Complex Needs Higher Level Teaching Assistant

About Us

Harris City Academy Crystal Palace is a mixed Academy for 1,300 students aged 11-18, with a large sixth form of nearly 400 students. The Academy has four consecutive Outstanding judgments by Ofsted, with the most recent inspection in 2025 finding the Academy to be Outstanding in every category. We are a consistently high performing school. Our motto, 'All Can Achieve' encapsulates our vision that all members of the Academy community are supported and encouraged to achieve their absolute potential. We believe that a well-supported and valued staff body is the key to our success.

We are the 'Teaching School Hub' for Croydon and Sutton, and we are able to offer all teachers an extensive programme of first-class professional development. Harris City Academy Crystal Palace is part of the Harris Federation, and this enables us to offer you a comprehensive induction programme and training and development opportunities to support your career development including Masters and other qualifications.

Summary

We are seeking to appoint a Complex Needs HLTA to work within our high performing Academy.

This is an ideal position for a highly experienced and specialist SEN practitioner. You must have substantial experience of planning, resourcing and delivering bespoke SEMH interventions beyond "off the shelf" interventions as well as working in an advisory capacity with teaching staff.

This role is offered on a fixed-term contract from September 2025 to February 26, working two days per week (15 hours).

Main Areas of Responsibility

In this role, you will work with students, staff and other professionals to achieve the best outcomes for our students who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, with a particular focus on students with complex needs in relation to ADHD and Autism. The focus is on delivering bespoke interventions with some follow up support working with teaching staff and the leadership team.

Qualifications & Experience

We would like to hear from you if you have:

• A secure and up-to-date knowledge of SEND, in particular ADHD and autism
• Knowledge of the range of support and advice available to parents and students who have SEND, particularly for students with ADHD and autism
• On-going training in relation to safeguarding and the additional vulnerabilities for students with SEND
• Substantial experience planning, resourcing, delivering and reviewing bespoke SEMH interventions, in particular for students with ADHD and autism
• Experience of creating successful strategies that engage students with SEMH, autism and ADHD
• Experience of with and advising teachers to support students with SEMH, autism and ADHD
• Experience of working with parents, agencies and professionals who support students with SEND and in particular SEMH, autism and ADHD

For a full job description and person specification, please download the Job Pack.

Professional Development & Benefits

Our people are at the heart of our success. We have developed a strong culture of collaboration and best practice, with professional development and career planning at its centre. We invest in our staff with support, coaching, mentoring, and a wide range of top-quality training programmes delivered at every level.

In addition to the opportunities for career development and progression, we also offer a competitive rewards and benefits package which includes our Harris Allowance for teachers on MPS/UPS, a Performance and Loyalty Bonus, Pension Scheme with generous employer contributions, a Wellbeing Cash Plan and many other benefits. Learn more about our benefits on our website.

Safeguarding Notice

The Harris Federation and all our academies are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, references, an online search, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed.

Equal Opportunities

The Harris Federation is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates.

We value the diversity of our staff and students, and everyone at the Harris Federation is equally valued and respected. We aim to be an inclusive employer that reflects the communities we serve. We are committed to providing a fair, equitable and mutually supportive learning and working environment.

Next Steps

If you have any questions about this opportunity, please send us an email, or call to arrange a conversation.

Before applying, please download the Job Pack for full details on the job responsibilities and person specification. This will be helpful for you when completing your application, and throughout the recruitment process.

We encourage you to apply as soon as possible as we may interview and offer to a candidate before the closing date. Please note that we only accept applications submitted before the closing date via our careers website.