Job Vacancy: Level 2 Teaching Assistant Employer: Opossum Federation Salary: Grade Sc3, Points 5–6 FTE: £29,436 - £29,856 Pro Rata: £25,326.03 - £25,687.38 Contract Type: Fixed Term (1 Year), 36 hours per week, 44.86 weeks per year Start Date: September 2026 Responsible To: Head of School Available Locations: Oakhill Primary School (Woodford Green) – 2 x Positions Available Dawlish Primary School (Leyton) – 2 x Positions Available All staff are employed on federation wide contracts About the Opossum Federation "Enriching Lives, Unleashing Possibilities, Building Futures" The Opossum Federation is a dynamic family of primary schools located in East London, within the borough of Waltham Forest. Our federation comprises Dawlish Primary School, Newport School, Oakhill Primary School, and Thorpe Hall Primary School. We are an ambitious, forward-thinking organisation dedicated to delivering exceptional education. In late 2024, both Newport and Oakhill schools achieved 'Outstanding' ratings in every category by Ofsted, while Dawlish and Thorpe Hall firmly hold 'Good' validations. At Opossum, we believe learning should be empowering, inclusive, and designed to spark curiosity. We build emotionally, academically, and morally strong individuals who are ready to make a positive impact on the world. The Role We are seeking dedicated, enthusiastic, and resilient Level 2 Teaching Assistants to join our collaborative team. In this vital role, you will work under the direction of class teachers and school leadership to provide high-quality support, ensuring our pupils reach their full potential in a safe, stimulating, and inclusive environment. Whether assisting individual pupils, running small-group interventions, or supporting classroom management, your contribution will be essential to fostering a love of learning and maintaining high standards of achievement and behavior. Major Tasks, Duties, and Responsibilities1. Support for Pupils Supervise and provide tailored support for pupils, including those with special educational needs (SEN), ensuring their safety and access to learning activities. Assist in the development and implementation of Individual Education/Behaviour Plans and Personal Care programmes. Establish constructive, empathetic relationships with pupils, adjusting interactions to their individual needs. Promote inclusion, self-esteem, independence, and acceptance of all learners. Support for Teachers Create and maintain a purposeful, orderly, and supportive learning environment, including preparing displays of pupils' work. Monitor, record, and provide detailed, regular feedback to teachers regarding pupils' achievement, progress, and classroom challenges. Promote excellent pupil behavior and handle classroom incidents promptly and effectively in line with federation policies. Provide administrative and clerical support (e.g., photocopying, typing, routine marking, and invigilation). Support for the Curriculum Deliver structured, agreed learning activities and teaching programmes (e.g., literacy, numeracy, early years framework), adapting tasks based on pupil responses. Support the integration of ICT in learning activities and guide pupils toward technological competence and independence. Prepare, maintain, and utilize required learning equipment and resources. Support for the School Comply with and uphold all federation policies regarding child protection, safeguarding, health and safety, confidentiality, and data protection. Supervise pupils outside of lesson times, including before/after school and during lunch breaks. Accompany staff and pupils on educational visits, trips, and out-of-school activities, taking responsibility for a designated group. Participate in staff meetings, training sessions, and performance management frameworks. Why Join Our Family? A Thriving, Supportive Team: Work alongside passionate colleagues who view our schools as a "warm, caring second home." Exceptional Work-Life Balance: Benefit from the structural advantages of a federation. Our schools collaborate extensively, drastically reducing staff workload. Professional Growth & CPD: We offer a structured, comprehensive induction programme and an extensive, tailored Continuous Professional Development (CPD) scheme. Well-Resourced Environments: Enjoy modern teaching resources, including personal staff laptops/Chromebooks and integrated Google for Education systems. Exemplary Student Behavior: Teach and assist highly respectful, culturally aware, and kind pupils who demonstrate high levels of self-control. What our team says: "I feel consistently supported, challenged and developed in my work and am positive about the impact our school/federation collectively makes for pupils." — Dawlish Staff Member Application Process Closing Date for Applications: Sunday 7th June 2026 To download an application pack, please visit any of our federation school websites: Dawlish Primary School Newport School Oakhill Primary School Thorpe Hall Primary School Please submit your completed application to: hr@opossumed.org Please note: Only applications submitted directly on the school’s official application form will be considered. Safeguarding Statement The Opossum Federation is deeply committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All appointments are subject to rigorous pre-employment checks, including an enhanced DBS clearance, satisfactory references, and the submission of a self-disclosure form. Equal Opportunities Waltham Forest is a diverse borough where diversity is valued and is integral to both, service delivery and employment of its staff. The Council is proud of its rich mix of communities and as the largest employer in the area, it works hard to respond to the changing needs of its population. We use our statutory duties on race, gender and disability equality and best practice in respect of age, faith and sexual orientation to ensure equality of opportunity in the workplace. The Council is committed to meeting its 4 equality objectives: - Promoting equality of opportunity - Opposing all forms of discrimination, intolerance and disadvantage - Ensuring our workforce reflects the diverse communities of Waltham Forest at all levels. - Providing fair, appropriate, accessible and excellent Services to all. Respecting Diversity is a core Council value. To support the above and reduce the risk of bias in its recruitment activities, the council is operating an anonymous shortlisting process, which hides personal information that can identify individuals until their application has been considered for shortlisting. The council also operates a scheme whereby, for jobs graded up to and including scale SO2, internal candidates are considered first. This includes those candidates who self-identify as having a disability for the purposes of the Disability Confident scheme. For more information, please refer to our recruitment and selection policy How to apply Email address or postal address for return of applications : hr@opossumed.org