Teaching Assistants play a vital role in supporting pupils with additional needs. They help pupils access learning, build confidence, develop relationships, and participate fully in school life.
Yet many Teaching Assistants enter the role with little training or ongoing support. The work can feel demanding and, at times, isolating.
sendTA was created to change this.
We are building a community of Teaching Assistants who are trained, supported, and equipped to work confidently with pupils with SEND. sendTA helps candidates prepare for school-based roles and connects them with schools looking to employ Teaching Assistants directly.
Working with sendTA means:
Opportunities to develop expertise in SEND
Supervision and guidance when needed
Access to ongoing CPD and professional development
Receiving structured training before entering schools
Being part of a supportive professional community
Teaching Assistants begin with an online induction that covers the 4 areas of SEND – Communication and Interaction, Cognition and Learning, Sensory and Physical and Socio-emotional and Mental Health. This is followed by a four day in person Foundations Programme developed and delivered by the Words First clinical team, including Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists, and Educational Psychologists.
Training focuses on practical strategies for supporting pupils with SEND.
Assistants then continue learning through: