SEND Teaching Assistant Apprentice

Discover yourself in Lewisham where what you do makes a difference to our vibrant and culturally diverse communities!

We have a rich history of welcoming people from all over the world and are proud to be recognised as the UK’s first Borough of Sanctuary, for our work in championing the rights of refugees and migrants.

Are you passionate about advocating for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and ensuring that they are heard and supported? We are looking for a caring, enthusiastic, and motivated individual to join our team as a SEND Teaching Assistant Apprentice.

This is an excellent opportunity to gain a nationally recognised qualification while developing practical experience supporting pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in a welcoming and inclusive school environment. Working alongside experienced teachers and teaching assistants, you will learn how to provide high-quality support that enables every child to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.

To be a member of a professional team led by a team leader/class teacher/senior leadership team to provide quality care and education which fosters children’s all round development.

To provide a welcoming and supportive atmosphere to parents, carers and families.

To promote the ethos of Kender Primary School.

To share responsibility for identifying personal professional development needs and to undertake appropriate training according to the priorities of Kender Primary School as identified in the School Development Plan.

• A nationally recognised Teaching Assistant apprenticeship qualification.
• Dedicated mentoring and support throughout your apprenticeship.
• High-quality on-the-job training and protected study time.
• Opportunities to develop specialist SEND knowledge and skills.
• A friendly, supportive, and inclusive school community.
• Potential opportunities for permanent employment upon successful completion of the apprenticeship, subject to organisational needs.

The successful candidate will:

• Have a genuine interest in supporting children and young people with SEND
• Have a caring and approachable manner
• Have excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• be reliable, organised, and willing to learn
• maintain confidentiality and demonstrate professionalism
• inspire enthusiasm and support children to make excellent progress
• be able to cope well under pressure
• be willing to provide personal care
• be able to build positive working relationships with parents and carers

Previous experience working with children is welcome but not essential.

Kender Primary School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and requires all staff, governors and volunteers to share this commitment. Successful applicants will be required to complete an enhanced DBS disclosure.

Kender Primary School, Kender Street, New Cross, London, SE14 5JA

• Must be a Lewisham borough resident,
  Lewisham apprenticeships are ring fenced for Lewisham boroughresidents only.
• Use the person specification section of the application form to complete the application questions.

*** Please note
*** Your application will not be processed if you fail to fully complete all the apprenticeship questions or if you use AI/Copilot to produce responses to the questions.

The recruitment process is anonymous and we don’t accept CVs.

Lewisham Council is a Disability Confident employer. We welcome and encourage job applications of all abilities. If you require any reasonable adjustments in the application or interview, please contact the lead contact on this advert. We will make reasonable adjustments to make sure our disabled applicants and those with health conditions are supported throughout our recruitment process. We support the access to work scheme, further details are available at

The Council reserves the right to close adverts early if there is a large response.