Learning Support Assistant CV Example
Successfully pursuing a career as a learning support assistant requires a CV that gives you the edge over other candidates and shows your skills and achievements in context. You'll want to showcase strong skills that are relevant to the role and reflect your experience, including facilitating small group activities and assisting in lesson planning. In this article, we'll provide all the tips and advice you'll need to create a learning support assistant CV that gives you the best chance to progress to the next stage of the recruitment process.
A learning support assistant CV that's well-written, engaging and showcases the most relevant skills and experience gives you the best chance of progressing to the next stage of the recruitment process. We’ll now review the essential sections of a CV and outline how to write each for the strongest results.
Main sections of a learning support assistant CV
Your approach to creating your winning learning support assistant CV will differ depending on your experience, your seniority and the details listed in the job description.
If you're lacking experience in the role or industry you're applying for, you may wish to select a CV format that reduces the emphasis on the work experience section and finds other ways to showcase your skills and achievements. As a junior candidate, therefore, you might prefer to use a functional, or skills-based, CV format. This layout brings your skills and education sections to the fore, de-prioritising your work experience section. Use optional sections such as hobbies and interests, volunteering and certifications and training to help you prove you have the necessary skills for the job.
Once you've built up some relevant work experience, your CV becomes a showcase for how you've developed and used relevant skills to date. Employers will be focusing mainly on your CV's work experience section, looking for evidence that you've utilised your skills to create positive achievements and that you can do it again in the future. In this case, opt for a traditional, reverse-chronological CV to showcase your work experience in the best possible way. List your most recent and relevant jobs first and use bullet points to demonstrate your skills and the impact they've made.
As a highly experienced, senior candidate, it's critical that your CV shows the depth of your work experience and demonstrates your standing within your industry. Employers will be looking for expertise, industry recognition and a record of high achievement in previous roles. As such, a traditional, reverse-chronological CV format is typically the best option, but you may want to add more detail than the standard structure. You can also make space for publications, awards or professional memberships, all of which can help you prove your standing in the industry.
However, no matter where you are in your career, a learning support assistant CV must present a clear, compelling narrative of your professional journey. To help you build that story, we’ll now break down the document piece-by-piece—from the initial contact header to your most significant career milestones.
CV Header
Start your learning support assistant CV with a header that features subtle, professional design elements and sets the tone for the document. Add your name, email address, phone number and location (your full address isn't normally needed). Additionally, including your LinkedIn profile as a URL can be useful, as it will help the reader to quickly and easily access further information about your career and credentials.
For UK applications, it's not usually a good idea to add a personal photo or any other personal details, such as your age, gender, nationality or ethnicity. These can risk introducing bias to the selection process and, as such, are often discouraged in job adverts under the terms of the Equality Act 2010.
Jessica Wright
jessica-wright@example.com
(111) 222 33 444 55
Sheffield
linkedin․com/in/jessica–wright–123
CV Summary
The first section below your CV header is typically your CV summary. This short paragraph outlines some of your key skills, achievements and experience, so employers can quickly get an impression of whether you have the right credentials for the learning support assistant job. As an alternative to the CV summary, you might wish to write a CV objective. This serves a similar purpose, but instead of focusing on your experience, it highlights you career ambitions and objectives.
In your summary or objective, write two or three sentences introducing your key skills, unique qualities and career achievements, making sure they match the key requirements listed in the job description.
A good CV summary would typically focus on a couple of key skills that match the job description, demonstrating how you've used them to good effect in previous roles. It's important to focus on your unique qualities and provide a preview of how they've made an impact in your career to date, which you'll unpack later in the document. Below you'll find a good example of how to write an effective learning support assistant CV summary. The example shows quantifiable achievements and well-structured sentences.
Strong example:
Experienced LSA with 5 years supporting diverse learners in primary settings. Achieved improved reading attainment by 20% for 15 pupils through tailored interventions. Holds a Bachelor of Arts in Education Studies specialising in SEN.
Weak example:
A committed learning support assistant offering support in primary classrooms, assisting pupils with additional needs through interventions, collaborating with teaching staff and contributing to overall pupil progress and learning environments.
