Job Title: Higher LevelTeaching Assistant
Job Location: Neptune School, Warmly (BS30)
Salary: Between £22,874.52 and £25,609.06 per annum, based on working 40hours per week, term time only (39.2 weeks per year)
Contract Type: Permanent
Every person deserves the right to access meaningful education. Some pupils may require additional assistance in order to access education that is built around their needs. That’s where you come in. As a Higher Level Teaching Assistant, you’ll work with neurodiverse children and young people (Aged between 7 - 16) that have additional needs related to communication and interaction, cognition and learning, sensory and/or physical.
Our curriculum is tailored to each individual child, rather than taking a conventional mainstream approach. Each pupil's learning is based on their own needs, goals, strengths, and aspirations. Whilst some of our pupils will go on to complete formal qualifications, we measure success in other ways too – Some pupils may have social and emotional challenges, working with them to develop transferable life skills is essential for their transition into adulthood.
As Higher Level Teaching Assistant, you’ll support teachers in various ways. You may get involved in health and safety checks, delivering training, or even covering for a teacher if they’re off sick. You’ll be a role model and support for our newer teaching assistants, using your skills to support their development.
On average, classes are made up of 4 pupils, so you’ll have the chance to really get to know the pupils you support.
A day in the life of a Higher Level Teaching Assistant will involve:
1. Assisting teaching colleagues in all classroom activities including planning, teaching and assessing learning. Some classes may focus on core subjects like maths or English, whilst others will focus on life skills, such as communication and expressing emotions.
2. Working closely with pupils keeping them engaged, motivated, and inspired to reach their full potential.
3. Working 1:1 with pupils, or in small group settings to help them achieve their learning goals.
4. Taking on additional responsibilities to ensure the pupils have the support they need, whether it be health and safety checks, delivering training to colleagues, or supporting teachers when they’re off sick or in meetings.
To be a successful Higher Level Teaching Assistant, you’ll need:
5. Experience working in an SEND / ALN school or similar setting.
6. Patience, compassion, and resilience – Some pupils you’ll support are Autistic and have ADHD, which may have an impact on their learning, behaviour and communication needs.
7. Great communication skills – Both verbal and written communication is important in this role as you’ll be speaking to a lot of different people at different times. You’ll also need to be able to update the pupils’ plans and help create learning material.
8. A driving licence – Our pupils love to go on trips and to do activities. We need you to be able to drive them to where they need to go. We have the cars; you just need the licence.
9. A genuine interest in a career focused on the education of people with Autism, and other neurodiversity and disabilities.
In return for your time, you’ll get:
10. Holidays – You’ll only work term time, but you’ll get paid 5.6 weeks annual leave as well!
11. Pension scheme – Our pension scheme is based on you paying in 5%, and us adding 3%.
12. Learning & Development Opportunities – We provide comprehensive learning opportunities for team members to develop themselves.
13. Discounts – You’ll have access to brilliant discounts through the Blue Light Card and our own employee benefits platform.
14. Wellbeing Support – Your wellbeing is always our priority. You’ll have access to mental health and wellbeing support. On top of this, our therapies team offer a monthly confidential check in clinic, and group reflective practice sessions.
15. Cycle2Work -The cycle to work scheme enables you to buy a bicycle at a discounted rate.
16. DBS – As this role requires you to have an enhanced DBS carried out, we will cover this cost.
After 12 months service you’ll also be eligible for our Medicash scheme which covers a wide range of medical, health and wellbeing expenses (Including immediate access to a GP!). You’ll get life assurance paid at x2 your annual salary, and even more high street discounts.
At Phoenix Learning and Care, we pride ourselves on our diverse workforce, and ensuring we have an inclusive environment for all our team members. We remain committed to ensuring our teams can bring their true selves to work without risk or fear of discrimination.
Please note that as part of our safer recruitment processes, successful applicants will be subject to pre-employment checks including an enhanced disclosure and barring service (DBS) check and reference validation.
INDE