“Can you send us a good SEN Teaching Assistant?”

It sounds like a straightforward recruitment request.

In reality, it could describe ten completely different jobs.

A Teaching Assistant supporting a non-verbal pupil with autism may need a very different background from somebody working with Year 10 pupils in an SEMH provision.

An LSA working in a PMLD classroom may need practical experience that would never arise in a mainstream resource base.

A Behaviour Mentor who is brilliant in an alternative provision may not necessarily be the right person to provide consistent 1:1 learning support to a six-year-old with communication needs.

And an excellent mainstream Teaching Assistant should not automatically be assumed to be an experienced SEND practitioner.

SEND is not one staffing category.

That distinction matters more than ever.

Department for Education figures published in 2026 show that more than 1.8 million pupils in England have identified special educational needs.

Of those, 538,547 pupils have an Education, Health and Care plan — an increase of 11.6% in one year.

For schools, therefore, the question is increasingly not:

“Do we need SEND staff?”

It is:

“What SEND experience do we actually need?”

Uniform Education has specialised heavily in SEND recruitment across London and the Home Counties since 2015.

This guide explains some of the distinctions our recruitment team looks at when a school asks us to find SEND staff.

​

Start With the Pupil — Not the Job Title

This is one of the biggest differences between effective SEND recruitment and generic recruitment.

The job title alone tells us very little.

Consider these two vacancies:

Vacancy A

SEN Teaching Assistant required.

Vacancy B

KS2 1:1 Teaching Assistant required to support an autistic pupil with limited verbal communication. The pupil benefits from visual structure and consistent routines and can become dysregulated during transitions. Previous autism experience is strongly preferred.

Both might ultimately be advertised as an SEN Teaching Assistant.

They are not the same job.

The second vacancy immediately changes who should be shortlisted.

That is why, when recruiting SEND staff, we want to understand the function of the role, not simply its title.

Questions might include:

• What age are the pupils?

• Is the position classroom-based or 1:1?

• What is the primary area of need?

• Is the pupil verbal, pre-verbal or non-verbal?

• Are there sensory needs?

• Is there a significant behaviour element?

• Is personal care involved?

• Are there mobility requirements?

• Is the pupil following the National Curriculum?

• Is this an established class or a new provision?

• How many adults are already in the room?

• What does a difficult day potentially look like?

• What has worked — or not worked — with previous staff?

Those answers are considerably more useful than the words “SEN TA required”.

For schools looking for immediate or long-term staffing support, see our SEN Supply Staff London service.

​

Autism / ASD: What Experience Should You Look For?

Autism recruitment is an area where the word “experience” needs unpacking.

Two candidates can both state that they have supported autistic pupils while having worked in completely different environments.

One may have supported academically able pupils within a mainstream secondary school.

Another may have worked in a specialist setting supporting children with significant communication, sensory and behavioural needs.

Neither experience is automatically better.

The question is which one fits the pupil and provision.

Autism support staff may need experience with:

• Structured routines

• Visual timetables

• Now-and-next boards

• Communication systems

• PECS

• Makaton

• AAC

• Sensory regulation

• Emotional regulation

• Transitions

• Low-arousal approaches

• Supporting non-verbal pupils

• Developing independence

• Repetitive or restrictive behaviours

• Anxiety

• Personal care

• Positive behaviour support

But schools should avoid turning this into a meaningless checklist.

A candidate having heard of PECS does not make them an autism specialist.

Likewise, somebody does not necessarily need experience of every communication system ever developed.

What matters is understanding what the individual pupil needs and whether the candidate has successfully worked in a comparable environment.

The recruitment question we would rather ask is:

“Tell us about the autistic pupils you have actually supported.”

Then:

“What did that support involve?”

That conversation tells us far more than a keyword on a CV.

​

Recruiting SEMH Staff Requires a Different Profile

SEMH recruitment can be one of the clearest examples of why SEND candidates cannot simply be interchanged.

A successful SEMH practitioner often requires an unusual combination of qualities.

They need warmth without becoming overfamiliar.

Confidence without confrontation.

Boundaries without rigidity.

Resilience without becoming emotionally detached.

And perhaps most importantly, they need the ability to avoid interpreting challenging behaviour as a personal challenge to their authority.