Above is an example of CV summary that doesn't follow best practice, with some subtle shortcomings and failings. For a summary to make less of an impact, it might include generic or vague information, lack evidence of your impact, or fail to highlight specific personal qualities that make you stand out from other candidates. It may also lack tailoring to the job description or include long, poorly structured sentences.
Work Experience
Work experience is usually the most important section of any CV. Employers will be looking for evidence of how you've developed relevant skills in your career to date, and how you've used them to positive effect in previous roles. It's crucial to tailor your work experience section to match the requirements listed in the job description, using keywords and phrases so employers can easily see how well you fit the role and organisation.
List only relevant previous jobs, and add your job title, the name of the employer, its location and your dates of employment. Under this, write several bullet points showing employers how your skills and key qualities contributed to positive outcomes.
To differentiate your work experience section from other candidates, include action verbs and quantifiable evidence that showcases the impact you made. Show your career progression through the skills you developed and used in each role. See below for an example of how to put the work experience section best practice into action:
Strong example:
Learning Support Assistant, January 2023 - Present
Oakwood Education Trust, Manchester
- Supported students with dyslexia individually, adapting resources to boost reading confidence and achieve 20% improvement in fluency.
- Developed and delivered targeted numeracy interventions for small groups, raising maths attainment by an average 18% over six months.
- Organised extracurricular reading clubs, engaging reluctant learners and increasing library participation rates by over 30% within a school year.
Weak example:
Learning Support Assistant, January 2023 - Present
Oakwood Education Trust, Manchester
- Supported students with diverse learning needs throughout daily classroom activities.
- Assisted educators in preparing materials and managing routine administrative tasks.
- Collaborated with colleagues to foster inclusive environment and address general student concerns.
Take a look at a less strong learning support assistant CV work experience section above. An unengaging work experience section could be too generic, focusing too much on day-to-day duties rather than skills and achievements. It could also fail to address the job description or lack evidence to show the impact you've made in your career to date.
Education
With your education section, you'll draw attention to your most recent and highest qualifications, particularly emphasising any qualifications listed as a requirement in the job description.
A degree is typically a strict requirement for learning support assistant jobs, and as such, you'll want to showcase yours in your CV. If you have a Bachelor of Arts in Education Studies or another similar, relevant degree that confirms your eligibility for the position, include it in your CV. You might also wish to add other degrees or qualifications that highlight your strongest skills, such as special educational needs assessment or behaviour management strategy implementation.
When listing your qualifications in your education section, select only the most suitable qualifications and list them in reverse-chronological order, starting with the most recent and working backwards. When adding each qualification, include the name and level of the award, the institution, its location (if necessary), and the dates you attended or graduated. It can also be valuable to add bullet points outlining your key achievements and activities, such as projects you worked on, modules you completed, awards you won or societies you participated in while studying.
If you have any specialist certifications or licences that are necessary for the role, or help you stand out above other candidates, you may wish to mention them here. When adding any special licences, it's a good idea to also reference their expiry or renewal dates, if applicable.
Bachelor of Education, 2018 - 2021
University of Birmingham, Birmingham
Key Skills
Your CV's skills section CV's skills section is a great place to showcase some of the key skills necessary for the role. Check the job description to understand which skills are most essential, and provide a combination of hard and soft skills, reserving space to include some unique qualities that can help you to stand out from the competition. In a learning support assistant CV, only list the most relevant and essential skills you possess, such as empathy and special educational needs assessment, to make a positive first impression and show you're qualified for the learning support assistant position.
Hard Skills
Hard skills and technical skills are specialist skills that are essential for carrying out the main responsibilities of the role. You might acquire hard skills through study, or through on-the-job training, and some hard skills may require a certification or licence. For learning support assistant jobs, essential hard skills from your career-to-date might include data collection and analysis, and individual learning plan development. Firstly, check the job description, then add four or five key hard skills in your CV that help the employer to decide if you're a good fit for the role.
The best hard skills section would be based around skills listed as 'essential' or 'required' in the job description. To give yourself the best chance of success, you'll want your strongest skills to match closely with those most desired by the employer, and your hard skills list should reflect this.
Take a look below to see the type of skills that are commonly listed in a learning support assistant CV hard skills section:
- Individual learning plan development
- Assistive technology support skills
- Behaviour management strategy implementation
Soft Skills
Soft skills differ from hard skills because they tend to be more transferable and applicable to different roles. Soft skills are the personal strengths and qualities that define your style of working and determine how well you're likely to fit in with the team and wider organisation. Owing to the rapidly evolving nature of the work landscape, soft skills are growing in importance for a number of roles and industry sectors where technology is replacing hard skills. Additionally, soft skills are particularly valuable for junior and entry-level candidates, who might not have much work experience but have the right building blocks for a successful career.
Similar to your hard skills section, it's best to first review the job description to know which soft skills to focus on in your learning support assistant CV. You'll want to include a combination of soft skills that you can provide evidence for throughout your CV. Create a list of four or five transferable skills, combining the most essential skills from the job description with the skills that help you to stand out as a unique and compelling candidate for the position.
Below is a selection of soft skills regularly featured in a learning support assistant CV.
- Communication
- Empathy
- Patience
Language Skills
Adding foreign language skills to your learning support assistant CV can be a valuable addition that reflects well on you as a candidate. Even if language skills aren't listed as a requirement in the job description, if you speak a foreign language, it can be beneficial to add it to your CV. In the languages section, list the languages you speak to at least a reasonable level, with an indicator of your competency level.
The ways to indicate your foreign language skills depend on the level of detail you want to provide. They include assigning a basic descriptive word, such as:
- English: Fluent
- Spanish: Intermediate
You might choose to adopt an international standard framework for languages, such as the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). This assigns a standardised level to your language skills, for example:
- A1: Beginner
- A2: Elementary
- B1: Intermediate
- B2: Upper intermediate
- C1: Advanced
- C2: Proficiency
Certifications and Licences
If you have extra qualifications beyond the basics of what's expected or required for the role, you might want to include a separate certifications section in your CV. Having a separate section can draw more attention to your training, and show employers your proactive, motivated mindset towards professional development, which could be a key asset. In addition, some roles require specific licences or training just to be eligible for the job, making the certifications section more important. This might include technical roles or positions which require the operation of specialist software, equipment or machinery.
Here is a list of some key certifications and licences that can be particularly useful for learning support assistant applications:
- Level 3 SEN Support Diploma, 2023
- Paediatric First Aid Certificate, 2023
- Autism Awareness Training Course, 2023
Pro Tip:
According to Barnet Council, a concise CV and a well-crafted personal statement can make all the difference in that crucial 8.8-second scan. (1)
Additional Sections
Including optional sections in addition to the core elements of your learning support assistant CV can help you provide further evidence of your suitability for the role. Consider optional sections for your CV if you're looking for ways to show you're right for the job, beyond your work experience. Optional sections are particularly valuable if you haven't had the chance to build up relevant work experience, for example, if you're applying for entry-level roles or you're changing careers to a new industry or role.
You can find more detailed advice on tailoring your CV in our career resources, where we cover proven ways to highlight your skills effectively.
Hobbies and Interests
If you have any hobbies and interests that can showcase skills relevant to the job description, it might be worth including them. In addition, you can use hobbies and interests to show elements of your personality that might not shine through otherwise, giving you a chance to offer something different to most candidates. However, only mention hobbies and interests that are relevant to the role, and that help you prove skills that you haven't been able to show in your work experience or other CV sections.
Career Achievements
Listing your key career achievements in a distinct section can be an effective way of drawing attention to them. In your list, add any awards you've won, industry recognition or key career milestones that tell a story about your suitability for the role and place you ahead of other candidates.
Voluntary Roles
Another way of showing employers your skills and experience is through volunteer roles. If you're struggling to show you have the necessary credentials through your work experience, volunteering can provide valuable examples of how you've put your skills into action. For this section, use a similar structure to your work experience section.
List your job title or a description of the role, the organisation name, its location and the dates you occupied the role. Use bullet points to show employers how you put your skills to use, and any positive achievements from your time in the role.
