West Exe School seeks SEMH-focused support for pupils who need structured help
West Exe School in Exeter is recruiting a Higher Level Teaching Assistant to support pupils with Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs and ADHD, placing day-to-day emotional regulation and classroom engagement at the center of the role. The post is framed around children whose learning is being slowed not only by academic gaps but by barriers rooted in attention, self-management, anxiety, impulsivity, and difficulty trusting the school environment. In a classroom, those problems can surface as avoidance, disrupted participation, withdrawal, or sudden escalation. Effective support has to be immediate, calm, and consistent.
The vacancy is for a permanent, full-time term-time appointment in Exeter, with a salary range of Grade D £24,155 to £26,601 per annum, based on actual salary. The position carries a 37.5-hour working week across 39 weeks a year and is intended to begin as soon as possible. An interview date is listed for 26 November 2026, and the closing date is 11 November 2026. A DBS check is required, reflecting the school’s responsibility to maintain a safeguarded environment for children and young people.
SEMH support depends on trust, routine, and practical de-escalation
The language around the post makes clear where the need lies: pupils with SEMH and ADHD often require more than generic classroom assistance. They need an adult who can interpret behavior as communication, identify triggers before escalation, and create a predictable framework that reduces distress. In school settings, that means more than supervision. It means structured intervention, careful observation, and the ability to help a child re-enter learning after a difficult moment without shame or confrontation.
A role of this kind sits at the intersection of education and child wellbeing. The assistant is expected to work directly with children in the classroom, plan and deliver interventions, and lead on the identified area of need. For pupils with SEMH difficulties, the practical impact can be significant: a steady adult presence can reduce classroom disruption, increase time on task, and make participation feel possible again. In children with ADHD, small changes in environment, sequencing, and adult response can prevent spirals that otherwise end in exclusion from learning. The work is not abstract. It happens in the moment, when a child is struggling to stay regulated enough to listen, start, persist, or recover.
Every student and every member of staff deserve something exceptional.
The job calls for close coordination with teachers, families, and external professionals
West Exe School describes the post as collaborative, with the successful applicant working alongside teachers, the SEND team, families, and external professionals. That multidisciplinary approach is standard in serious SEMH support because no single adult can meet all of a child’s needs in isolation. A pupil who is dysregulated in class may be carrying pressures that extend beyond school, and interventions work best when the adults around the child share a coherent approach.
Close coordination also helps prevent fragmented support. Teachers need strategies that can be used consistently across lessons. Families need clear communication about what is working and what is not. External professionals may contribute specialist advice that shapes behavior plans or targeted interventions. The role therefore appears to ask for a practitioner who can move comfortably between front-line support and wider planning, translating specialist understanding into practical classroom routines.
The emphasis on “creating positive learning experiences” is important because children with SEMH needs can become highly sensitive to repeated failure. Repeated correction without relational support often entrenches avoidance. By contrast, a support model that combines clear boundaries with encouragement can lower resistance and help pupils rebuild confidence. For many children, confidence is not a soft extra. It is the condition that allows learning to resume.
Safeguarding expectations remain central to the appointment
The post is being offered by the Ted Wragg Multi Academy Trust, which states that it is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. That obligation is not a procedural add-on; it is central to any role involving vulnerable learners. Enhanced vetting through a DBS check is part of that framework, ensuring the school can appoint staff who are suitable to work closely with children.
The trust describes itself as ambitious and inclusive, with a focus on strengthening communities through education. In practical terms, an inclusive school setting for pupils with SEMH needs must do more than welcome attendance. It must be able to keep children emotionally safe while they learn. That requires staff who can manage challenging behavior without escalating distress, preserve dignity during difficult moments, and sustain expectations even when a child is struggling.
For an experienced support practitioner, the vacancy offers a chance to take on a defined leadership role around SEMH within a mainstream school environment. The responsibility is substantial because the pupils most affected by emotional and behavioral barriers often depend on one-to-one consistency to access the curriculum at all. When that support is well delivered, the benefits extend beyond a single lesson: attendance can improve, classroom participation can stabilize, and the school day becomes more navigable for children who have often found it hard to cope.
The job posting does not offer clinical outcome data, and it does not need to. Its significance lies in the kind of need it is trying to meet. Schools are increasingly expected to respond to mental health-related barriers within ordinary classrooms, and roles like this one are part of that response. The appointment in Exeter is a reminder that for pupils with SEMH and ADHD, educational access is often inseparable from emotional support, consistent routines, and adults who know how to keep learning within reach.