How to Write a Better SEND Staffing Brief and Get Better Candidates
How to Write a Better SEND Staffing Brief and Get Better Candidates
“We need an SEN TA tomorrow.”
That may be enough to start a conversation, but it is rarely enough to identify the best candidate.
SEND recruitment works best when the recruiter understands the actual pupil, classroom and provision rather than simply the job title.
What Should a School Tell Its Recruitment Agency?
Start with the basics:
School location
Working hours
Age group
Length of placement
Class size
Number of adults already supporting the class
Then explain the requirement.
For example:
Is the member of staff supporting one pupil or the whole class?
Is the pupil verbal or non-verbal?
Is there a personal-care element?
Does the setting involve challenging behaviour?
Does the candidate need previous PMLD, autism or SEMH experience?
Will they be supporting learning, behaviour, mobility, communication — or several of these?
Be Specific About the Environment
Consider the difference between:
“SEND Teaching Assistant required.”
and:
“KS3 LSA required for a small SEMH class. Strong relationship-building and de-escalation skills needed. No personal care. Candidate must be comfortable supporting pupils who can disengage from learning.”
Those are completely different recruitment briefs.
The second gives a recruiter a realistic opportunity to select someone appropriate.
Better Information Means Better Matching
A strong SEND recruiter should also ask questions rather than simply accept a generic vacancy.
At Uniform Education, candidate matching involves considering previous settings, pupil needs, temperament, reliability and the type of environment in which that individual is most likely to succeed.
The objective should never be simply to send a CV.
