1:1 SEN Early Years Support Educator

1:1 SEN Early Years Support Educator
Location: Raised in Bristol at the Greenway Centre (BS10)
Salary: £13.45–£13.96 per hour (dependant on qualifications)
Contract: Part time – 15 hours per week 

Love play, connection and making a meaningful difference every day? Come join a team that celebrates childhood, backs your creativity and gives you the space to support every child to thrive in their own way.

At Raised In, we believe in the power of education to shape the future, and we’re looking for a compassionate and attentive Early Years professional to join our team in a 1:1 SEN support role, supporting a child with additional developmental and emotional regulation needs. This is a rewarding opportunity to build a trusting relationship with one child, helping them access play, learning and friendships in a safe, inclusive and nurturing environment.

Our Greenway nursery offers a more relaxed feel than larger settings, with just 62 places. It’s housed in a beautifully refurbished old school building designed to inspire young minds, with large windows, high ceilings, and a light, welcoming atmosphere. The garden runs the full length of the nursery and looks out over Greenway Playing Field, with regular visits to Badocks Wood for outdoor exploration.

Located at the Greenway Centre in Southmead, this nursery is easily accessible from across Bristol, with free parking and local bus routes nearby.

Our approach centres on child-led learning through play, with a thoughtfully designed curriculum that nurtures curiosity and supports each child’s unique interests. In this role, you’ll play a key part in ensuring that the child you support can access this in a way that is safe, responsive and tailored to their needs.

About the role

As a 1:1 SEN Support Educator, you’ll provide dedicated support for a child who is developing key skills in communication, emotional regulation, social interaction.

You will:

• Provide consistent 1:1 support to help the child stay safe, regulated and engaged throughout the nursery session.
• Support the child to develop awareness of risk and danger, particularly during active play, outdoor play and climbing activities.
• Use calm, responsive co-regulation strategies to help the child manage big emotions and recover from periods of dysregulation.
• Recognise early signs of frustration, overwhelm or uncertainty and provide timely support to prevent situations from escalating.
• Support the child to communicate their wants, needs and feelings using clear, consistent language and communication strategies.
• Help the child understand and follow routines, transitions and instructions through predictable approaches and appropriate visual or verbal prompts.
• Encourage positive peer interactions, including sharing, turn-taking, waiting, joining play and developing an understanding of how actions affect others.
• Provide immediate support when situations become unsafe or when the child requires help to manage emotions and behaviour.
• Plan and facilitate regular movement and sensory opportunities to support regulation, engagement and learning.
• Build attention and engagement through short adult-led and small-group activities that reflect the child's interests, strengths and stage of development.

What about you?

You’re the kind of person who…

• Has experience supporting children with social, emotional and communication needs.
• Understands the importance of co-regulation and positive behaviour support in the early years.
• Can remain calm and confident when supporting a child through periods of dysregulation.
• Is able to assess risk while enabling children to access rich, challenging play experiences.
• Understands how sensory needs can impact learning, behaviour and engagement.
• Can adapt communication styles and use clear, consistent approaches to support understanding.
• Recognises and celebrates small steps of progress while maintaining a child-centred approach.
• If you’re passionate about making a difference in a more specialist support role, we’d love to hear from you.

Raised In is dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive team that reflects the communities we serve. We welcome people from all backgrounds, identities and experiences, and we’re especially keen to hear from those underrepresented in early years and social enterprise. If you share our values and want to help shape inclusive spaces where children can thrive, we’d love to hear from you.

Read our full equal opportunities statement on our website.

You’ll have (in line with Raised in Behaviours)

• The ability to contribute to creating a welcoming, inclusive, collaborative and supportive environment 
• Children’s needs at the forefront of everything that you do 
• A positive mindset, approaching tasks with a can-do-attitude 
• A strong work ethic, setting a good example for others and supporting your team 
• The want to make a difference, working in partnership positively with your team 
• The want to be part of trying or suggesting new initiatives and ways of doing things
• High standards for yourself, team and the nursery
• A reflective mindset, open to feedback and ongoing self-improvement

Who we are

Raised In is a social enterprise and we’re all about people, purpose and proper community spirit. We’re an ethical employer that puts our team first, because when our people thrive, our children and communities do too. We offer great pay, brilliant benefits and a workplace where you can learn, grow and genuinely enjoy what you do.

We started in Bristol with a simple idea: to provide high-quality early years education whilst supporting community spaces. Today, our nurseries help keep local hubs buzzing while giving children the kind of play-led, curiosity filled start every child deserves.

Why work with us?

We really value our expert team. As well as offering competitive pay for all roles in a friendly and supportive team, you’ll receive lots of great benefits:

• Competitive pay (We’re a Real Living Wage Employer)
• Annual pay reviews
• Paid one hour lunch break
• 50% off for your child in our nurseries
• Enhanced maternity & paternity pay
• Enhanced sick pay
• Employer pension
• ‘Refer a friend’ bonus for introducing new team members to us
• 28 days holiday (inc bank holidays, FTE)
• Your Birthday off and an Annual Wellbeing Day
• (in addition to your annual leave) 
• Plus, extra days off between Christmas and New Year
• Additional annual leave for long service
• 24/7 access to a remote GP, physio and counselling services for you and your family
• Career progression and training opportunities

Find out more about working with us visit the careers page on our website.

Applicant requirements

To apply for this role you'll need:

• Experience supporting children or young people with SEND in a professional setting
• Experience working in a 1:1 support role or a similar position supporting individuals with additional needs
• A good understanding of inclusive practice and child-centred support
• Confidence in building positive relationships with children, families and professionals
• A patient, nurturing and adaptable approach

Desirable:

• A full and relevant Early Years qualification (Level 2 or Level 3)
• Experience supporting children with communication and interaction needs, autism, physical disabilities and/or medical needs
• Knowledge of strategies such as visual supports, Makaton, co-regulation or sensory-informed practice

This role is linked to specific SEN support funding and may be subject to review.

As a part of our safer recruitment policy and commitment to safeguarding, we will require you to complete our application form directly on our website during the process. It’s super easy to use and mobile-friendly.

Raised In is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects everyone working with us to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references.