NOW RECRUITING: Night Awake Staff – Residential School
Location: Colchester, Essex
Salary: Scale 5 (Band 3) £ includes weeks paid holiday allowance
✍️Contract type: Part-time (Term time contract)
Shifts: Monday – Thursday, 21:00 pm – 06:45 am (2 nights a week, with a short break)
Setting: Thriving Special Needs School (SEND Schools)
Focus Areas: ASD | SEMH | Complex Learning Disabilities | EHCP
Are you passionate about supporting children with SEND/SEMH?
✨ Protocol Education are seeking a dedicated and vigilant Night Awake Staff member to support the overnight care and wellbeing of our pupils with SEND (special educational needs). This role ensuring the safety, comfort, and security of students throughout the night.
About the Role
We are seeking a dedicated and vigilant Night Awake Staff member to support the overnight care and wellbeing of our pupils with special educational needs. This is a vital role ensuring the safety, comfort, and security of students throughout the night.
️ Your Responsibilities
✔️ Monitor pupils at regular intervals and respond to their needs
✔️ Support with personal care and basic medical needs
✔️ Maintain a calm, safe, and secure overnight environment
✔️ Record and report incidents, concerns, or health issues
✔️ Liaise with day staff for smooth handovers
✔️ Carry out light household duties while pupils sleep
✔️ Be on hand to reassure and settle pupils during the night
✔️ Support morning routines before handover
What We’re Looking For
✅ Experience working with children/young people (ideally with special needs)
✅ Relevant qualification (, NVQ Level 3 in Care or equivalent)
✅ Knowledge of safeguarding, child protection & first aid procedures
✅ Strong communication and report-writing skills
✅ Ability to stay awake, alert, and responsive overnight
✅ Calm, compassionate, and professional approach
Why Join Us?
✨ Supportive and collaborative team environment
✨ Ongoing training & professional development opportunities
✨ A truly rewarding role – making a difference in young people’s lives
✨ Regular supervision & staff wellbeing support
✨ Opportunities for personal growth and study time during shifts
Safeguarding & Equality
School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. The successful candidate will require an enhanced DBS check.
We are an equal opportunities employer – we welcome applicants from all backgrounds, without discrimination.
What Protocol Education Offers:
Competitive pay rates that reflect your experience
CPD opportunities during half-term & summer
£250 'Refer a Friend' Bonus
Free webinars & online training
Virtual social events & networking
CV writing support & marketing tools
NQT/ECT community & mentorship
Ready to make a difference in young lives?
Apply now to join a school that’s committed to inclusion, progress, and empowerment.
All applicants will require the appropriate qualifications and training for this role. Please see the FAQs on the Protocol Education website for further details.
All pay rates quoted will be inclusive of statutory holiday pay. This advert is for a temporary position. In some cases, the option to make this role permanent may become available at a later date.
Protocol Education is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. We undertake safeguarding checks on all workers in accordance with the DfE statutory guidance ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’, this may also include an online search as part of our due diligence on shortlisted applicants.
We offer FREE online safeguarding and Prevent Duty training to all our workers. All candidates must undertake or have undertaken a valid enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and subscribe to the DBS Update Service.
Full assistance provided. For details of our privacy policy, please see visit the Protocol Education website.