SEN Mentor / Coach, 1:1 Home Based Mentoring
Location: Home Based Mentoring, Pilgrims Hatch, Brentwood, Essex (CM15)
Hours: 4 Hours Per Week, 2 Days Per Week
Start Date: September 2026
Focus: Mentoring, Coaching and Relationship Building (Not Academic Tuition)
Essential Requirement: Experience mentoring young people with Autism and significant anxiety
Competitive hourly rate
£25-£30 per hour DOE.
About the Role
Study Mind is looking for a calm, patient and highly experienced SEN Mentor to provide 1:1 face to face mentoring for a secondary aged student with an EHCP who has been unable to attend a setting since February 2024.
This is a mentoring and coaching placement, not a teaching placement. QTS is not required. We are particularly interested in applicants with backgrounds in mentoring, coaching, youth work, alternative provision, EOTAS or therapeutic support delivered in home settings.
The purpose of the placement is to reduce social isolation, build trust and support emotional wellbeing and confidence through interest led activity. Formal learning is not the aim and should only ever be introduced if the student initiates it herself.
About the Student
The student has a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder and experiences significant anxiety, particularly around unfamiliar people and environments. She is currently housebound and spends most of her time in her bedroom, occasionally stepping into the garden.
She is bright, articulate and historically achieved above age related expectations, particularly in reading and spelling. She is described as forward thinking, determined, strong willed and funny, with a strong sense of identity.
Previous placements have broken down and relationships between professionals and the family have repeatedly failed, so the quality of the match and the way this mentor is introduced will be critical.
Critical Language Requirement
The EHCP directs that the words "school", "education" and "work" must be avoided entirely, as these cause significant distress. Applicants must be comfortable adapting their language accordingly.
The student also holds a distressing belief that visiting professionals may take her away from home. This must be actively and sensitively managed from the very first contact.
The Role Will Include
Delivering 4 hours of 1:1 mentoring per week across two sessions of 2 hours.
Building a trusting relationship at the student's pace, with no fixed expectations placed on her.
Sharing activities linked to her interests alongside her, rather than directing activity.
Supporting emotional wellbeing, confidence and self understanding through structured resources including the Autism, Identity and Me workbook, VIA character strengths, Zones of Regulation used as emotion coaching, and interoception activities.
Supporting sensory regulation using age appropriate materials.
Contributing to and attending Annual Review and One Plan meetings.
Supporting engagement beyond the home only as a long term aspiration, on her timeline and by agreement.
Essential Mentor Requirements
Substantial experience supporting young people with Autism and significant anxiety.
Confident using low demand approaches, including PANDA, REACH (Naomi Fisher) and PACE (Dan Hughes).
Skilled in declarative language, announcing that something is available rather than instructing or questioning.
Experience of home based 1:1 support with young people who are socially isolated.
Understanding of speech, language and communication needs and social interaction.
Experience of life story, grief and loss work is highly desirable.
Enhanced DBS on the update service.
Communication Approach
The student has significant difficulties with verbal communication, including with family, and may become mute when anxious. She communicates through gestures and signals such as thumbs up, down or sideways, knocking on her bedroom door, and passing items through a gap in the door. She may speak quietly to her grandmother, who relays her words.
The mentor must never ask her a question on the spot, force eye contact, or require face to face contact. Indirect interaction, including communicating through a door, may be the starting point and should be accepted as valid.
Sensory Considerations
The student has a strong aversion to flies and will avoid rooms with open windows when overwhelmed. She has a strong need for sensory input but is highly sensitive to being perceived as childish, so adult versions of sensory equipment are required. She eats a limited range of foods and only in private.
Her sleep pattern becomes nocturnal during menstruation, so scheduling flexibility is required on a recurring monthly basis.
Relationship Building Is Essential
Continuity of a single mentor is essential. Any change must be managed gradually and openly and never by abrupt substitution.
We are looking for someone laid back, friendly, reliable and quietly consistent, who can hold the same day and time each week and allow the relationship to build over months rather than sessions.
Student Interests
Warrior Cats book series, which she collects and reads.
Animals, particularly her own cat.
Dinosaurs, history and science.
Cooking, reading and Minecraft.
She aspires to attend university and to one day work with animals.
Placement Details
Location: The family home in Pilgrims Hatch, Brentwood, CM15. Her grandmother will be present throughout every session. Any future community activity, such as a library or bookshop visit, would be local to Brentwood, by agreement and at her pace.
Availability: Monday, Wednesday and Friday are unavailable. Sessions will be arranged across the remaining days.
Tutor Preference: The family have expressed a preference for a male mentor.
Start Date: September 2026.
Company Overview
At Study Mind, we believe that every child deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential, regardless of their circumstances. We specialise in providing high quality, 1:1 support for students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) who require personalised support outside mainstream provision. Through our tailored approach, we help students build confidence, engage at their own pace, and move towards their goals.
Pay: £25.00-£30.00 per hour
Work Location: In person
