What does a Seashell Learning Support Assistant Do?
Seashell provides specialist care and education for children and young adults with the most complex needs from across the UK. Royal College Manchester is our non-maintained specialist college, supporting young people aged 16 to 25 with education, care and therapy.
Our team is dedicated to preparing students for adulthood—supporting them to develop independence, self-advocacy, life skills and pathways into employment.
Learning Support Assistants (LSAs) play a vital role within this environment. Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team – including teachers, therapists and support staff—LSAs help create a safe, supportive and engaging space where every student can thrive.
Based in our state-of-the-art Ged Mason Building, LSAs work closely with students on a one-to-one basis, supporting their learning, development and wellbeing throughout the day.
To bring this role to life, our ‘Day in the Life’ series follows Charlotte, a Level 3 Learning Support Assistant, as she shares what a typical day looks like at Seashell.
Day in the Life of an LSA
Charlotte has worked at Seashell for nine years and has progressed into a Level 3 LSA role. Alongside supporting students, she leads team meetings, delivers training and acts as a key worker, helping to coordinate communication between college, residential teams and families.
Morning Routine
Charlotte starts her day at 8:30am by checking emails and completing admin before students arrive.
At 9am, she begins working with Kaitlin, who arrives by taxi. Together, they head to the classroom to review Kaitlin’s timetable, helping her feel prepared and confident for the day ahead.
Kaitlin uses an electric wheelchair and also takes part in walking practice to support her physiotherapy. Charlotte helps her with leg splints and supports her as she uses a walking frame to complete a few laps outside.
At 9:30am, they attend a tutorial session focused on online safety, where students also learn useful signs to support communication.
The morning continues with a gym session in the Bradbury Fitness Suite, where Charlotte supports Kaitlin to use specialist equipment such as the chest press, shoulder press and MOTOmed.
Next, they take part in a computer skills session, where Kaitlin creates a poster for Sports Day. Charlotte supports her by spelling words and giving verbal prompts to help her use the mouse and keyboard. Once complete, they print and display the posters around the college.
Kaitlin is also working towards her Bronze Wheelchair Driving Licence, so Charlotte supports her in practising key skills such as turning, stopping and manoeuvring safely.
Afternoon Sessions
In the afternoon, Charlotte supports another student, Romany. After assisting during lunchtime, Charlotte takes her own break before beginning their afternoon session.
At 1:30pm, they work together on an art project for Deafblind Awareness Week. Each class was assigned one of the five senses, and Charlotte’s group focused on ‘smell’.
Using flowers and herbs collected from outside, they create a sensory art piece, adding essential oils to enhance the experience. The finished artwork is displayed outdoors to raise awareness of multi-sensory impairments.
At the end of the session, Charlotte supports Romany to complete her daily diary, reflecting on her achievements and experiences.
End of the Day
Once students have left, Charlotte spends time completing documentation, recording observations and updating reports such as Records of Achievement.
Throughout the day, she captures photos of students’ progress, uploading them to the Earwig system to support tracking and reporting.
Charlotte finishes her day at 4:30pm.
Join our team
We’re currently recruiting Learning Support Assistants to join our team and provide life-changing support to young people at Seashell.
This is a full-time role (37.5 hours per week), working 8:30am to 4:30pm during term time.