Strong SEMH staff may need to:

• Build relationships with pupils who initially reject support

• Maintain clear professional boundaries

• De-escalate confrontation

• Recognise triggers

• Help pupils regulate emotions

• Remain calm when behaviour escalates

• Restore relationships following incidents

• Re-engage pupils with learning

• Work alongside pastoral teams

• Follow behaviour and risk-management plans

• Communicate effectively with teaching staff

• Avoid unnecessary power struggles

Previous experience can come from several places.

We regularly look at candidates with backgrounds in:

• SEMH schools

• PRUs

• Alternative Provision

• Youth work

• Behaviour mentoring

• Residential children's services

• Pastoral support

• Sports coaching

• Family support

• Outreach

• Mentoring

This is why transferable experience matters in SEND recruitment.

The strongest candidate is not always the person with the longest school-based CV.

Sometimes somebody who has spent five years successfully engaging vulnerable teenagers through youth work will bring significantly more to an SEMH provision than a candidate whose experience has been entirely within conventional classrooms.

​

Behaviour Mentor or Teaching Assistant?

Schools sometimes use these titles interchangeably.

We don't think recruiters should.

There will inevitably be overlap, but the emphasis can be very different.

An SEN Teaching Assistant may primarily focus on:

• Accessing learning

• Classroom participation

• 1:1 academic support

• Small-group interventions

• Differentiated activities

• Communication

• Independence

• Supporting teacher-led learning

A Behaviour Mentor may be more focused on:

• Engagement

• Behaviour

• Emotional regulation

• Attendance

• Relationships

• Reintegration

• Pastoral intervention

• Conflict

• De-escalation

• Helping pupils remain successfully within education

Some candidates can do both exceptionally well.

Others clearly lean towards one.

Understanding that distinction helps avoid the classic recruitment mistake of sending the school somebody who looks right on paper but is fundamentally the wrong type of practitioner.

​

PMLD and Complex Needs: Practical Experience Matters

Recruitment for PMLD and complex-needs settings can involve a completely different level of practical responsibility.

A candidate may be supporting pupils with profound learning disabilities alongside significant physical, sensory, communication or medical needs.

Depending on the individual role and the school's requirements, experience could include:

• Personal care

• Mobility support

• Hoisting

• Manual handling

• Wheelchair users

• Positioning

• Sensory programmes

• Intensive interaction

• Non-verbal communication

• Feeding support

• Physical disabilities

• Complex medical needs

• Multi-sensory learning

• Working alongside therapists

• Individual care plans

Someone having general SEND experience does not automatically mean they have PMLD experience.

If a school specifically needs somebody comfortable with personal care or complex physical needs, we want to know that before recruitment begins.

​

1:1 SEN Support: Compatibility Matters

A 1:1 placement has its own recruitment challenges.

The member of staff may spend almost every school day alongside the same pupil.

That makes technical experience important — but it also makes compatibility and consistency particularly important.

The wrong personality can create friction.

The right person can become an important source of stability.

We therefore want to understand:

What does the pupil need help with?

Is it primarily:

• Learning?

• Communication?

• Social interaction?

• Emotional regulation?

• Behaviour?

• Physical support?

• Independence?

• Transitions?

• Sensory regulation?

How much support is actually required?

There is an important difference between providing support and accidentally creating dependency.

An effective 1:1 practitioner should, where appropriate, help the pupil become more independent, rather than simply remaining permanently attached to them.

​

Mainstream SEND Support Is Not “SEND Lite”

One mistake recruitment agencies can make is assuming specialist SEND experience only matters in special schools.

It doesn't.

Mainstream schools increasingly operate:

• Resource bases

• Autism provisions

• SEN units

• Inclusion rooms

• Nurture provision

• Intervention teams

• Behaviour support

• 1:1 EHCP-funded placements

• Speech and language support

• Internal alternative provision

An LSA supporting an autistic pupil within a mainstream Year 4 class still needs to understand autism.

A Teaching Assistant supporting a pupil with complex physical needs still needs appropriate experience simply because the school happens to be mainstream.

Recruitment should follow the needs of the pupil, not the label above the school's front door.

​

Alternative Provision and PRUs Need Their Own Recruitment Approach

Alternative Provision is another area where generic education recruitment frequently falls short.

