Teaching Assistant Permanent. 28 hours, 25 minutes per week, term time only including inset days. Salary: Point 6 – Point 8 £25,989 - £26,824 (FTE) £17,087.74 - £17,636.75 actual Start Date: As soon as possible The Dean Academy requires a Teaching Assistant to join our successful SEND team working to support students with special educational needs. The successful candidate will: • Have a good knowledge of special educational needs and disabilities experience of ideally with secondary age students. Experience of working with students with Cognition and Learning and Communication and Interaction needs is desirable but not required. • Have a commitment to, and passion for, inclusive practice across the curriculum. • Have excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate with our young people in an engaging way to maximise their learning and champion their progress. • Have the ability to empathise but move students forward • Be highly organised and adaptable, with an enthusiastic and positive approach. • Have the desire to learn new skills and be ambitious for their own professional and career development At The Dean Academy we offer a broad and challenging curriculum to enable all students to gain a deep knowledge and understanding of the world around them. We are proud of our inclusive approach, which is informed by the principle that a stimulating and personalised education is an entitlement for every child. The Dean Academy is an 11-16 school with approximately 820 students on roll in Lydney, in the beautiful Forest of Dean. As a small, local and fully comprehensive school, The Dean Academy is part of the highly successful Athelstan Trust. We are a school who have been on an incredible journey of rapid improvement and were judged as “good in all areas” in September 2021. The successful candidate will share the drive and ambition of our dedicated staff in continuing this community of transformation and will be keen to deliver exceptional education in a “school where students thrive” (Ofsted, 2021). The Athelstan Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be required to undertake an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check along with standard pre-employment safeguarding checks. As the role includes working with children, it is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Applicants must, therefore, disclose all spent and unspent convictions. References will be sought for shortlisted candidates before interview. Please also be aware that you will be subject to an online check and that you may be questioned about the findings of such a check at your interview. We are a flexible working employer, and we are willing to make any reasonable adjustments you require during your interview so please ask us. Closing Date: Monday 23rd February 2026, 12 Noon. Interview date to be confirmed. Applications will be considered as they are received; we reserve the right to make an appointment prior to the closing date.