Specialist Pathways Support Assistant in York

Join us as a Specialist Pathways Support Assistant: Empower Futures! Are you passionate about supporting young people with additional needs to thrive in education and beyond? At Progress Schools Tees Valley, we are launching a newly created specialist SEN provision for a small cohort of secondary-aged students with EHCPs. We are looking for skilled and committed professionals to join us at the very start of this exciting journey and help shape a provision built on strong relational practice, high expectations and meaningful outcomes for every learner.

At Progress Schools, we believe in relational, student-centred education. This new specialist setting at our Tees Valley school has been designed in response to local need, enabling us to deliver a highly personalised, supportive learning environment for young people who benefit from a more tailored approach. We are a nurturing organisation, one that cares about our people as much as we care about delivering exceptional education to our students. As such, we invest in our colleagues and our schools, and we are always seeking new and innovative ways to enhance our provision, both inside and outside the classroom.

Our top-notch people benefits go beyond the basics and we place a lot of emphasis on wellbeing. Our colleagues enjoy access to discounted gym memberships, a free wellbeing app that is jam-packed with fitness, yoga and mindfulness resources, and dedicated counselling support. And because we know your passion is with pupils and not paperwork, we do everything we can to reduce the amount of surplus admin too. Your work-life balance matters. That’s why we offer generous holidays, additional leave for foster carers and flexibility wherever possible.

And why do we do this? Because when you thrive, so do our students. So we want to invest in your personal and professional growth as much as we do the young people who attend our schools. But that’s not all, we also offer:

• Professional Development: Support for professional qualifications, in-house training, including paid qualifications. Last year we invested approx. £3.5k per colleague!
• Financial Security: Death in Service Insurance providing four times your salary.
• Family-Friendly Policies: Enhanced Maternity/Paternity Leave.
• Health and Wellbeing Cashback: Access to Medicash for you and your dependants, covering the costs of eye tests, optical, dental, prescriptions, and holistic treatments up to £900 annually.
• Recognition Awards: Monthly, Quarterly, and Annual Recognition Awards.
• Referral Bonus: £500 for referring top talent.
• Exclusive Discounts: MiRewards benefits platform, offering loads of discounts and rewards.
• Weekly drop-ins with Senior Leaders: Connect, clarify and communicate with weekly drop-ins with our Managing Director and organisation SLT.
• Group Connection: Annual Group conference and a comprehensive benefits review.

Who are we looking for from you?

• Engagement Skills: Ability to engage learners and support their ambitions. To bring fresh ideas and creativity to the classroom and outside it.
• Emotional Support: Passionate about making a positive impact on students' lives.
• Experience: Have worked in a school, AP, PRU or specialist setting.
• Knowledge: Have an understanding of alternative provision and dealing with students with special needs.
• Problem-Solving: Aptitude for solving problems and making effective decisions.
• Communication: Professional communication with students and staff.
• Promotion of Values: Commitment to promoting equality, diversity, safeguarding, wellbeing, and British values.
• Time Management: Effective time management for planning, delivery, and assessment.

More about the school you will work in: You’ll be based at Progress Schools Tees Valley which currently supports approximately 20 pupils to achieve their potential. Your role will focus on supporting a small cohort of up to 8 students in our newly created SEN specialist provision setting within the school. At Tees Valley, we provide an appropriate curriculum and wrap-around support for young people that is grounded in relational practice. All the students you will support will have additional needs, with an EHCP in place. This means that some days will be more challenging than others, but every one of our students has the potential to thrive, and that’s where you come in.

The school consists of a core team of the Head of School, four teachers, and four support staff. We will then be appointing a Specialist Lead Teacher, HLTA and Support Assistant to solely support students attending our SEN specific setting within the school. Further support is also provided by regional and national staff, who work with a number of schools across our organisation.

How to Apply: Ready to be a part of our journey? Submit your application by clicking APPLY. If you have any further queries, then please get in touch with our friendly recruitment team by emailing.

Let’s redefine education together!

Diversity and Inclusion Statement: The Progress Group is an Equal Opportunities Employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunities regardless of age, sexual orientation, gender, pregnancy, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, disability, medical history, skin colour, marital status, genetic information, or parental status. All employment decisions are based on merit, job requirements, and business needs.

Safeguarding Statement: We are committed to safeguarding and protecting all children and young people by implementing robust safer recruitment practices. For details of our commitment to safer recruitment please visit our website for further information.