SEND Lunchtime Support Assistant

What skills and experience we're looking for

Attending to pupils' personal care needs (including toileting, changing nappies/pads & sometimes clothing when needed, this applies to pupils of all ages throughout the school from 3-19 years)

• Supervising and assisting pupils with eating and feeding
• Supervising, interacting and initiating play activities with pupils in our playgrounds

Some experience of working with children and assisting them with feeding, toileting and self-care is desirable but not essential and we have lots of experience of supporting staff to do well who join the school from all sorts of backgrounds.

Overall, we are looking for someone who has good communication skills and is able to work effectively, flexibly and supportively as a member of the school team. You will need to be able to physically support pupils including those in special seating/wheelchairs & walking aids to move around the school and to supervise, assist and implement care/self-care for the pupils.

We have a full support and induction training programme for our staff, all of whom are highly valued. Training will include Safeguarding Children, Manual Handling, Positioning, Eating & Drinking and regulation training. Training is compulsory.

Please note applicants must demonstrate how they meet all sections of the person specification for this role.

What the school offers its staff

Sherwood Foundation School

Lunchtime Support Assistants

Salary: NJC Pay Scale, Grade 1- 3, points 2-6, £4,927- £5,212 per annum (FTE £28,221- £29,856)

Contract: Part time, 7.5 hours per week worked across 5 days, Monday to Friday

Term Time plus only (38 weeks) & Permanent

Start date: As soon as possible

Closing date: Tuesday, 26 May 2026, Midday

Sherwood Foundation School is a Foundation Special School located in the London Borough of Sutton and made up of three campuses:

Sherwood Park Campus: This is a specialist school for learners aged 3 - 19 years who have severe, multiple and complex learning difficulties and/or disabilities. This includes learners who have highly complex access needs resulting from their physical and/or health conditions. All learners require high levels of adult support to access learning.

Sherwood Hill Campus: This is a specialist school for autistic learners aged 3 - 19 years who have multiple and complex barriers to learning, requiring high levels of support to access education and learning around their peers. Many of our learners may also have severe learning difficulties and /or struggle to maintain a regulated state for learning.

Sherwood Manor Campus: This is a specialist school primarily for Autistic learners aged 11 - 19 years who have moderate to severe barriers to learning. Most of our pupils can access a highly adapted formal learning environment with high levels of adult support. Some of our learners struggle to deal with the demands of an adult led learning environment so may need a highly individualised learning offer to meet their academic potential.

Working under the direction of our Senior Lunchtime Supervisors or the Class Teacher your duties will include:

• Attending to pupils' personal care needs (including toileting, changing nappies/pads & sometimes clothing when needed, this applies to pupils of all ages throughout the school from 3-19 years)
• Supervising and assisting pupils with eating and feeding
• Supervising, interacting and initiating play activities with pupils in our playgrounds

Some experience of working with children and assisting them with feeding, toileting and self-care is desirable but not essential and we have lots of experience of supporting staff to do well who join the school from all sorts of backgrounds.

Overall, we are looking for someone who has good communication skills and is able to work effectively, flexibly and supportively as a member of the school team. You will need to be able to physically support pupils including those in special seating/wheelchairs & walking aids to move around the school and to supervise, assist and implement care/self-care for the pupils.

We have a full support and induction training programme for our staff, all of whom are highly valued. Training will include Safeguarding Children, Manual Handling, Positioning, Eating & Drinking and regulation training. Training is compulsory.

Please note applicants must demonstrate how they meet all sections of the person specification for this role.

For an application form please apply via the TES website Alternatively, please contact the SFS via email on [email protected]

Please note applicants must demonstrate how they meet all sections and subsections of the person specification for this role.

Safeguarding Recruitment Statement

Sherwood Foundation School is committed to equal opportunities, safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All appointments are made subject to receipt of a completed application, satisfactory references and an Enhanced DBS check

Closing Date for Applications: Tuesday, 26 May 2026, Midday

Interviews: TBC

Further details about the role

Overall Purpose of the Post

• To assist the Senior Lunchtime Supervisor, the Class Teacher and the school staff in supervising the pupils during the midday break.
• To ensure the health and safety of pupils at lunchtimes under the direction of the appropriate person.
• To be responsible for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young people within the school.
• This role includes an important educational element in the support of the learners.

Main Duties & Responsibilities

• To supervise learners inthe dining room, the classroom and the playground during the lunchtime period
• To supervise and work with groups of learners and with individual pupils on their feeding programmes and learning objectives, across the full age-range of pupils from FoundationStage through to Further Education
• To adhere to the school Wellbeing (Behaviour) Policy, individual regulation profiles or Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) plans put in place.
• To work with learners on their independence and self-care procedures and support pupils who do not have the ability to help themselves. This will include washing hands and faces, changing pads/nappies and supervising pupils in the toileting areas.
• To physically support learners and push those who are in wheelchairs and special seating systems within school and also move and position some of the pupils. Guidance will be given as to the most appropriate way to do this.
• To offer general supervision of pupils and students throughout the school.
• To tidy/clean up in a satisfactory manner in each area that they work in.
• To maintain a very high standard of hygiene at all times.
• To work co-operatively and effectively under the supervision of the appropriate person and the senior management team as part of the school team.
• To act as a good role model for learners particularly for social skills, independence and play and leisure.
• To record information and pass it on to therelevant person, e.g., Senior Lunchtime Supervisor, Class Staff, Leadership team as appropriate and required.
• To support learners in using their individual communication systems and appropriate visuals at all times.
• To provide pupils with the opportunity to benefit from a language rich environment, encouraging pupils to talk to each other and to the adults, when appropriate.
• To adhere to Manual handling advice and the Health and Safety regulations and all School and Borough policies at all times.
• To participate in all in-service training sessions offered e.g., Safeguarding, Manual Handling, feeding skills, medical needs and foundation training.

The Lunchtime Support Assistant is required to be flexible regarding their working hours, by arrangement with the Senior Lunchtime Supervisor/Headteacher/Leadership team on occasion during the school year e.g., sports day, Christmas lunch, special events.

Lunchtime Support Assistants may be offered the opportunity to work additional hours as a Teaching Assistant, should they wish to as and when required by the Headteacher/Senior Management Team.

School employees are advised to have the Hepatitis B vaccination.

Sherwood Foundation School is a no-smoking school

Commitment to safeguarding

Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff, volunteers and trustees to share this commitment. Our recruitment process follows the keeping children safe in education guidance. Offers of employment may be subject to the following checks (where relevant): childcare disqualification Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) medical online and social media prohibition from teaching right to work satisfactory references suitability to work with children You must tell us about any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.