LSA job interview - secondary

[Ontheperiphery79]

Hi, All.

Following on from a speculative enquiry re: volunteering in our local Secondary to gain experience, I've been asked to interview for the LSA role they're advertising.

Please can anyone point me in the direction of what SEND legislation I should at least have any awareness of and is there a website that gives an overview of the National Curriculum at Secondary Level?

I have twin 5 year olds, both of whom are ND and have learning differences, so I have some awareness of EHCPs at primary level, but secondary level? Nope!

I've got 5 days to prepare, so any and all pointers would be really helpful.

Thank you!

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-secondary-curriculum

Think of any strategies you might use to engage or re-engage a child/young person eg timed movement break, reassurance, chunking lesson so less overwhelming

As an LSA, it's unlikely you'd be expected to have a knowledge of SEND specific legislation. If you know about ECHPs and similar, then that's a really good start. I agree, a knowledge of a range of strategies to help children who are e.g. becoming disregulated or struggling to engage is helpful!

A knowledge of keeping children safe in education (safeguarding guidance) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2 would be useful as it's normal (compulsory?) to have a safeguarding question at interview. One of the key points to remember is that you should never agree to keep anything secret for a child, and always share with the DSL (designated safeguarding lead) if you are unsure. The DSL would rather have 10 reports that come to nothing, than have a major concern missed!

Some awareness of mental health and the (lack of) support available to teens may also be useful.

A lot of secondary schools are struggling to recruit LSAs right now- and if they've asked you to interview then they must feel you have the right skills etc for the role- so don't get too stressed!

Thanks do much, everyone, for your help. I really appreciate it.

*so

Good luck!

In our school, we always have a safeguarding question too. We are told to report every concern asap, follow it up and go to the safeguarding governor or Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub if necessary (e.g. if it involved the DSL). The key to safeguarding is to understand that everything happens everywhere.

I think your experiences with your own children are really valuable. They may be different ages to the students you are working with but the skills you use with them will be fundamental to the job. As PPs have said, no one is going to expect you to know everything at this stage but they will be looking for someone who is enthusiastic, empathetic and wants to help people learn. They obviously see those qualities in you or they wouldn’t have asked you to apply!