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SEND Development Mentor – Supporting Students With SLD and SEMH

Some pupils need more than a traditional classroom. Some need space to regulate, someone who listens without judgment, and someone who can help them reconnect with learning when life feels overwhelming.

This school, based in Haywards Heath understands that — and they’re looking for someone who understands it too.

Teaching Personnel are supporting a specialist SEND school seeking a SEND Development Mentor to work with pupils who have Severe Learning Difficulties (SLD) and Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs. This role is about patience, consistency, and providing young people with an adult who helps them feel safe enough to grow.

If you believe every pupil deserves someone in their corner, you might be exactly who we're looking for.

What You’ll Be Doing (Where You Make the Difference)

Every day, you will be the person who offers grounding, encouragement, and structure. Your role will include:

Supporting pupils 1:1 and in small groups across a range of learning and emotional needs
Helping students manage emotions, anxiety, frustration, and behavioural responses
Providing calm, steady guidance during moments of dysregulation
Encouraging communication, independence, social skills, and resilience
Using creative, practical approaches — sensory activities, visuals, routines, regulation strategies
Working closely with teachers, pastoral teams, and therapists to deliver personalised support
Celebrating meaningful progress, even when it looks small from the outside
Your role is not to control behaviour — it’s to understand it and help pupils find safer, healthier ways to navigate their day.

Who This Role Will Suit

You do not need years of SEND experience. You do need the right qualities.

You’ll thrive here if you are:

Patient, emotionally grounded, and able to stay calm in challenging moments
Someone who communicates clearly and listens deeply
Confident building relationships with pupils who may be withdrawn, anxious, or defensive
Adaptable when routines change or unexpected behaviour arises
Curious about both SLD and SEMH and open to ongoing training
Someone who sees the child first, not the behaviour
Comfortable working within a supportive, reflective team
If you can offer consistency to a pupil who has rarely experienced it, you’ll make a real difference.

What Makes This School Stand Out

A strong focus on emotional wellbeing and relational practice
Excellent training in SEND, SEMH, de-escalation, communication, and behaviour understanding
A team who meet challenges with empathy, not pressure
Leadership who value emotional safety for both staff and pupils
A setting where pupils are encouraged to build confidence at their own pace
A truly collaborative environment where staff learn from each other
This is not a role where you blend into the background — your presence will matter daily.

Ready to Join a School That Changes Lives?

If you want a role where patience, empathy, and connection are valued — and where you can see your impact every single day — we’d love to hear from you.

Apply today to become a SEND Development Mentor and help young people with SLD and SEMH feel supported, understood, and capable of achieving more than they believed possible.

All applicants will require the appropriate qualifications and training for this role. Please see the FAQ’s on the Teaching Personnel website for 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.

Teaching Personnel is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. We undertake safeguarding checks on all workers in accordance with 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 all our registered candidates FREE child protection and prevent duty training. All candidates must undertake or have undertaken a valid enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. Full assistance provided.

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