Evidence-Based Insight:
Hiring managers spend an average of 30 seconds reviewing a CV to assess its likely fit for the role, so it's essential to clearly highlight your skills, experience, and evidence of your achievements. (2)
Most impactful action verbs for a learning support assistant CV
Adding strong action verbs to the bullet points in your CV's work experience section is a great way to focus on the key skills required for the job, while showing the impact you've made. Start each bullet point with an action word that reflects the job description, so the reader can easily identify your best qualities. Always remember to back up any action verbs you use with evidence that shows the impact it made and the achievements that it led to. Use past tense for action verbs that describe previous roles, and present tense for your current position.
- Support
- Facilitate
- Encourage
- Adapt
- Assess
- Communicate
- Coordinate
- Collaborate
- Motivate
- Implement
Example of a learning support assistant CV
Now that we've covered the main sections to include in your learning support assistant CV, we can see how it would all come together in its final form in the example below:
Sheffield
•
jessica-wright@example.com
•
(111) 222 33 444 55
•
linkedin․com/in/jessica–wright–123
Passionate learning support assistant with four years’ experience aiding students with SEND. Holds a Bachelor of Arts in Education Studies. Enhanced reading scores by 30% for a class of eight.
Teaching assistant
2023
-2026
Hammersmith Academy (London)
- Developed differentiated learning activities that improved student engagement and raised average class performance by 15%.
- Assisted in creating and grading assessments for 120 students, reducing marking time by 30% through streamlined processes.
- Delivered one-to-one literacy sessions that boosted reading levels of struggling pupils by two grades within six months.
Bachelor of Arts in Education Studies
2018
-2021
University of Roehampton (London)
Individual learning plan development
Assistive technology support skills
Behaviour management strategy implementation
Communication
Empathy
Patience
Level 3 SEN Support Diploma
Paediatric First Aid Certificate
English - Native
French - Advanced
If you want to get a feel for how your CV will look once you finalise its design and layout, check out our CV examples for inspiration.
Best practice and common mistakes for your learning support assistant CV
Tips to follow
- Tailor your CV to match the job description of the role you're applying for, highlighting your strongest skills and career achievements.
- Use a clear, professional CV format that includes a standard font, regular, consistent line spacing and clear headings, to ensure it's easy to read.
- List your qualifications in a dedicated education section, with any outstanding grades or awards, if applicable, to help your application stand out.
- Proofread your CV thoroughly before sending, helping you avoid any errors in spelling and grammar that could harm your chances of success.
- Start with an engaging CV summary or objective that provides a clear synopsis of your career and highlights your best qualities and achievements.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Don't use passive voice, such as 'financial statements were prepared', but opt instead for powerful action verbs that showcase the impact you made.
- Don't add an inappropriate email address to your CV comrosing of nicknames or informal language. If needed, create a dedicated professional email address combining elements of your name, initials and/or profession.
- Don't use complex formatting or confusing layouts that can make your CV less accessible for the reader or less scannable by ATS apps.
- Don't add a hobbies and interests section unless they include skills and experience directly related to the role, and help you showcase qualities you can't prove through work experience or other CV sections.
- Don't overload your CV with industry jargon and acronyms that may alienate or confuse the reader, instead opt for simple, clear language whenever possible.
A courteous, professional cover letter can make all the difference to your job applications. Our cover letter templates have been designed by experts to help you make the best impression with hiring managers.
How to optimise your CV for ATS screening
Applicant tracking systems (ATS) are now commonly used by employers, to help them manage the recruitment process. One of the main functions of ATS software is the scanning and ranking of CVs according to their likely suitability for the role. By assuming this role in the recruitment process, ATS apps can reduce the amount of time employers need to spend reviewing CVs. With hundreds of applications for a single vacancy becoming increasingly commonplace, this increased efficiency is extremely valuable for employers.
Because ATS software is becoming more common in the recruitment process, it's important to make some concessions in your CV to give yourself the best chance of progressing beyond the initial screening. With that in mind, here are some tips on preparing your CV for ATS screening:
- Include keywords and phrases that mirror the job description to maximise your chances of ranking highly in the ATS screening stage.
- Use clear headings that reflect standard CV conventions, such as 'work experience', 'education' and 'skills'.
