Alternative Provision Support Worker (EOTAS)

Do you believe every child deserves the opportunity to thrive, regardless of the barriers they face?

We're looking for compassionate and dedicated individuals with at least one year's experience supporting children and young people with SEND or SEMH needs who face significant challenges to attending school. If you're committed to making a meaningful difference, and have had this experience in an Alternative Provision setting, we'd love to hear from you.

Link Learning Support Worker (EOTAS)

About LinkAble

LinkAble is a charity that supports children, young people, and adults with a learning disability or autistic people to create the life they choose to live. It offers them weekly activities and experiences that they may struggle to access in the wider community, supporting them to learn new skills, form lasting friendships, and lead fulfilling and more independent lives.

About the Role

We are looking for a calm, creative and relationship-focused practitioner with experience This role will support LinkAble’s developing Alternative Provision / EOTAS service, providing personalised, practical and engaging learning opportunities for children and young people who are currently unable to access school full time.

The role will focus on rebuilding confidence, reducing anxiety, supporting social interaction and delivering basic English, Maths and wider learning through play, activity-based sessions and real-world experiences.

Available Shifts

We are currently looking for applicants who can work two or more days, Monday–Friday, with hours agreed around learner need and commissioned provision. shifts:

• Sessional / flexible hours, term time. Initially 3–5 days 09:45 till 15:15 weekdays

Location

LinkAble, Woking inclusive centre (arts, baking, sensory room) including allotment, woodland play space, parks, town walks and other appropriate local venues

Key Responsibilities

Relationship Building and Regulation Support

• Follow positive behaviour support plans to manage complex behavioural needs of learners, noticing early signs of dysregulation and responding proactively.
• Use movement and sensory-regulation strategies dynamically throughout sessions where appropriate to support nervous system regulation
• Use a trauma-informed, person-centred approach, including patience, clear communication, sensory awareness, and calmness to reduce anxiety and barriers to learning.
• Maintain a calm, neutral, and emotionally grounded presence during times of distress or challenging behaviour, understanding behaviour as communication of anxiety or unmet need.

Experience Based Learning

• Deliver and adapt basic English, Maths, Science, life skills and personal development activities in practical, accessible and creative ways, taking account of each learner’s needs, interests, EHCP outcomes, agreed targets and emotional readiness.
• Support learners to build confidence, communication, independence and social skills, with a view to helping them re-engage with education where appropriate.
• Provide 1:1, 2:1 or 3:1 support, and where appropriate support small group work, ensuring children and young people feel safe, included and able to participate at a pace that is right for them.
• Support learners safely in centre-based and community-based environments, including travel to local venues where agreed, ensuring appropriate risk assessments, supervision, and safeguarding measures are followed.
• Plan individualised learning sessions, based off a general schedule.

Teamwork and Long-Term Commitment

• Communicate professionally with parents, carers, colleagues, and other professionals as agreed, handing over at the ed of the day, and where necessary contributing observations to review meetings.
• Contribute to the development of the EOTAS / Alternative Provision service by sharing feedback, helping to develop resources, reflecting on what works well and supporting a flexible, responsive and high-quality offer.

Keeping Children and Young People Safe

• Work within LinkAble’s policies and procedures, including confidentiality, data protection, equality and diversity, behaviour support, incident reporting, lone working where applicable, medication, first aid and health and safety.
• Maintain accurate records of attendance, session content, progress/outcomes, incidents, and safeguarding concerns, sharing these with the Coordinator / Manager in line with LinkAble procedures.
• Be professionally curious and proactive in safeguarding, reporting any concerns immediately to the Designated Safeguarding Lead and following LinkAble’s always safeguarding policies.

What We're Looking For

Essential:

• At least 1 year’s experience supporting children or young people with SEND or SEMH who face significant challenges to attending school. Please only apply if you have this experience.
• Confident working with children or young people who have behaviours that challenge
• Ability to build trusting relationships with learners who may be anxious, withdrawn, dysregulated or disengaged from education
• Experience planning and delivering practical, creative or play-based learning activities, including functional skills, communication and social skills.
• Understanding of safeguarding, child protection, professional curiosity and the importance of reporting concerns promptly
• Calm, compassionate, flexible and resilient approach, with the ability to adapt sessions in response to learner need
• Confident communication skills with children, young people, parents, carers, colleagues and external professionals
• Ability to keep clear records of attendance, progress, incidents and concerns in line with organisational procedures
• Commitment to equality, diversity, inclusion and enabling children and young people to feel safe, valued and respected
• Willingness to undertake relevant training, including safeguarding, first aid, behaviour support, autism, SEND
• Patient, calm and personable approach and able to engage children and young people.
• Ability to work regular day time hours during term times with opportunity to work additional hours on other schemes.

Desirable:

• Knowledge or experience of trauma-informed practice and person centred practice, including de-escalation techniques
• Education, youth work, or play therapy or health and social care qualifications
• Experience working within Alternative Provision, EOTAS, a school, specialist setting, outreach service or community-based education programme
• Understanding of EHCP outcomes, individual learning plans, review processes or local authority funded education packages
• Driver with willingness to drive one of our minibuses with training and subject meeting our criteria for drivers.

What We Offer

• A rewarding role supporting young people to live fulfilling and independent lives.
• A friendly and supportive team environment.
• Opportunities to develop your skills and experience within the charity sector.
• Ongoing training and support.
• Company pension
• Free eye test
• Retail discount card

Start Date

October/November 2026

Pay: £16.00 per hour

Benefits:

• Casual dress
• Employee discount
• On-site parking
• Sick pay
• Store discount

Physical Setting:

• Day centre

Work days:

• Monday to Friday

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Woking GU21 5HH: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)

Experience:

• young people with SEND facing challenges attending school: 1 year (required)

Work Location: In person