Top 5 Mistakes to Avoid When Applying for SEN TA Jobs in London
Looking for Special Educational Needs (SEN) Teaching Assistant roles in London? Competition is strong, and schools are selective about who supports their pupils. Avoid these common mistakes to give your application the best chance and stand out to headteachers, SENCOs and hiring managers across the capital.
Mistake 1: Sending a generic CV and cover letter
A one-size-fits-all CV rarely works for SEN TA jobs in London. Schools want evidence that you understand different needs and can adapt your approach. Tailor your CV and cover letter to mirror the language in the advert and person specification, highlighting your direct experience with specific needs such as ASC (autism), ADHD, SEMH, SLCN, or MLD/SLD.
Replace vague claims like “I’m passionate about helping children” with precise, measurable examples. Mention frameworks, strategies and tools you’ve used: EHCP targets, PECS, Makaton, TEACCH, visual timetables, sensory circuits, social stories, precision teaching, behaviour analysis or assistive technology. If you’re new to SEN, emphasise transferable skills from childcare, youth work, tutoring, mentoring or healthcare.
In your cover letter, keep it concise but specific. Refer to the school’s context, values and Ofsted report, and show you’ve read the job description. Make it clear whether you’re aiming for a mainstream inclusion role, a specialist base, alternative provision or a special school—these contexts require different strengths.
Mistake 2: Overlooking safeguarding and compliance
Many otherwise strong applications fall at the first hurdle because basic checks are missing or incomplete. In London, schools need to fill roles quickly and safely; if your compliance is not in order, they will move on to the next candidate.
Have a current enhanced DBS (ideally on the DBS Update Service), two professional references ready, and a clear explanation for any career gaps. Align your application with statutory guidance: know the key points of Keeping Children Safe in Education and the Prevent Duty, and show that you understand professional boundaries, confidentiality and safeguarding reporting lines.
Use your application to demonstrate that you can follow procedures under pressure—recording incidents accurately, escalating concerns promptly and maintaining pupil dignity and privacy. Schools must be confident you’ll prioritise safety from day one.
Mistake 3: Failing to evidence impact
Employers don’t just want to know what you did; they want to know what difference it made. Replace lists of duties with brief impact statements. Show how you supported progress towards EHCP outcomes, accelerated reading accuracy, improved attendance or reduced escalations.
Quantify where possible: “Supported a Year 5 pupil with ASC to meet 6/7 EHCP communication targets over two terms” or “Introduced visual schedules that cut transition-related incidents from daily to weekly.” If you don’t have hard numbers, describe change in observable behaviours and triangulate with teacher feedback and pupil voice.
Strong applications also show collaboration: how you implemented advice from an EP, SALT or OT; how you contributed to provision maps; and how you adjusted strategies following assessment. This signals you can work within multidisciplinary teams and adapt based on evidence.
Mistake 4: Ignoring the London context
London’s education landscape is unique. Roles vary widely between boroughs, and commute times matter as much as salaries. Schools want to hire candidates who understand the local realities and are likely to stay.
Research the borough and setting. A PRU in South London, a mainstream primary in outer London and a specialist ASC school in North London will have very different priorities, timetables and behaviour policies. Show you’ve considered the commute at peak hours, cost of travel and your ability to arrive punctually for early starts, breakfast clubs or after-school interventions.
Be clear about your flexibility with location and phases, but don’t overpromise. If you can commit to specific boroughs or transport lines, say so. A realistic, well-thought plan for travel, hours and availability makes you a safer hire.
Mistake 5: Under-preparing for scenario tasks and trials
Interviews for SEN TA roles often include practical assessments: behaviour scenarios, data interpretation, basic literacy/numeracy checks, or a classroom-based trial. Candidates commonly fall down by relying on enthusiasm rather than concrete strategies.
Prepare for de-escalation and regulation questions using clear, step-by-step approaches: reduce language, offer choices, use calm tone, remove audience, model co-regulation, and follow the school’s behaviour policy. Show awareness of reasonable adjustments, positive handling protocols, recording and debrief processes.
For communication, be ready to explain how you’d scaffold tasks, pre-teach vocabulary, and use visuals or AAC. For sensory needs, discuss how you’d build movement breaks and environmental adjustments into the day. Practice giving a concise example of a time you adjusted a task so a pupil could access the learning and succeed with dignity.
Quick checklist before you apply
- Tailor your CV and cover letter to the job advert and person specification; mirror key SEN terminology where relevant.
- List concrete strategies and tools (e.g., Makaton, PECS, TEACCH, visual supports, social stories, sensory circuits) and where you used them.
- Prepare measurable impact statements linked to EHCP outcomes, attendance, behaviour or attainment.
- Ensure compliance: current enhanced DBS (preferably on the Update Service), right to work, two references, explained gaps.
- Refresh safeguarding knowledge: KCSIE and Prevent; know reporting lines and recording expectations.
- Complete short CPD: consider Autism Education Trust modules or NSPCC safeguarding training.
- Research the school: read the Ofsted report, SEN Information Report and behaviour policy; align your examples accordingly.
- Plan logistics: confirm which London boroughs you can reach reliably and your earliest start times.
- Set up targeted job alerts on Teaching Vacancies and local MAT websites.
How to make your SEN TA application stand out
Structure your CV for quick scanning: a short profile highlighting SEN strengths, a core skills section with specific strategies/tools, concise role entries with two to three impact bullets each, and training/certificates at the end. Keep it to two pages. In your cover letter, explain your motivation for SEN in London specifically and the contribution you’ll make to their setting in term one.
If you lack experience, seek school-based volunteering or paid day-to-day cover via a reputable agency to build references and examples. Keep a simple evidence log of strategies tried, outcomes and reflections—this becomes gold for interviews. Finally, signal growth mindset: show what you learned from a challenge and how you adapted practice the next time.
Useful resources
Ready to move your SEN TA career forward in London? Polish your CV with impact, secure your compliance, and apply with confidence. Explore current roles and set up alerts on Teaching Vacancies, refresh safeguarding via NSPCC training, and review the SEND Code of Practice. Your next classroom could be just one well-prepared application away.
