Learning Support Practitioner

Role: Learning Support Practitioner

Location: Bedford, Cauldwell Street

Salary/Benefits: Salary is between £25,585 and £30,915 per annum pro rata DOE and Qualifications, People’s Pension, Retail and Leisure Discounts, excellent professional and personal development opportunities, accessing college courses.

Hours/Weeks: 37 hours per week/ 37 weeks per year

Contract Type: Term-time, permanent

This is a UK based contract, and you are required to have theRight to Work in the UK. Unfortunately, we’re unable to offer sponsorship and any offer of employment will be subject to evidence of your Right to Work in the UK.

About the role:

We are currently seeking a Learning Support Practitioner to join our Foundation Learning and Additional Learning Support department at The Bedford College Group.

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

• Personalised SEND Support - Provide tailored support to learners with SEND and additional needs, helping them access learning, develop independence and achieve EHCP outcomes across classroom, practical and community-based settings.
• Learning Progress & Outcomes - Monitor, record and report on learner progress, providing evidence-based feedback to tutors and support teams and contributing to reviews, EHCP processes and learner development planning.
• Inclusive Practice & Learner Development - Implement effective strategies to support communication, behaviour regulation, social development and study skills, while promoting inclusive learning environments where all learners can succeed.
• Partnership Working & Professional Collaboration - Work closely with teachers, ALS staff, parents/carers, therapists and external professionals to provide coordinated, learner-centred support and ensure individual needs are met effectively.
• Continuous Improvement & Safeguarding - Contribute to the development of high-quality SEND provision through reflective practice and professional development, while upholding responsibilities for safeguarding, equality, diversity and inclusion, health and safety, and learner wellbeing.

About you:

• Qualifications & SEND Knowledge - Level 3 qualification in Learning Support, Education or a related field, with Level 2 Maths and English and knowledge of current SEND reforms, inclusive practice and Ofsted expectations.
• SEND & Educational Support Experience - Experience supporting learners with SEND and additional needs in educational or care settings, with knowledge of FE provision, multi-agency working and supporting students with complex learning and medical needs.
• Communication, Digital & Record-Keeping Skills - Strong literacy, numeracy and digital skills, including proficiency in Microsoft Office, with the ability to observe, record and report learner progress and outcomes accurately and professionally.
• Learner-Centred & Inclusive Practice - Strong understanding of SEND support strategies, with the ability to build positive relationships, promote learner independence, resilience and self-advocacy, and contribute to improved outcomes for all learners.
• Flexibility, Safeguarding & Mobility - Positive, adaptable and solution-focused, with a commitment to safeguarding, willingness to support personal care and mobility needs, flexibility to work across sites and possession of a full UK driving licence with access to a vehicle.

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: to be confirmed

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.

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.