If you’re applying for SEN Teaching Assistant (TA) roles, you may wonder: What exactly are schools looking for? What makes one TA stand out from another when the job title and responsibilities often sound the same?
From speaking with hundreds of SENCOs and school leaders, here’s what we’ve learned: it's not just about experience — it's about mindset, consistency, and the right behaviours.
Here are 7 key traits that make a great SEN TA — and how you can showcase them on your CV and in interviews.
1️⃣ Reliability
SEN pupils often rely on routine and familiar adults. Schools need TAs who turn up every day, on time, and ready to go — without fail.
🎯 How to show it:
“Maintained 100% attendance across a full academic year in an ASD provision.”
2️⃣ Consistency
Behaviour, communication and learning progress all thrive on consistency. That means using agreed strategies and sticking to them — even when it’s tough.
🎯 How to show it:
“Supported a child with SEMH needs using a consistent reward and consequence structure, reducing behavioural incidents by 60% over the term.”
3️⃣ Initiative
A great SEN TA doesn’t wait to be told what to do every minute. They observe, adapt, and act — always with the child’s best interest in mind.
🎯 How to show it:
“Created a personalised visual support toolkit for a non-verbal child without prompting, which was later rolled out across the class.”
4️⃣ Resilience
SEN settings can be challenging. You need to stay calm, composed, and professional — even during meltdowns, refusals, or difficult days.
🎯 How to show it:
“Worked with a child with frequent emotional outbursts, using de-escalation strategies and positive reinforcement to support long-term self-regulation.”
5️⃣ Empathy (with boundaries)
You care deeply — but you also maintain clear professional boundaries. You support pupils without overstepping roles or getting emotionally overwhelmed.
🎯 How to show it:
“Built a trusted 1:1 relationship while maintaining consistent expectations and boundaries, enabling the pupil to remain in class full-time.”
6️⃣ Adaptability
No two days are the same. A great TA can pivot quickly when plans change — or when a child’s needs shift from one hour to the next.
🎯 How to show it:
“Built a trusted 1:1 relationship while maintaining consistent expectations and boundaries, enabling the pupil to remain in class full-time.”
7️⃣ Communication
Whether it’s reporting concerns, collaborating with a class teacher, or updating parents — communication is key.
🎯 How to show it:
“Built a trusted 1:1 relationship while maintaining consistent expectations and boundaries, enabling the pupil to remain in class full-time.”
🔍 Final Thought
If you can demonstrate these traits — backed up with real examples — you won’t just be another TA with experience. You’ll be the one schools remember.
Want help framing your skills like this in your CV or interviews? That’s what we do at Senovo — and we’d love to help you shine.
Previous Blog Post
Top 5 Mistakes SEN Teaching Assistants Make in Interviews — And How to Avoid Them
Securing an SEN TA role doesn’t just come down to your CV — it’s what you say in the interview that seals the deal. Yet, many fantastic candidates underperform because they walk in unprepared for the specific challenges of SEN recruitment.
Here are 5 common mistakes we see — and what to do instead.
