Psychology Graduate Send Teaching Assistant

Psychology Graduate? Looking for hands-on experience before a career in Educational Psychology, Teaching, Therapy or Mental Health Support?

If you've recently completed a Psychology degree and want to build real-world experience supporting children with additional needs, this could be exactly the opportunity you've been looking for.

We're working with a friendly, one-form entry primary school in North Shields seeking a resilient and compassionate Psychology Graduate SEND Teaching Assistant to support a Year 1 pupil on a 1:1 basis.

This role would suit someone who is passionate about child development, behaviour, emotional regulation and understanding what drives children's behaviour. It's a chance to gain invaluable experience working closely with a young learner who needs consistent support, patience and positive encouragement throughout the school day.

The Role

You'll be supporting a Year 1 pupil who can present with challenging and disruptive behaviours. There may be occasions where the pupil becomes dysregulated, struggles with classroom expectations, or requires additional support to engage with learning.

The school is looking for someone who understands that behaviour is communication and can remain calm, consistent and supportive even on the more challenging days.

As the pupil has a bespoke timetable, there will be periods throughout the week when they are not in school. During these times, you will work as a general Teaching Assistant within the Year 1 classroom , supporting the wider class, delivering small group interventions, and assisting the teacher with day-to-day classroom activities. This provides an excellent opportunity to gain a broad range of primary school experience alongside your SEND support responsibilities.

• Location: North Shields
• Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30am - 3:30pm
• Start Date: ASAP

What the Role Involves

• Providing dedicated 1:1 support for a Year 1 pupil
• Supporting emotional regulation and behaviour management
• Supporting the wider Year 1 class as a general Teaching Assistant when the pupil is not in school
• Helping the pupil access classroom learning and routines
• Building positive relationships based on trust and consistency
• Working alongside the class teacher and SENDCO
• Encouraging confidence, independence and positive social interactions
• Promoting a calm and engaging learning environment

About the School

This welcoming one-form entry primary school in North Shields offers a genuine community feel, with strong relationships between staff, pupils and families.

The leadership team understand the value Psychology graduates bring to the classroom and are committed to providing guidance and support throughout your placement. You'll be joining a nurturing environment where inclusion sits at the heart of everything they do.

Staff work collaboratively to ensure every child feels safe, supported and able to achieve their potential. No two days look the same, but that's exactly what makes this role so rewarding.

What We're Looking For

• A Psychology degree or closely related subject
• A genuine interest in SEND, behaviour and child development
• Someone patient, resilient and emotionally intelligent
• The ability to stay calm when faced with challenging behaviour
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills
• A proactive attitude and willingness to get involved in school life
• Experience working with children or young people is desirable but not essential

Why This Role is Perfect for Psychology Graduates

This position provides valuable experience for anyone considering a future career in:

• Educational Psychology
• Child Psychology
• Mental Health Services
• SEN Teaching
• Speech and Language Therapy
• Occupational Therapy
• Social Work
• Counselling

You’ll gain practical experience supporting behaviour, emotional development, communication and learning needs in a school setting, helping you build skills that universities and future employers actively look for.

Why Work with Protocol Education?

• Weekly PAYE pay, with no umbrella companies
• FREE access to our CPD Academy
• Dedicated consultant support throughout your placement
• FREE online safeguarding training
• Opportunities to progress into teacher training and specialist SEND roles
• Local work that supports your long‑term career goals

If you're a Psychology graduate who wants meaningful experience, enjoys building positive relationships with children, and has the resilience to support pupils through challenging moments, we'd love to hear from you.

Protocol Education is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. We undertake safeguarding checks on all workers in accordance with DfE statutory guidance 'Keeping Children Safe in Education', which may also include an online search as part of our due diligence on shortlisted applicants. Full assistance provided.

All applicants will require the appropriate qualifications and training for this role. Please see the FAQs on the Protocol Education website for further details.

All pay rates quoted will be inclusive of 12.07% statutory holiday pay. This advert is for a temporary position. In some cases, the option to make this role permanent may become available at a later date.

Protocol Education is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. We undertake safeguarding checks on all workers in accordance with the DfE statutory guidance ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’, this may also include an online search as part of our due diligence on shortlisted applicants.

We offer FREE online safeguarding and Prevent Duty training to all our workers. All candidates must undertake or have undertaken a valid enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and subscribe to the DBS Update Service.

Full assistance provided. For details of our privacy policy, please see visit the Protocol Education website.

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