Special Education Needs & Disabilities Support Assistant – Ongoing Recruitment

Role: Special Education Needs & Disabilities Support Assistant – Ongoing Recruitment

Location: Bedford College – Cauldwell Street Campus

Salary: £12.21 per hour

Hours/Weeks: Up to 30 hours per week

Contract Type: Fixed Term – Term Time – Fixed until 26th June 2026

About the role:

We are currently seeking a Special Education Needs & Disabilities Support Assistant to join our Additional Support department at The Bedford College Group.

As a Support Assistant, you play an important role in the success of our students through:

• Student Support & Inclusion – Provides tailored one-to-one or small group support to students with SEND, helping them access learning across specialist and mainstream programmes.
• Independence & Wellbeing Development – Promotes student independence, wellbeing, and personal growth, including personal care and medication administration where required.
• Resource & Learning Support – Prepares and maintains learning resources, supports implementation of individual support plans, and collaborates with teaching staff to meet student needs.
• Record Keeping & Team Contribution – Maintains accurate records, contributes to learner reports, and actively participates in team meetings and programme development.
• Safeguarding & Professional Standards – Upholds safeguarding, equality, health & safety policies, and engages in ongoing training and development in line with college procedures and values.

About you:

• Essential Qualifications & Experience – Educated to Level 2 in Maths and English, with experience supporting young people with SEND in educational or care settings and a working knowledge of SEND.
• Technical & Communication Skills – Proficient in Microsoft Office applications, with strong verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills across face-to-face, written, and telephone interactions.
• Learner-Centred Approach – Committed to creating a high-quality, inclusive learning environment, promoting student wellbeing, independence, and safeguarding.
• Professionalism & Teamwork – Works effectively both independently and as part of a team, maintains accurate records, and contributes positively to the college’s reputation and values.
• Flexibility & Safeguarding Commitment – Demonstrates a positive, adaptable attitude, willingness to work across sites, and a clear understanding of professional boundaries and safeguarding responsibilities.

For a more detailed breakdown of the job role and the requirements, please see the Job Description attached to this vacancy.

Interviews to be held: 24 September 2025

Successful candidates must also be able to demonstrate alignment to our organisationalVISION values:

• Valuing Teamwork – We are one team who by working together can achieve great things, respecting the opinion and valuing the contribution each of us makes.
• Improving Continuously – We challenge ourselves to always do better by trying new things, sharing knowledge, reflecting on practice and learning from others.
• Student Centred – At our heart is always doing what is best for our students. We consider students in all of our decision making to create positive outcomes and memorable experiences for every student.
• Inclusive – We celebrate differences and diversity, recognising that we can learn from each other.
• Open and Caring – We care about the wellbeing of our staff, our students, our community and wider society, creating an environment built on trust where we listen, engage with and support each other.
• Nurturing Education Excellence – We promote educational excellence by delivering programmes that challenge our students to achieve their ambitions.

What is an Associate?
Associates work on a short term basis as assigned. They teach or provide support services and they work with and are supported by core staff. As an Associate you will be issued with an Associate agreement, under this Agreement period you will be eligible to work on assignments offered to you. Typically an agreement runs from January to December and may be renewed thereafter.

About The Bedford College Group
The Bedford College Group was formed in 2017 following the merger of Bedford College and Tresham College and is now the largest provider of education in the South East Midlands, with over 15,000 students passing through our doors each year.

Today, the Group is made up of a family of colleges across Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire: Bedford College, Central Bedfordshire College and Tresham College in the towns of Bedford, Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard, Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough; Shuttleworth College, a specialist land-based college; The Bedford Sixth Form, (the only dedicated sixth form in Bedford); The Corby Sixth Form, (opened in September 2023); and the National College for Motorsport alongside Silverstone race circuit. To widen accessibility to education and training, the Group also has community-based Learning Centres in Bedford, Corby and Kettering which offer IT training.

Safeguarding our Students
The Bedford College Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to thorough vetting process which includes, an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the Exceptions Order 1975, provides information about which convictions must be declared during job applications and related exceptions and further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS filtering guide. The Bedford College Group’s policy on Employment of Ex-Offenders is attached to this vacancy.

Candidates who are barred from working with children are reminded it is a criminal offence to apply for this post.

Documents

TBCG Ex-Offenders Policy.pdf

Special Educational Needs and Disabiltieis Support Assistant Feb 2023.doc