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Learning Support Worker

Learning Support Worker

St John's College

Brighton and Hove

  • New
Salary:
£23,469 Actual Salary
Job type:
Full Time, Permanent
Start date:
January 2025
Apply by:
15 November 2024

Job overview

At St. John's, we have been making a positive difference to the lives of young people for nearly 140 years. We are now looking for an amazing Learning Support Worker to support us in making that difference! Could that be you?

Why join our inclusive team?

St. John's is one of the largest employers in Brighton and Hove.

What can we offer you?

Salary of £23,469

  • 32-days paid holiday (plus bank holidays) - 32-days are taken outside of term time
  • Fulfilling and meaningful work – make a difference!
  • Free lunch – how much will that save you a month?!
  • Career development plans that are tailored to you
  • Discounts across businesses in the local community.

Who are we?

St. John's is a non-maintained specialist provision, working with autistic people, the majority of whom also have learning disabilities. Some of our learners have co-occurring conditions such as epilepsy, hearing or visual impairments, or mental health needs. We also support autistic learners who have an additional profile of Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) syndrome. We have a team built up of support workers, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, nurses, PBS practitioners, assistant psychologists, and more, to support us in our holistic approach to development.

Each learner's curriculum is shaped by their individual strengths, interests, and challenges. St. John's is awarded with Autism Accreditation by the National Autistic Society (NAS). We support our learners to develop their skills in the NAS's four focus areas of:

  • Difference in social communication and interaction
  • Self-reliance and problem-solving
  • Sensory
  • Emotional Well-being

What are we looking for?

We've been doing this long enough to know that, whilst desirable, experience is not everything! Our amazing learning and development team and our passionate managers have coached people new to this field into support working roles. We know that if you have, the passion and desire to learn, and the want to empower others, you already have the foundations of an outstanding support worker. We are looking for drivers to support our young people to access the community, but having a licence isn't essential.

Sound like you? Then keep on reading!

What will you be doing?

  • Supporting the young people in a classroom setting and during breaktimes
  • Implementing the learner's behaviour support plan and risk assessment
  • Working within a team of multidisciplinary professionals across the charity
  • Tracking the progress of individuals and reporting to the teacher, care manager, and/or parents at review meetings.

Exciting opportunity? We think so! Click apply to start your journey as part of the St. John's College family as a Learning Support Worker

Ambitious about Autism is fully committed to equality of opportunity and diversity and we warmly welcome applications from all suitably-qualified candidates. We welcome applications regardless of race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, disability, or age. All applications will be considered solely on merit.


Ambitious about Autism is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and successful candidates will be subject to an Enhanced DBS check. As part of our Safer Recruitment checks, an online search maybe carried out in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education.


The Safeguarding responsibilities of the post as per the job description and personal specification.

Whether the post is exempt from the rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendment to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2021. This means that when applying for certain jobs and activities certain spent convictions and cautions are ‘protected', so they do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account. Further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS Filter Guidance.

Attached documents

About St John's College

+44 1273 244000

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St. John’s College is an independent specialist college of further education, situated in the diverse and vibrant city of Brighton and Hove. We provide education, care, and therapy for autistic young people, aged 16-25, some of whom also have learning disabilities.

St. John’s College is a place where learning is shaped around young people’s hopes and aspirations. Our courses are tailored to meet young people’s goals. Learner voice is important. We respect choices and help our learners to consider different ideas and new experiences. Our highly skilled, trans-disciplinary, specialist staff team is dedicated to helping young people to achieve.

At St. John’s College, we promote learners’ sense of belonging and encourage everyone to take an active part in college life and to engage with opportunities in the community. The college has strong links with many organisations across Brighton and Hove, giving access to exciting employability placements and learning activities, in areas such as catering, horticulture, music and leisure.

We welcome learners to attend on a day or residential basis. We have five residential houses – three positioned on-site and two along the East Sussex coast, at Peacehaven and Telscombe. Learning is enhanced through our waking day curriculum, where our residential team support the development of independent living and social skills and access to the local community.

Ambitious about Autism

Ambitious about Autism is the national charity for autistic children and young people. We offer specialist education and support through Ambitious College, TreeHouse School, and The Rise School and St John’s College.

Ambitious College's values define how we work and ensure that children and young people with autism are at the heart of all that we do. We think everyone is entitled to lead a fulfilling, happy, and rewarding life; and this includes young people with autism.

Our learners are at the heart of everything we do, their curriculum is highly personalised to help them achieve their goals. We operate a person-centered approach. It is delivered by our highly skilled and friendly staff. We offer lots of opportunities to learn in the community through a range of partnerships with local employers, services, and our mainstream college partners.

As our name suggests, we are ambitious for our learners. We are a dedicated team of professionals who are passionate about our work in supporting young learners to live ordinary lives in their home community. We know that with the right opportunity and support they can achieve great things.

Ofsted- 

'Teachers and learning support workers know learners very well and work closely to  provide highly effective support. They use assistive technology skilfully to help learners to communicate and learn. For instance, learners who are nonverbal use  voice aids on electronic tablets to help them communicate. Multi-disciplinary teams,  including specialist services such as occupational and physiotherapy, ensure that  learners with the most complex needs receive very effective help and support.' Please see the full report here- 50253767 (ofsted.gov.uk)

Please note that you are wholly responsible for fact checking in respect of the information provided by schools. Please also check for the latest visa and work permit requirements that may apply. Tes is not responsible for the content of advertisements or the policies adopted by advertising schools. Tes asks that all schools follow Tes' Fair Recruitment Policy.

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