Aspiring Probation Officer - Learning Support Assistant Barnet
- chipping barnet, england, United Kingdom
Job Description
Aspiring Probation Officer - Learning Support Assistant Barnet
Location: Barnet
Start Date: September 2026
Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30am-3:45pm (term time only)
Pay: £108 per day
Trial/observation days available
Aspiring Probation Officer - Learning Support Assistant Barnet - Education and Training
Gain frontline experience working with vulnerable young people and build the foundation for a career in social justice and probation .
Are you a Criminology, Sociology, Youth and Communities, or Social Science graduate passionate about breaking cycles of offending, disadvantage, and social exclusion? Do you want to understand what drives young people toward the justice system—and how early intervention can change their life trajectory?
Milk Education is recruiting an Aspiring Probation Officer to work as a Learning Support Assistant in a Barnet secondary school. This role places you at the frontline of early intervention and prevention , supporting students at risk of exclusion, persistent absence, or involvement in the criminal justice system.
Aspiring Probation Officer - Learning Support Assistant Barnet - Education and Training
The Role
Work with students who are:
- At risk of school exclusion or persistent absence
- Experiencing social, emotional, and mental health (SEMH) needs
- Affected by trauma, ACEs, or involvement with social care
- Exhibiting challenging behaviour linked to unmet needs
- Disengaged from education and at risk of entering the youth justice system
Collaborate with pastoral teams, SENCOs, and external agencies to provide targeted support that keeps young people in education and away from the justice system.
Your Experience Will Include
- 1:1 and small-group mentoring for vulnerable or at-risk pupils
- Supporting emotional regulation, behaviour, and engagement
- Building trusting relationships with disengaged or challenging learners
- Implementing trauma-informed, restorative approaches
- Gaining exposure to safeguarding, behaviour management, and multi-agency working
How This Role Prepares You for a Career in Probation and Social Justice
Working with vulnerable children in a school setting gives you the exact skills and insight needed for a career in probation:
- Understanding the root causes of offending - Witness firsthand how trauma, inequality, SEMH needs, and exclusion drive young people toward the justice system.
- Early intervention and prevention - Learn how targeted support in education can divert young people from offending and reoffending.
- Building trust with resistant individuals - Develop the patience and relational skills needed to engage with young people who are wary of authority.
- Restorative and trauma-informed practice - Gain practical experience in approaches that are central to probation and youth justice work.
- Multi-agency working - Collaborate with social care, mental health services, and pastoral teams, mirroring the partnership working essential in probation.
- Safeguarding and risk management - Develop skills in identifying vulnerability, managing risk, and keeping young people safe.