- Choose a simple, straightforward CV layout with clear, consistent formatting, that avoids text boxes, graphics or other special design elements, as these can make your CV harder to scan.
- Select a font that enhances the readability of your CV, including recognised serif and sans serif fonts between sizes 10 and 12 for body text, and 14 and 16 for headings.
- Use bullet points in place of full sentences and paragraphs. This can reduce the overall length of the document, make the keywords stand out and make it easier for ATS apps to scan.
It might seem like there's a lot to remember when it comes to making an ATS-compatible CV, but taking care with this stage can really improve your chances of success. To make the process as easy as possible, use one of our expert-designed, ATS-optimised CV templates and boost your chances of success.
If you want to impress recruiters with your CV, use Jobseeker's ready-made CV templates, which are HR-approved for maximum chances of success.
Learning support assistant CV FAQs
How do I write a learning support assistant cover letter to accompany my CV?
A well-written cover letter can be just as important as a CV for your chances of job application success. When writing your cover letter, choose a formal professional letter format and use a cover letter template that matches the design of your CV.
The typical cover letter includes three key sections of content. Firstly, introduce yourself, confirm the role you're applying for and explain why you're applying for the position. Next, outline some relevant key skills and achievements from your career without repeating the details in your CV. Finally, express your gratitude to the employer for considering your application and leave a call to action that encourages them to contact you for an interview, or to establish dialogue.
As an alternative to the traditional cover letter, you may wish to send your application via email with a simple cover note. This includes a short introduction to yourself, confirms the role you're applying for and directs the reader towards the attached CV. With email cover notes, you don't need to follow full letter-writing conventions and can be less formal in your tone. Always include your contact details in your sign-off or email footer.
Jobseeker's cover letter examples for learning support assistant jobs and key education industry roles offer valuable insights from HR experts on how to write a compelling cover letter.
How do I write a learning support assistant CV without experience?
Even without relevant work experience, it's possible to write a learning support assistant CV that impresses employers.
Opt for a CV structure that focuses more on your relevant skills than your work experience, such as a functional CV format. The order of this CV layout places the skills section first after your CV summary, before education, with work experience taking less priority.
For entry-level roles, employers tend to look more for candidates with the right soft skills to show they can learn and develop on the job. As such, place extra emphasis on your soft skills for an entry-level learning support assistant CV.
How do I write a learning support assistant CV headline?
A well-crafted CV headline can draw the reader in, providing a hint of your suitability for the role, while increasing the likelihood of passing the ATS screening stage.
Aim to write a short, concise sentence that mentions the job title and focuses on one of your best skills or qualities.
To give your CV the best shot at success, write a CV headline that focuses on the most essential keywords and phrases from the job description. This will strike a chord with the hiring manager and help your CV to pass the ATS screening stage.
See below for some examples that you can use as inspiration for writing a CV headline for different experience levels:
- Dedicated Junior Learning Support Assistant
- Empathetic Organised Learning Support Assistant
- Compassionate Senior Learning Support Assistant
What's the best learning support assistant CV format for 2026?
The most suitable format for your learning support assistant CV in 2026 will depend heavily on numerous factors, such as your career stage and experience levels, the type and level of the role, the organisation and established industry norms.
Typically, the reverse-chronological CV is most effective if you have some work experience under your belt. This is because the layout showcases your work experience, providing evidence of how you've used relevant skills to achieve success in previous roles.
On the other hand, for candidates with less experience, including graduates and career changers, a functional or skills-based CV format can be more effective, as it showcases your key skills and qualifications over your work experience.
Key takeaways for a successful learning support assistant CV
To make a strong first impression on hiring managers, tailor your CV for every application, adding keywords and phrases that match the job description. Select a suitable CV format for your experience level, and show the reader how you've used skills relevant to the role, to create a positive impact in your career to date.
Finally, building your CV using Jobseeker's HR-approved CV templates can help to catch the eye of recruiters and hiring managers, making your application stand out and giving you the best chance of gaining your dream job.
Sources:
- Barnet Council (UK local government), Recruitment tips: How to write a supporting statement
- Jobseeker, HR Insights
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