Autism Learning Support Assistant

Autism Learning Support Assistant – Specialist School

Bradford
Full-Time or Part-Time | Monday–Friday | Long-Term | Temp-to-Perm
Immediate Start

Are you passionate about supporting children and young people with Autism and additional needs?

Perhaps you have experience in Early Years, childcare, nursery settings, education, psychology, child development or SEND, and you’re looking for an opportunity to build specialist experience.

We are recruiting Autism Learning Support Assistants to join a specialist school in Bradford supporting pupils aged 3–19 with severe Autism, communication and interaction needs and complex learning difficulties.

This is a highly rewarding role where you’ll help pupils develop their communication, confidence, independence, emotional regulation and engagement with the world around them.

What You’ll Be Doing

Every pupil is different, so support is highly individualised. You could be:

• Working 1:1 or within small specialist classes
• Supporting non-verbal and minimally verbal pupils
• Encouraging communication through visuals, symbols and alternative communication methods
• Helping children engage through play, sensory activities and structured learning
• Supporting social interaction and relationship building
• Helping pupils understand routines and transitions
• Supporting emotional and sensory regulation
• Developing independence and everyday life skills
• Celebrating small but incredibly important steps in a pupil’s development
• Supporting personal care, feeding, toileting and changing where required
• Following individual communication and behaviour support plans
• Supporting pupils during periods of distress or dysregulation, which can sometimes include physically challenging behaviour

Progress within this school looks different for every child.

For one pupil, success might be completing a learning activity. For another, it could be communicating that they need a break, tolerating a change in routine, independently completing a task or engaging positively with another person.

Who Are We Looking For?

We’d particularly like to hear from people with backgrounds in:

Early Years | Nursery | Childcare | Psychology | Child Development | Education | SEND | Autism | Learning Disabilities | Youth Work | Family Support | Mainstream Schools

Previous experience within a special school is not essential.

We’re much more interested in finding people who are patient, nurturing, reliable and genuinely interested in understanding how children with Autism communicate and experience the world around them.

You will need to be:

• Calm, patient and emotionally resilient
• Comfortable working with children with significant additional needs
• Able to build positive and consistent relationships
• Open to learning different communication approaches
• Comfortable supporting pupils who may become distressed or display challenging behaviour
• Willing to support with personal care where required
• Flexible enough to work with pupils across different ages and abilities
• Reliable and committed to the placement

Ideal for Graduates & Childcare Professionals

This could be particularly well suited to someone with a background or degree in:

Psychology | Childhood Studies | Early Childhood Studies | Education | Special Educational Needs | Health & Social Care | Speech & Language | Sociology

It could also be an excellent next step for an experienced Nursery Practitioner, Early Years Practitioner, Teaching Assistant or Childcare Worker looking to move into specialist SEND education.

You don’t need to know everything about Autism before you start. What matters is that you’re willing to learn, take guidance from experienced specialist staff and provide consistent support to the pupils you work with.

Why Consider Specialist SEND?

Working within a complex Autism setting gives you the opportunity to develop valuable experience in Autism, communication, sensory processing, behaviour, safeguarding and child development while making a genuine difference to children and young people’s lives.

This is a long-term position with the opportunity to become permanent for candidates who are the right fit for the school.

Apply today to find out more about the school and the opportunities available.