Regular specialist support
• Weekly reporting and communication
• Termly Nurture Team Days
• Access to a wider network of experienced SEND professionals

You'll be supported by a team that understands the challenges of working with young people with complex needs and recognises the importance of celebrating progress in all its forms.

You’re a highly experienced Teaching Assistant, Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA), SEND Support Practitioner or Learning Support Assistant who has developed strong SEND knowledge and is ready for a role with greater independence and responsibility.

You may have worked within a:

• Alternative provision setting
• Mainstream school with significant SEND responsibilities
• SEMH provision
• Inclusion or nurture unit
• Outreach or individualised education setting

We're particularly interested in practitioners who have substantial hands-on experience supporting young people with complex SEND, SEMH or EBSA. This is not an entry-level Teaching Assistant position. We're looking for individuals who have the confidence, experience and professional judgement to work independently with young people who may present with significant barriers to learning.

Required Experience:

• Substantial experience supporting children and young people with SEND
• Strong understanding of autism, ADHD, SEMH and emotionally based school avoidance
• Experience supporting young people with anxiety, emotional dysregulation or difficulties engaging in education
• Confidence delivering individual 1:1 support independently
• Excellent relationship-building and communication skills
• A calm, patient and consistent approach
• Creativity and flexibility when planning and adapting activities
• The ability to recognise and respond appropriately to individual emotional and sensory needs
• Confidence working in home and community environments
• Strong safeguarding awareness and professional boundaries
• The ability to record and evidence individual progress
• An understanding that meaningful progress isn't always measured through academic achievement
• Level 3 Teaching Assistant qualification or equivalent HLTA status
• Experience working in alternative provision or specialist SEND settings
• Training in trauma-informed practice
• Experience supporting pupils with complex SEMH needs
• Experience delivering nurture-based or therapeutic approaches to learning
• Knowledge of personalised learning programmes and functional skills

Formal teaching qualifications are not essential. Your practical experience, understanding of SEND and ability to build meaningful relationships with young people are what matter most. Sometimes progress means a young person completing a learning activity independently. Sometimes it means attending a session, developing trust in an adult or feeling confident enough to try something new. Both are important.

We're looking for practitioners who understand that successful support isn't about pushing young people through a fixed programme. It's about recognising where they are, understanding what they need and helping them take meaningful steps forward. This is an opportunity to move away from the traditional classroom Teaching Assistant role and use your experience to make a difference through personalised, relationship-based support.

If you're an experienced SEND practitioner who enjoys working directly with young people, values a nurturing approach and wants greater flexibility in how you support learning, we'd love to hear from you.

SEND Inclusion Support is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. All appointments are subject to satisfactory pre-employment and safeguarding checks, including an enhanced DBS check, right to work verification, references and any other checks relevant to the role and setting.