Behaviour Mentor

A supportive school in Croydon is looking for a resilient and compassionate Behaviour Mentor to provide consistent support to pupils with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs and behaviours that can sometimes challenge.

This is a full-time, long-term opportunity where you'll have the time to build genuine relationships with pupils, understand their individual triggers and help them develop strategies that can make a lasting difference to their experience of education.

When a young person is dysregulated, frustrated or overwhelmed, they need an adult who can remain regulated themselves.

Someone who doesn't take difficult behaviour personally.

Someone who can maintain boundaries without escalating the situation.

And someone who will still be there tomorrow, ready to start again.

You'll work closely with individual pupils throughout the school day, helping them recognise emotions, manage difficult situations and gradually develop more positive ways of responding.

Some pupils may have experienced significant disruption to their education. Others may have SEND, trauma, anxiety, difficulties with emotional regulation or negative experiences of school.

Your job isn't simply to manage behaviour.

It's to help pupils develop the skills they need so that less adult intervention is required over time.

You'll provide targeted one-to-one and small-group support, working alongside teachers, the SENCo and the wider pastoral team.

Your day could involve

• Providing consistent one-to-one support throughout the school day.
• Building positive, professional relationships with pupils.
• Helping young people identify and understand their emotions.
• Recognising triggers and early signs of dysregulation.
• Using de-escalation strategies before situations escalate.
• Helping pupils return to learning following difficult moments.
• Supporting pupils during transitions, breaktimes and less structured parts of the day.
• Implementing individual behaviour and support plans.
• Reinforcing clear, consistent expectations and boundaries.
• Using positive behaviour strategies to encourage engagement.
• Supporting pupils to develop coping and emotional-regulation strategies.
• Helping young people reflect on incidents once they are calm.
• Encouraging confidence, resilience and greater independence.
• Monitoring patterns in behaviour, engagement and progress.
• Sharing observations with teachers, the SENCo and pastoral professionals.
• Using positive handling techniques where absolutely necessary, appropriately trained and in accordance with school policy.

Successful behaviour support is about much more than getting a pupil to sit still.

Real progress might look like

A pupil recognising they're becoming overwhelmed and asking for a break.

Returning to a lesson after becoming dysregulated.

Managing a disagreement without escalating.

Accepting a boundary they previously struggled with.

Remaining in class for longer.

Completing work they would previously have refused.

Or beginning to believe that school can actually be somewhere they succeed.

Those changes rarely happen overnight.

They happen because a young person experiences consistent expectations, appropriate boundaries and an adult who keeps showing up.

We're looking for someone who can handle challenging situations, but this role isn't about being the loudest or toughest person in the room.

Quite often, the opposite is more effective.

You'll need to be able to ask

Why is this happening?

What happened immediately before it?

What does this pupil need from me right now?

What can we do differently next time?

We're particularly interested in candidates who

• Have experience supporting children or young people with SEMH or behaviours that challenge.
• Can remain calm and professional when situations become difficult.
• Have strong de-escalation and behaviour-management skills.
• Build trusting relationships without losing professional boundaries.
• Understand the importance of consistency.
• Can be firm, fair and predictable.
• Don't take challenging behaviour personally.
• Can recognise and celebrate small steps of progress.
• Work effectively with teachers, SEND staff and pastoral professionals.
• Are willing to reflect on their own approach and continue developing.

Team Teach, Positive Handling or equivalent training would be beneficial, although training can be provided where appropriate.

You don't necessarily need to have followed a traditional education career.

Some of the strongest Behaviour Mentors bring experience from environments where they've already learned how to build relationships, maintain boundaries and support young people through difficult situations.

Relevant backgrounds could include

SEND Support • Alternative Provision • Youth Work • Residential Children's Care • Sports Coaching • Mentoring • Pastoral Support • Learning Support • Community Work

You may currently be working as a

Behaviour Mentor • Teaching Assistant • Youth Worker • Learning Mentor • SEND TA • Pastoral Assistant • Residential Support Worker • Sports Coach

What matters is that you understand young people, can remain consistent under pressure and genuinely want to help them move forward.

A long-term Behaviour Mentor position can also give you valuable experience for your own career.

You'll develop practical skills in

SEMH • Behaviour Support • De-escalation • Emotional Regulation • SEND • Safeguarding • Positive Handling • Pastoral Support • Multi-professional Working

That experience could eventually support progression towards areas such as senior pastoral work, specialist SEMH support, SEND, teaching, behaviour leadership or wider education roles.

Joining the team means you'll benefit from

• £108.68-£120 per day.
• Weekly pay through a straightforward digital payroll system.
• A full-time, long-term placement.
• An immediate/ASAP start.
• Consistency with pupils, giving you the opportunity to make a genuine long-term impact.
• Free CPD, including Behaviour Management, SEMH and Positive Handling training.
• Opportunities to develop specialist behaviour and SEND experience.
• Ongoing support from a dedicated education consultant.
• Experience that can support your longer-term career within education.

There will be challenging days, setbacks, and there will be times when progress feels slow. But then a pupil who previously walked out of every lesson stays. A young person who would normally escalate tells you they're struggling instead. Someone who believed they were "bad at school" completes something they're proud of.

That's when you see what consistent behaviour support can achieve.

If you're resilient, patient and ready to build a meaningful professional relationship with a young person who needs the right adult alongside them, we'd like to hear from you.

Apply today with your up-to-date CV to arrange a trial day.

Successful applicants will be contacted. If you haven't heard from us within five working days, unfortunately your application has not been shortlisted on this occasion.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. All appointments are subject to safer recruitment procedures, including an Enhanced DBS check, satisfactory references and all relevant pre-employment checks.