Post: SEND Teaching Assistant

Location:  Millbay Academy, 22 Millbay Road, Plymouth Pl1 3EG

FTE Salary Range: £25,583 - £26,403 Pro Rata

Actual Salary Range: £19,997.77 to £20,638.43

Contract Type: Permanent, term time only (39 weeks per year)

Contract Hours:  32.5 per week Monday to Friday

Millbay Academy are recruiting for a SEN Teaching Assistant to join our team in the SEN Department who will work under the guidance of teaching and senior staff to undertake work/care/support programmes to enable access to learning for pupils, and to assist the Teacher in the management of pupils and the classroom.

Your duties will include:

• Providing support for pupils, including those with special needs, ensuring their safety and access to learning activities
• Assisting the Teacher with planning of learning activities
• Promoting positive pupil behaviour, dealing promptly with conflicts and incidents in line with policy

About the successful candidate

This is a great opportunity for a self-motivated and well-organised individual.  We are looking for someone who has the following experience and qualities:

• Have at least Level 2 Teaching Assistant and/or Level 2 Early Years Qualification (or equivalent to these)
• Be able to display effective communication skills with both children and adults
• Be eager to work collaboratively in a wider team, adaptable and open to new ideas and practices
• Be a fast and highly flexible thinker, being able to deal with change and unpredictability positively with a ‘can-do’ attitude
• Experience of working with SEN children preferable

About the school

Millbay Academy is a thriving secondary school in Plymouth’s Coastal Quarter, where every individual is valued, and every moment counts. Our journey of school improvement has been transformational, culminating in our recent Ofsted GOOD rating across all areas in 2024. As we continue to build on this success, our student numbers are growing, and we are excited to be recruiting due to both increased capacity and our commitment to nurturing talent from within - creating opportunities for our existing staff to take on new and exciting challenges.

At Millbay Academy, we are driven by our ethos: "Think Like a Creative." With a strong focus on Creative Industries and a broad, rich curriculum, we empower students to develop the skills, mindset, and confidence needed for success in the modern world. We are committed to protecting Arts pathways in the city and ensuring that creativity, innovation, and ambition are at the heart of everything we do. Our work connects with our sister school UTC Plymouth, and our Creative Industries commitment reflects the STEAM agenda  at UTC and their “Think Like and Engineer” mindset. 

We provide students with the knowledge and opportunities to progress to a wide range of high-quality post-16 destinations, including Plymouth Arts University, UTC Plymouth, City College, Callywith College, local Sixth Forms, and a variety of applied apprenticeships. By fostering curiosity, critical thinking, and resilience, we prepare them to thrive in further education and employment.

With an improved and modernised capacity for 1020 students, and a growing reputation, Millbay Academy is a school where students are supported, challenged, and inspired to achieve their full potential and where staff opportunities are excellent. There is strong precedent for Leadership development and roles across both schools for the individuals.  We expect excellence from our staff, as we are committed to serving our community and to support this, we have a strong focus on staff wellbeing, including the potential for flexible PPA time; email curfew and Wellbeing Wednesday initiative. 

Trust Background

Reach South is a young and developing Trust which operates across the South West of England with the aim of delivering all through 3-19 education. We operate 16 Academies in Plymouth, Exeter, Bournemouth, Dorset and Wiltshire. We are building this Trust on a clear set of values, behaviours and curriculum principles. At the heart of those values and principles is a belief in our young people and a determination to support them to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes to become the successful citizens for today and all of their tomorrows.

Our core business is delivering exceptional education for children and young people with a mission to help all pupils aspire to achieve beyond the expectations that others put on them. We do this through the development of a talented and committed workforce. In order to deliver exceptional opportunities for learning, we need highly motivated staff across all parts of the organisation.

The Trust provides a strong culture of collaboration and support, together with high expectations for staff and pupils alike.

Those we recruit are able to demonstrate that they share our values, are highly motivated to work with colleagues, within and beyond their school, to continuously develop their skills and pursue professional excellence.

Next Steps

If you think this role may be for you and want to be involved at this exciting time in our development and have any questions about the position, please get in touch by calling the Recruitment team on 07759365064 or emailing us at recruitment@reachsouth.org.

Closing date: for applications is Sunday 8th February 2026

Interview Date:  Interviews are provisionally booked for the week commencing 23rd February 2026

To apply for this opportunity, please complete our online application form by clicking ‘apply now’ on the advert.

We reserve the right to interview and appoint prior to the closing date. Therefore, an early application is strongly advised.

 Opportunities and Benefits

We’re proud of how we support our staff in order that you have high levels of job satisfaction, are aware of the difference you are making for the children and families you work with and can see your contribution towards our community. There are regular opportunities for professional development and training, and a wider community of staff to network with within Reach South Multi Academy Trust. You will have the chance to visit other local schools, work alongside a range of outside professionals and take part in a variety of e-learning and face-to-face training.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Each post is subject to an enhanced DBS check.

Reach South Academy Trust has an Equal Opportunities Policy for selection and recruitment. Applicants are requested to complete the Equal Opportunities Monitoring section of the application form before submitting.