A very high proportion of children in Alternative Provision have SEND or additional needs.

Recruiting for an AP or PRU therefore means understanding that staff may be supporting pupils with several overlapping issues.

These can include:

• SEMH

• ADHD

• Autism

• Trauma

• School refusal

• Poor attendance

• Exclusion

• Behavioural difficulties

• Family disruption

• Low educational engagement

• Significant gaps in learning

The best AP practitioners are often exceptional relationship builders.

They understand that before some pupils can be pushed academically, they need to become successfully re-engaged with education itself.

That does not mean lowering expectations.

It means understanding how to get the pupil into a position where those expectations can realistically be met.

​

SEND Teachers: QTS Is Only the Beginning

Teacher recruitment presents the same issue.

QTS tells us something important.

It does not tell us everything.

When recruiting a SEND Teacher, we also want to understand:

• Which SEND settings have they taught in?

• What age groups?

• What curriculum?

• Autism?

• SEMH?

• PMLD?

• SLD?

• MLD?

• Complex needs?

• Alternative Provision?

• Mainstream inclusion?

• Have they adapted schemes of work?

• Have they worked alongside multi-disciplinary professionals?

• Are they comfortable with significantly differentiated learning?

• What behaviour environments have they managed?

• What size classes?

• What level of classroom support are they accustomed to?

A fantastic mainstream English Teacher cannot simply be dropped into an SEMH class and expected automatically to thrive.

Likewise, a highly experienced PMLD Teacher may be exceptional at what they do without necessarily being the right appointment for a mainstream secondary autism provision.

SEND specialism matters.

​

Outreach Tutors Need More Than Subject Knowledge

SEND staffing does not stop at the school gate.

Some children and young people are unable to access conventional school placements at particular points in their education.

They may be:

• Awaiting a specialist placement

• Receiving education outside school

• Experiencing significant anxiety

• School avoidant

• Unable to attend for medical reasons

• Excluded

• At risk of exclusion

• Receiving an interim education package

• Working towards reintegration

• Receiving Alternative Provision

A strong outreach tutor therefore needs more than a Maths or English qualification.

They may need to establish a relationship with a young person who has disengaged completely from formal education.

The first successful session may not involve completing ten pages of GCSE Maths.

It may involve getting the young person to sit at the same table as the tutor for 20 minutes.

Then 30.

Then beginning some work.

Then gradually rebuilding routine, confidence and educational engagement.

The academic objective remains important.

But the route towards it may be very different.

Read more about our SEND Outreach Tuition and 1:1 Alternative Provision.

​

Are You a Parent of a Child With SEND or a School Refuser?

This is an area where many families do not know where to start.

Your child may have autism, ADHD, SEMH needs or another additional need.

They may have an EHCP.

They may be awaiting a suitable school place.

They may previously have attended school successfully but now be experiencing significant school avoidance or school refusal.

Or perhaps the existing placement has broken down completely.

In those circumstances, 1:1 outreach tuition or another form of individual education package may be an option.

Uniform Education works with schools and local-authority education services to provide experienced tutors, qualified teachers and SEND professionals for children and young people who need education outside a conventional classroom.

Sessions may take place, subject to the individual arrangement and safeguarding requirements, in:

• The family home

• A library

• A community venue

• An education centre

• Another agreed setting

Can a parent arrange council-funded tuition through Uniform Education?

You can absolutely contact us first and explain your child's circumstances.

Where tuition is being funded by a local authority, school or other public body, however, the provision normally needs to be agreed and commissioned by that organisation.

We can explain the type of educational professional we can provide and, where appropriate, work with the relevant council, SEND team, school or commissioner once the support has been authorised.

If your child is:

• Out of school

• A school refuser

• Experiencing significant school avoidance

• Awaiting a specialist placement

• Unable to access their current provision

• Receiving an EOTAS or Alternative Provision package

• In need of interim education

• Struggling because of autism, ADHD or SEMH

• Requiring individual tuition under an agreed package

speak to us.

Call Uniform Education on 0203 794 8988
Email info@uniformeducation.co.uk

Our team can talk through the staffing options and explain how commissioned outreach support can work.

​

SEND Staffing and Outreach Coverage Across London

Uniform Education recruits and supplies SEND professionals across all 32 London boroughs plus the City of London.

