Teaching Assistant / Learning Mentor in Hove

What skills and experience we're looking for:

Teaching Assistant (Learning Mentor), Harbour School Dorset £26,403-£28,142 full time equivalent; actual salary £21,068-£22,456 for 34.5 hours per week (Friday afternoons off), and term time only working. Plus, generous sick pay and pension scheme. Hours: 8.30am-4pm Monday – Thursday, 8.30am-1pm Friday.

Every day won’t be easy. Every day will matter. At Harbour School Dorset, we support young people with significant Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) and Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) needs. Many have struggled in mainstream settings. Some have lost trust in adults. Some will push you away before they let you in. You know what a Teaching Assistant role is – this is not that role. We’ll be honest. This role takes patience, resilience, emotional strength and consistency. Progress can be slow. Building trust can take months. Some days will feel like two steps back. And then, one day… A student who wouldn’t enter the classroom sits beside you. A young person who never spoke says your name. A student who didn’t trust adults asks for help. Those moments are everything.

The role:

As a Learning Mentor, you’ll help students feel safe, regulate emotions, rebuild confidence and reconnect with learning. This is not a traditional classroom support role. Some days you’ll be sitting on the floor for hours beside a distressed student, taking a walk, being shouted at - or celebrating something as small (and as huge) as a student writing their name. Academic progress matters - but connection comes first.

“The learning mentors encourage me to express myself in a constructive and useful way. They make me feel safe and valued, help me work through my emotions, and ensure I do not feel judged for how I am feeling.” This is the difference you’ll make.

Who we’re looking for:

• Calm under pressure; emotionally resilient and reflective
• Able to stay consistent even when rejected
• Patient and non-judgemental
• Comfortable with slow progress and small steps
• Motivated by impact rather than quick wins

Experience with young people, SEMH, ASC or trauma-informed work is helpful – but attitude, resilience and emotional intelligence are also so valuable.

What the school offers its staff:

• A skilled, compassionate, genuinely supportive team who reflect together, and understand the emotional weight of the work.
• Friday afternoons off
• Strong induction and ongoing training
• Career progression within Southern Education Trust
• A school that celebrates progress, not just academic data
• A role where the impact is real, human and lasting

The truth:

This job can be emotionally demanding. You will be tested. You will be rejected before you are trusted. But if you stay - if you show up consistently - you will change lives. And once a student finally lets you in, the breakthrough is bigger than any exam result. If you believe in second chances, value relationships over quick results, and want work that truly matters, we would love to hear from you.

Further details about the role:

Closing date: 15th March 2026. Interview date: Wc March 2026. Please complete our Support Staff Application Form and return it to recruitment@deltaeducationtrust.com if you would like to apply. See our Learning Mentor Job Description for further details on the role and our Safeguarding Policy.

Commitment to safeguarding:

Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff, volunteers and trustees to share this commitment. Our recruitment process follows the keeping children safe in education guidance. Offers of employment may be subject to the following checks (where relevant): childcare disqualification, Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), medical, online and social media prohibition from teaching, right to work, satisfactory references, suitability to work with children. You must tell us about any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.