Job Title: Teaching Assistant – Level 1 (Reception Class)
Actual Annual Salary: £9,605- £10,469 Based on hours and weeks worked
Full Time Equivalent Salary: £25,941 - £28,275 (CLF Grade B) Based on full time hours, all year round.
Contract Type: Fixed term until 31/08/2026
Hours: 16 hours per week - Part Time, Term Time Only plus Inset days
Working Pattern: Wednesday 12:30–3:30pm, Thursday 8:30am–3:30pm and Friday 8:30am–3:30pm, including a 30‑minute daily break where applicable.
Potential Start Date: February/March 2026
An opportunity to empower students to reach their full potential by delivering tailored support that enhances learning, engagement, and well-being:
At Minerva Primary Academy (MPA), we champion every child by nurturing strong, positive relationships and setting high expectations within an inclusive and supportive environment. We are committed to building a community of safe, respectful, and confident learners. We value every voice, empowering all students to become independent, lifelong learners who pursue their aspirations and contribute with compassion to both the school and the wider world.
Within our Reception Class, this role provides an opportunity to support children during the earliest stage of their school journey, helping them feel safe, confident, and ready to learn. The role involves supporting children’s educational, social, and personal development by using age‑appropriate strategies that enable them to access the EYFS curriculum and build early foundations in communication, literacy, numeracy, and play‑based learning. Responsibilities include implementing planned learning activities, adapting approaches to meet children’s needs, and helping to create a nurturing, well‑organised and stimulating environment.
This role contributes to measurable progress in early learning, social and emotional development, and readiness for the next stage of schooling. It includes effective communication with teachers, colleagues, and parents/carers, supporting positive behaviour, safeguarding children’s welfare, and working collaboratively as part of a team committed to inclusion and high‑quality early education.
About you:
You will:
- Be committed to being part of a high performing school that has high expectations.
- Continuously be committed to improving the life chances of pupils.
- Always be committed to own self development and resilient to the challenges of working in a single form entry school.
- Be committed to seeing feedback as a gift and strive to be better every day.
- Stay committed to the wider success of the school and community.
- Have experience of, or willingness to embrace working in a single form entry school is essential.
- Have an understanding of classroom roles and responsibilities and how a teaching assistant supports students in their learning.
- Be able to engage students and manage behaviour on a one to one or small group basis.
- Be committed to undertake relevant qualifications, e.g. Relevant nvq level 2/ 3 in supporting teaching and learning or equivalent, first aid qualification, to ensure ongoing professional development.
- Be able to engage students and manage behaviour on a one to one or small group basis.
- Have strong interpersonal skills, in particular with the ability to demonstrate empathy and active listening.
- Have good planning and organisational skills, specifically with regard to learning activities and support materials.
- Be someone with a keen interest in working with children and commitment to inclusion and acceptance of all.
Applicants are advised to refer to the full requirements of the role in the attached job description and person specification, prior to submitting an application.
About Minerva Primary Academy:
Minerva Primary Academy is a happy and successful school. We are a popular two-form entry primary school located in Fishponds, Bristol with a committed staff and a purpose-built modern building and unique playground. Our school ethos is 'Learning, Believing, Growing, Achieving' and everything we do is underpinned by our high expectations and a love of lifelong learning. To support our children to understand themselves as effective learners, we explicitly teach and promote seven learning dispositions: self-agency, growth mindset, perseverance, being curious and creative, making connections and collaborating.
We are committed and passionate about providing our children with the best possible start to their education. We encourage all children to be Minerva Global Citizens who are safe, responsible, respectful and an active citizen within our community. We value creativity and the arts and have strong links with Bristol Beacon.
Why work at CLF?
We are a diverse and inclusive community of 36 academies across five cluster regions in the South West that is committed to excellence and making a positive impact. Our people bring unique perspectives, but we’re all driven by a shared moral purpose and a passion for making a positive impact, whether in a teaching, leadership or support role. We’re proud to foster a culture where everyone can thrive, feel valued, and make a meaningful difference to the lives of others.
We are an equal opportunity employer and proud to serve a diverse student population and our communities. We strongly believe that representation matters. Over 71% of the pupils who attend Minerva Primary Academy are from global majority groups, so we particularly encourage applicants from those groups in order to represent the pupils we serve, as well as wider underrepresented groups including gender, transgender, age disability, sexual orientation or religion.
We aim to remove any barriers to employment, ensuring everyone can compete on equal terms. Job share, part-time and flexible working opportunities will be considered.
What we can offer you:
- Access to a generous pension through the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).
- Generous annual leave.
- A comprehensive induction and ongoing commitment to wellbeing and career progression, through a range of training, apprenticeships and in-role/wider-trust development opportunities.
- Well-being support through an Employee Assistance Programme.
- Health benefits, including wellness sessions, gym discounts, and flu jabs.
- A range of generous family leave options, including above industry average occupational maternity pay.
- Additional benefits like cycle to work scheme, on-site parking plus many more!
Recruitment timeline:
- Closing Date: 01 February 2026 @11.59pm
- Shortlisting date: 02 February 2026
- Interviews: 05 February 2026
We welcome visits from potential candidates. If you would like to arrange a school visit prior to the closing date, please contact the academy/site directly to arrange a suitable appointment.
As part of our commitment to Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE), we do not accept CVs – a full education and employment history must be provided through our application form.
Please note we are not able to offer visa sponsorship for this role.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early, should we receive a high level of interest in the role. Therefore, candidates are advised to apply at their earliest convenience to avoid missing out.
As a Disability Confident Committed Employer, we are dedicated to equity and inclusion and commit to interviewing applicants with a disability who meet the essential criteria. We aim to provide an inclusive and accessible recruitment process, and support employees throughout their employment. If you have a disability, are neurodivergent, or require any adjustments to support you through the application or interview process please let us know how we can assist.