That means we can recruit across all 33 London local-authority areas:

Barking and Dagenham | Barnet | Bexley | Brent | Bromley | Camden | City of London | Croydon | Ealing | Enfield | Greenwich | Hackney | Hammersmith and Fulham | Haringey | Harrow | Havering | Hillingdon | Hounslow | Islington | Kensington and Chelsea | Kingston upon Thames | Lambeth | Lewisham | Merton | Newham | Redbridge | Richmond upon Thames | Southwark | Sutton | Tower Hamlets | Waltham Forest | Wandsworth | Westminster

This means a school looking for an autism LSA in Barnet, an SEMH Teaching Assistant in Lambeth, an Outreach Tutor in Kingston, a Behaviour Mentor in Hillingdon or SEND staff in Redbridge is speaking to the same specialist recruitment team.

​

SEND Recruitment Across the Home Counties

Our recruitment coverage also extends beyond London.

Uniform Education supports education recruitment and SEND staffing across the wider Home Counties, including:

Hertfordshire | Essex | Surrey | Kent | Buckinghamshire | Berkshire | Bedfordshire | East Sussex | West Sussex

That includes recruitment for:

• Special schools

• Mainstream SEND provision

• Alternative Provision

• PRUs

• Specialist colleges

• Outreach tuition

• 1:1 SEND provision

• Local-authority education services

• Long-term vacancies

• Permanent SEND recruitment

• Emergency supply

Schools and education services outside Greater London can therefore access the same SEND candidate network and recruitment support.

​

Experience Is Important. Temperament Is Sometimes Just as Important.

One of the biggest lessons from more than a decade of education recruitment is that the longest CV does not always produce the best placement.

SEND schools regularly tell us they value qualities including:

• Reliability

• Patience

• Energy

• Calmness

• Resilience

• Empathy

• Professionalism

• Consistency

• Communication

• Initiative

• Appropriate boundaries

• A willingness to learn

None of those should replace proper vetting, safeguarding or relevant experience.

But they matter.

A candidate can have excellent experience and still be unreliable.

Another can have every qualification required yet struggle to build relationships with pupils.

A third may have slightly less classroom experience but possess exactly the temperament the setting requires.

Recruitment is therefore partly about evidence and partly about judgement.

That is where knowing candidates properly becomes important.

​

Reliability Is a SEND Issue, Not Just an HR Issue

If a temporary administrator does not arrive for work one morning, it causes inconvenience.

If the familiar adult supporting a vulnerable pupil unexpectedly disappears, the consequences can be very different.

Some pupils rely heavily on routine and predictability.

Unexpected changes to adults, classrooms, transport or timetables can create real distress.

Consistency therefore matters particularly within SEND.

That is why we look carefully at:

• Attendance history

• Punctuality

• Previous assignment longevity

• Reasons for leaving placements

• Travel feasibility

• Candidate commitment

• Availability

• References

A candidate living two hours from a school may insist that the journey is fine.

The more useful question is:

Will that journey still feel fine at 6:15am on a wet Tuesday in February?

Practical recruitment matters.

​

The Commute Is Part of the Candidate Match

This is especially relevant in London.

Looking at distance in miles is almost useless.

A candidate living six miles from a school can have a far worse journey than somebody 15 miles away.

Recruiters need to understand:

• Underground routes

• National Rail

• Bus connections

• Changes

• Walking distance

• Start times

• Travel costs

• Reliability of the route

A theoretically perfect candidate who repeatedly arrives late is not a perfect candidate.

​

The Best SEND Recruitment Starts Before a CV Is Sent

For us, a strong SEND recruitment process looks something like this:

1. Understand the setting

What type of school, class, provision or service is it?

2. Understand the pupil group

What needs are actually being supported?

3. Identify the essential experience

What must the candidate have done before?

4. Separate essential from desirable

Not every role requires somebody with ten years of direct experience.

5. Consider temperament

What type of person succeeds in this environment?

6. Consider practicalities

Can they realistically get there every day?

7. Review employment history

What does their previous work tell us about reliability and suitability?

8. Complete appropriate safeguarding and compliance checks

Before a candidate is cleared for work.

9. Brief the candidate properly

They should understand where they are going and what the role involves.

