Creative & Artistic Learning Support Assistant

Position: Creative & Artistic Learning Support Assistant (Permanent)
A specialist SEND school in Southend-on-Sea is seeking a Creative and Artistic Learning Support Assistant to join its dedicated support team. This role is ideal for someone who brings creativity, imagination, and empathy into their work and wants to support pupils who benefit from a more expressive and engaging approach to learning.

This is a school-based role within a nurturing and inclusive environment where individuality is celebrated and creative approaches are actively encouraged.

About the Role

The successful candidate will work closely with teaching staff to support pupils with a range of additional needs, including ASD, SEMH, and complex learning difficulties. The focus of the role is to help pupils access learning through creative, practical, and relationship-led support.

Key responsibilities include:

Providing 1:1 and small-group support tailored to individual pupil needs

Supporting lessons using creative and interactive strategies

Building positive, trusting relationships with pupils to encourage engagement and confidence

Supporting emotional, social, and academic development

Contributing to a calm, safe, and inclusive learning environment

The Ideal Candidate

The school is keen to hear from individuals who are:

Creative, patient, and emotionally intuitive

Confident supporting children with additional needs

Able to bring artistic, theatrical, or expressive skills into the classroom

Relevant experience may include (but is not limited to):

SEND support, care, or youth work

Drama, art, music, performance, or creative workshops

Sports coaching or community-based support roles

School-based experience is welcome but not essential; attitude, adaptability, and a genuine passion for supporting young people are key.

Location & Commuting

The role is based in Southend-on-Sea. Applications are welcomed from candidates who can commute from Wickford, Billericay, Basildon, Stanford-le-Hope, Grays, Benfleet, Chelmsford, and Canvey Island.

Why Join This School?

Supportive and collaborative staff team

Strong focus on pupil wellbeing and individual progress

An environment that values creativity and alternative approaches to learning

Opportunity to build long-term experience within SEND education

This role is being recruited in partnership with Protocol Education

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