Thank you for taking an interest in joining us as a Teaching Assistant.
This is an excellent opportunity for a highly motivated and committed individual to join Holmleigh Park High School as a Teaching Assistant. We are now looking for an ambitious, enthusiastic, resilient and flexible practitioner who can work within a friendly team.
If you decide to apply for a position with us, you will be joining a committed team of over 180 staff who make it their business to do just that, in support of giving our students the very best chance of realising their potential and empowering their lives.
Key Duties
- To provide in-class support for identified individual SEND students or small groups of SEND students (e.g. 4-5 students), including specialist subject support as appropriate.
- Understanding the needs, outcomes and provision outlined in students’ EHCPs/My Plans and adapting classroom support accordingly
- To develop effective relationships with the parents of SEND students so that progress and provision can be regularly discussed
- Implementing the advice and strategies recommended by other organisations and professionals, such as Advisory Teachers, Educational Psychologists, Occupational Therapists, CAMHS
- Maintaining a working knowledge of the difficulties affecting pupils, such as learning difficulties, dyslexia, ADHD, autism, dyspraxia, visual impairment, speech and language impairment, social interaction difficulties and physical disabilities
- Working with teachers to identify suitable strategies for students experiencing difficulty in accessing aspects of the curriculum
- Supporting students of all abilities in making progress across the curriculum by demonstrating a proactive role in the classroom at all times
- Under the direction of the class teacher, to assist in the management of the whole class through the overt modelling of effective behaviour management techniques.
- Small group intervention, where appropriate
- Under the direction of a class teacher, SENCo or Specialist SEN Teacher, to develop and lead small group work for identified students (e.g. reading schemes, phonics, spelling, numeracy, speech and language and social skills to groups of 4-5 students) and to contribute to the appropriate paperwork for these groups
- To assist in the production of teaching and learning materials for students, including differentiating the materials.
- Using school assessment data to inform support so that help for students is prioritised effectively.
- To provide support, to include personal care, for student(s) experiencing physical or medical difficulties (following training), and physio/transferring of students as appropriate.
- To provide after school support for identified students as part of Key Stage 4 SEND support for GCSE study or for students attending Homework Club.
- Under the direction of Heads of Year/Deputy Heads of Year, contribute to the school’s daily line up routine and Tutor Time Reading Programme.
- To provide regular feedback to the class teacher and to the SENCo or the relevant line manager.
- To use appropriate systems for recording and monitoring of students with behavioural and learning difficulties (e.g. Provision Map)
- Monitoring individual SEN pupils and reporting on progress and support requirements in lessons ahead of SEN reviews or meetings with parents;
- To undertake assessment of students and to provide data to the relevant member(s) of staff for analysis.
- To provide support to identified students undertaking tests/exams to enable them to make full use of their access arrangements.
Holmleigh Park High School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children in line with the DfE guidelines “Safeguarding Children: Safer Recruitment and Selection in Education Settings”.
The school will adhere to the following guidelines:
1. All new staff will be subject to a criminal background check through the Disclosure & Barring Service. This will be an enhanced check for those whose duties include caring for, training or supervising children.
2. All posts at Holmleigh Park High School require an acceptance of the responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
3. The selection procedure for all posts will include a consideration of the applicant’s suitability to work with children as well as the post.
4. All applicants must submit a signed application form. This is taken as verification that all statements are true and that the applicant is not in any way disqualified from working with children eg on List 99.
5. Posts at Holmleigh Park High School are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act of 1974, and if necessary a declaration must be made on the application form.
6. The school will seek references on all short listed candidates prior to interview, and may approach previous employers for information to verify experience or qualifications prior to interviews.
7. Referees should be someone who has had a working or professional relationship with the candidate, and should not be a friend or relative.
8. Referees will be asked about disciplinary offences relating to children including any in which the penalty is time expired, and whether the applicant has been the subject of any child protection concerns and the outcome of that procedure.