About Us Oak Grove College – A wonderful place to work Oak Grove College is a community generic special school providing special education for 277 students with learning difficulties from Year 7 to Year 14. We are part of the Thrive Federation of Schools which also includes Palatine Primary School, Herons Dale School and Cornfield School. We are immensely proud of our college and our community. We are committed to providing the very best for young people while they are with us, helping them to develop the knowledge, skills, confidence and aspiration to succeed throughout their lives. We have a staff team of about 180 people and we believe in looking after everyone well. We know that our staff team make the college what it is today and are the key to a successful future. Staff are well supported by the leadership team and are offered opportunities to progress. We know that each and every one of our staff have a pivotal role to play and we believe in supporting everyone to achieve their potential. We have been awarded the Gold School Mental Health award and our staff wellbeing and mental health is paramount to the success of Oak Grove College. Oak Grove College is a rewarding place to work and staff report high levels of job satisfaction. We know that our staff work hard to do their very best each day for our students and we believe in looking after them well in return. We pay for an extensive health and welfare support service for all our staff which includes physiotherapy, counselling, mindfulness support, menopause support, chronic illness support, weight management and much, much more. Oak Grove College has convenient road and rail links with good public transport available. It is a 15 minute walk from Durrington-on-Sea train station, there is a bus stop just by the entrance, a large car park for those travelling by car and good pedestrian access for those on foot. West Sussex County Council staff can also obtain 15% staff discount on Southern Rail daily, weekly, monthly and annual tickets and are entitled to a range of other travel discounts and incentives too. As part of our growth and commitment to providing exceptional educational experiences for all our students, we are excited to announce plans to open a new satellite site less than 2 miles from our existing campus. Candidates joining our team should be ready to embrace the unique opportunities the new location will offer and be prepared to work at both sites. This is a fantastic chance to be part of an innovative chapter in our school’s development allowing us to continue to make a positive impact on student’s lives across our community. New employees joining Oak Grove College are guaranteed a warm welcome from the community. Our motto is that ‘Everyone matters, every day counts’ and we strongly believe that this should include our entire college community. We look forward to getting to know you better and helping you to play your part in providing the very best to our young people. Job Details Salary: £24,796 - £25,185 (£12.85-£13.05 per hour), pro rated, term time only Contract Type: Temporary, term time only Working Pattern: Monday to Friday, 10.30am to 1.30pm Location: Worthing Interviews: Friday 7th November 2025 Purpose of the Role To ensure there is a secure and welcoming facility to support, motivate and supervise students in eating their meal and undertaking play activities. Responsible for the health, safety, conduct and wellbeing of all students. Ensure the smooth running of the meal arrangements by anticipating and dealing with problems and promoting constructive play ideas with students. To lead play with students. Key Duties: Be proactive in promoting and engaging in positive interactions with students during breaktime and lunchtime supervision period which supports the development of social interaction, both with groups of students and 1-1. Responsible for covering classroom duties to allow Teaching Assistants to take their allocated breaks. Supervise students during break and lunchtimes, both indoor and outdoor, giving careful attention to safety and well-being and actively encouraging their play. Cover Teaching Assistant lunches. Serve out and, if necessary, cut up and prepare lunch for students so the students can swallow the food. Support and supervise students as they eat. Tidy up tables and chairs at the end of the meal. Ensure appropriate movement of students around the college site. Undertake various additional tasks e.g. cleaning students after soiling, helping students change if they get wet or muddy, taking them to a First aider if they have a minor accident. Prepare activities for play, getting equipment ready, supervising the activity, encouraging participation, interact with the students and put equipment away at the end of break and lunchtime. Supervise students during wet play, get out and play games and activities with students, putting activities and games away at the end of break. Ensure students go to the Assembly point (Courtyard) and follow the fire emergency plan if the fire alarm is activated. Manage behaviours positively upholding the college rules and using distraction and de-escalation. Use strategies so that college can start their afternoon in a positive mood. Ensure that communication with college students is at their level and that appropriate resources are used to promote effective communication. Ensure that any equipment used with students is safe and suitable. Act as a role model for students, communicating effectively, dressing appropriately and being respectful towards students at all times. Be assertive and consistent in upholding the college rules especially in relation to health and safety. After discussion with class staff, follow college policies in relation to managing behaviour and promoting good standards in college. This will involve following specific plans, strategies and systems for individual students e.g. using symbol assisted communication. Follow procedures on students S.O.S forms. Handover students to class staff, letting them know about how the break time has been, discussing any issues with them, ensuring the student is in the right place and ready for the next session. Exercise judgement in reporting both verbally and in written form any concerns about behaviour or possible safety or security risks. Deep clean tables and chairs when required/instructed by member of SLT. What You Need to Succeed To be successful in this role you will need to: Breaktimes Support Assistants form an important part of our staff team, enhancing the lunchtime experience for our students to ensure that the social development of all is promoted, alongside a positive attitude to a healthy lifestyle. We are looking for individuals with some of the following skills, knowledge and experience: Ability to supervise students during playtime, both indoor and outdoor Ability to engage with students and promote their social development and self esteem Ability to supervise students 1:1 at breaktime and lunchtime Ability to work in a classroom to release staff for their breaks Experience in supporting students giving careful attention to safety and well-being and actively encouraging play Understanding of behaviour issues and strategies to manage them Capacity to work flexibly across range of student settings Effective team working Fluency in English Ability to work with staff to support with Manual Handling issues A programme of support and training will be offered. Attendance on some training days would be required. Prior experience with students with complex learning needs is preferred but not essential as a programme of support and training will be offered. Applicants who are invited to interview will also be observed working with students. Further Information Oak Grove College and West Sussex County Council are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect this commitment. All successful candidates will be subject to an appropriate Disclosure and Barring Service check along with other relevant employment checks, including satisfactory references. How to Apply To apply for this role please download the job description and application form below. Please complete the application form and ensure that you outline your motivations for applying and explaining the skills and experience you can bring to the role (please refer to the key skills in the job description). Once complete please return this to recruitment@oakgrovecollege.org.uk Should you have any questions regarding the role or the application please feel free to email us. NOTE TO CANDIDATES - Please do not select the ‘Apply online’ button as the School processes your applications directly rather than through this site. The reference number for this role is SCHO01181. Job Reference: SCHO01181