10. Follow the placement

Good recruitment does not finish because somebody walked through the door on Monday morning.

​

What We Do Not Believe SEND Recruitment Should Look Like

A school asks for an LSA.

Ten unrelated CVs arrive.

The school chooses one.

That isn't specialist recruitment.

It is CV distribution.

A specialist SEND recruiter should be able to explain:

Why this person?

Why do their previous settings matter?

Which pupils have they supported?

What did they actually do?

Why should their temperament suit this school?

Have they done personal care?

Have they worked with challenging behaviour?

Have they supported non-verbal pupils?

Have they worked 1:1?

Can they make the journey reliably?

What did previous schools say?

Those are meaningful recruitment questions.

​

What Type of SEND Member of Staff Do You Need?

It isn't an exhaustive list.

It isn't designed to be.

The important point is that “SEND experience” should always lead to a second question.

Experience of what?

​

A Specialist SEND Agency Should Know the Difference

Uniform Education has recruited education professionals across London and the Home Counties since 2015.

The overwhelming majority of the temporary placements we now make are within SEND and specialist education.

We work across:

• Special schools

• Autism provisions

• SEMH schools

• PMLD and complex-needs settings

• Alternative Provisions

• PRUs

• Mainstream SEND departments

• Resource bases

• Specialist colleges

• Academy trusts

• Local-authority education services

• 1:1 and outreach tuition

We recruit:

• SEND Teachers

• SEN Teachers

• SEN Teaching Assistants

• SEND Teaching Assistants

• Learning Support Assistants

• 1:1 Support Staff

• Behaviour Mentors

• SEMH Support Staff

• Autism Support Staff

• PMLD Support Staff

• HLTAs

• Pastoral and Inclusion Staff

• Outreach Tutors

• SEND Tutors

Our role is not to pretend that every person on that list is interchangeable.

It is to understand which person fits which requirement.

You can read more about Uniform Education and our specialist SEND recruitment service.

​

Schools and Local Authorities: Need SEND Staff?

If your school, academy trust, specialist provision or local-authority service needs SEND staff, you do not need to know the perfect job title before contacting us.

Tell us about the actual requirement.

Tell us:

• The location

• The age group

• The pupil or class

• The SEND need

• What support is required

• What experience is essential

• The hours

• The start date

• Whether the requirement is temporary, long-term or permanent

We can take it from there.

Whether you need an experienced SEN Teacher, SEND Teaching Assistant, Learning Support Assistant, Behaviour Mentor, SEMH practitioner, autism specialist, PMLD LSA or Outreach Tutor, our team can search specifically for the experience your provision requires.

Call: 0203 794 8988
Email: info@uniformeducation.co.uk

​

Looking for SEND Work in London or the Home Counties?

We also want to hear from experienced education professionals.

If you are a:

• SEN Teacher

• SEND Teacher

• Teaching Assistant

• SEN Teaching Assistant

• Learning Support Assistant

• Behaviour Mentor

• SEMH practitioner

• Autism support worker

• PMLD specialist

• HLTA

• Outreach Tutor

• SEND Tutor

• Pastoral professional

and you are looking for your next temporary, long-term or permanent role, send us your CV.

Send your CV today

Email your CV to info@uniformeducation.co.uk

Tell us:

• Where you live

• The areas you can travel to

• Your SEND experience

• The age groups you have supported

• The type of role you want

• Your availability

Or speak directly to our recruitment team:

0203 794 8988

Uniform Education recruits across all London boroughs and throughout the Home Counties.

​

Speak to Uniform Education

Schools, Academy Trusts and Local Authorities

Need an SEN Teacher, Teaching Assistant, LSA, Behaviour Mentor, SEND specialist or Outreach Tutor?

0203 794 8988
info@uniformeducation.co.uk

Parents and Carers

Child out of school, struggling to access education or waiting for suitable provision?

Contact us to discuss the types of 1:1 SEND and outreach tuition that can be provided where an appropriate education package is commissioned.

0203 794 8988
info@uniformeducation.co.uk

Candidates

Looking for your next SEND role?

Email your CV to info@uniformeducation.co.uk

Uniform Education
Specialist SEND & Education Recruitment
London & Home Counties

Recruitment to Shape Future Generations.