STUDENT SUPPORT WORKER – Communication and Interaction
Term Time Only plus 5 INSET Days
Monday to Friday, 37 hours per week; Monday to Thursday 08:30 – 16:30, Friday 08:30 – 16:00
JG5 SCP12 £24,496 – JG5 SCP19 £27,852 pro-rata
Actual Salary £21,422.20 - £24,357.08 pa
The Role
The successful candidate will play an important part in ensuring that students with an identified communication and interaction need, particularly those with a complex profile, can access the curriculum and wider school experience. It is a role of advocacy, specialist guidance for teaching and pastoral staff, along with specialist intervention where needed.
To be considered for this position you will have experience working closely with vulnerable young people who have difficulties in accessing the mainstream curriculum. You will ideally have experience of delivering a personalised support, both one to one and in small groups, to students with identified communication and interaction or SEMH needs. You will have experience of the positive difference this makes for students with complex profiles. You will also demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills and be able to engage with young people who have difficulties with emotional regulation and resilience.
You will be able to demonstrate that you are a strong advocate, and that you are passionate about finding ways to support inclusion within a learning community. You may have had some experience working with professionals such as speech and language therapists and have been able to integrate their advice into practical support in the classroom. You must be able to provide a strong and caring focus for young people with identified communication and interaction differences and support them to work towards their individual or group outcomes whilst helping them to celebrate each step of success.
Gordano School offers an excellent benefits package including contributory pension scheme, a comprehensive employee assistance programme and benefits (offering discounts on shopping), discounted on-site gym membership and on-site parking.
The School
Gordano School is a large and highly successful 11-18 comprehensive secondary school approximately eight miles outside Bristol. This includes a thriving Sixth Form of nearly 400 students that is strongly integrated into the school and offers significant opportunities for Post-16 teaching in over 30 courses. We are the sole secondary school serving the popular town of Portishead, and benefit greatly from being a central part of our community.
We view education as something bigger than just academic achievement. We have a record of considerable academic success, but believe that an education should be about preparing young people for their future lives in a complete sense. As well as consistently positive Progress 8 and Level 3 Value Added outcomes at GCSE and A Level respectively we place great emphasis on student leadership, an unparalleled extra-curricular programme and student progression to their next steps in a wide range of academic and vocational routes.
We pride ourselves on the very high-quality support for colleagues at all stages of their career through internal and external CPD, including our membership of the Lighthouse Schools Partnership’s Centre of Professional Development, with staff involved across all levels of NPQ programmes. We maintain significant involvement in Initial Teacher Training and deliver comprehensive ECT induction in association with the Five Counties Teaching School Hubs Alliance and Ambition Institute. Our very large staff body allows regular opportunities for progression into leadership roles at all levels.
We were judged Outstanding in all categories in our last Ofsted inspection, but, just as importantly, seek to be a very happy school community with a big heart. This has never been more evident than in the last few years, where we have been incredibly proud of the response from our brilliant staff, children and families to the Covid pandemic.
Once completed please email a completed application form with a covering letter (curriculum vitae optional) by:
Closing Date: 9am Wednesday 4 January 2023
Interviews: w/c 9 January 2023
Gordano School reserves the right to interview and appoint prior to the closing date of the advertisement, should the School be able to appoint an appropriate candidate.
Gordano School supports Equal Opportunities Employment.
Gordano School is committed to the safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all its pupils and expects all staff to share this commitment. Safer recruitment practice and pre-employment background checks will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed. Appointment is subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check for regulated activity.