Job Title: Reception Teaching Assistant
Location: Leeds
Contract type: Full-time, Part-time, Temp-to-perm
Are you passionate about supporting children in education? Do you want to develop your skills and knowledge in working with children with special educational needs? A specialist setting in Leeds is seeking an enthusiastic and nurturing Reception Teaching Assistant who can bring energy, creativity, and compassion to their EYFS team.
The Role
As an Reception Teaching Assistant, you will work closely with children in EYFS with a range of special educational needs (SEN), helping them engage in play‑based activities, sensory learning, and communication‑focused tasks.
Your responsibilities will include:
- Providing 1:1 and small‑group support for children with SEN.
- Encouraging early developmental milestones in speech, movement, social interaction, and play.
- Supporting learning through sensory exploration, visuals, music, and structured routines.
- Working with the class teacher and other staff to support the pupils engage in their day to day learning activities.
- Using PECS, Makaton, visual schedules, and communication boards to aid understanding.
The Ideal Candidate
This role is well suited to individuals from diverse backgrounds who bring creativity, patience, and a commitment to inclusive education.
We are looking for someone who:
- Has experience in schools, health and social care, youth work, or supporting young people with SEN
- Being creative and coming from a creative background is desirable.
- Demonstrates strong soft skills including creativity, confidence, patience, empathy, and effective communication
- Can build trusting relationships with pupils and work collaboratively within a team
- Is adaptable, calm under pressure, and passionate about supporting children with SEN
- Holds a degree in psychology, education, or child development; teaching assistant or childcare qualifications are desirable
If you are ready to step into a rewarding EYFS role supporting young learners and are available to start straight away, we’d be excited to hear from you.
Safeguarding children is an integral part of what we do and we have a stringent safer recruitment process. We undertake checks on all the candidates we work with. As such we require a current Enhanced DBS Disclosure for everyone working in Schools. If you do not have a subscription to the DBS Update Service, you may be required to complete a new DBS application as part of the registration process. If you take a temporary role with Sense Education you will be paid on a weekly basis. All pay rates quoted will be inclusive of 12.07% statutory holiday pay. This advert is for a temporary position but long term. In some cases, the option to make this role permanent may become available.
Pay: £94.00-£115.00 per day
Benefits:
Work Location: In person
