Teaching Assistant - Ferndown First School

Job content

Ferndown First School Teaching Assistant (Level 1 or Level 2 available - depending on experience)

Ferndown First School is part of the Castleman Academy Trust - a Trust which prides itself on putting children first, always and puts its values of Respect, Independence, Creativity and Inclusion at the heart of everything we do.

It is the staff in our academies who make our schools vibrant places of learning - who do all they can to make sure our children become confident individuals, successful learners and responsible citizens. Our staff want to make a real difference to the lives of the children they work with and are learners themselves who relish professional development opportunities.

Working in a Castleman Academy Trust school, you will be working with other forward thinkers who see possibilities and are optimistic. You will have the support of like-minded colleagues and together we will ensure everyone has a great work life balance. Being part of the Castleman Academy Trust means there are a whole host of opportunities for you to develop and flourish.

We are looking to appoint an experienced Teaching Assistant, with a proven track record. Children you will be working with will have some social and emotional behavioural needs, speech and language difficulties and some social communication needs across the school.

This role will require you to work closely with the SENCo, supporting her to manage a caseload of children in this focussed Teaching Assistant role. You will be required to deliver interventions with children on a 1:1 basis and in small groups both in and outside the classroom. Experience in supporting children with regulation difficulties would be an advantage.

You will need to be kind, patient and experienced at creating positive relationships. The ability to be flexible and enthusiastic, with excellent interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to engage learners is also desirable.

The successful applicants will have an NVQ Level 3 in the field of Teaching and Learning, or equivalent and will be able to demonstrate a suitable level of English and maths skills, equivalent to GCSE standard, which will be assessed at interview.

The role will be varied and you could also be deployed to support children in class, small groups and on an individual basis, depending on pupil need. You will also be required to provide some support at lunchtimes.

We Offer

• A thriving, successful school
• Motivated and well-behaved pupils
• Highly professional training and support to ensure excellent career development
• Supportive colleagues
• A committed team of staff and Governors
• Free access to the Employee Assistance Programme
• Cycle to Work Scheme.
  
  

Arranging a visit to Ferndown First School

If you would like to visit the school, please contact the school office to arrange an appointment. To gain a greater understanding of our school values, curriculum offered and premises, please visit our school website and refer to the application pack.

Applying for the job

Applications should be made on the application form and include details of experience. Please ensure a full work history is completed in your application form including any gaps of employment and two referees are given. Please note Ferndown First School does not accept CVs in place of an application form. Incomplete application forms will not be shortlisted. Previous applicants need not apply.

Safeguarding

The Castleman Academy Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

The successful candidate will be required to demonstrate that they meet the essential elements of the person specification and will be subject to pre-employment checks including satisfactory references, an Enhanced DBS and Child Barred List check, a Health Check, Right to Work in the UK check and, where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed, in line with the Government’s safer recruitment guidelines.

An online check will also be conducted on all shortlisted applicants. This check will form part of a safeguarding check, and the search will purely be based on whether an individual is suitable to work with children. As care must be taken to avoid unconscious bias and any risk of discrimination, a person who will not be on the appointment panel will conduct the search and will only share information if and when findings are relevant and of concern.

Ferndown First School values the diversity of the workforce and welcomes applications from all sectors of the community.

This role is UK based and your Right to Work will need to be established as part of the appointment process

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974. The amendments to the ROA 1974 (Exceptions Order 1975, (2013 and 2020)) provide that when applying for certain jobs and activities, certain spent convictions and cautions are ‘protected’, so they do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account. The Ministry of Justice guidance on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the Exceptions Order 1975, provides information about which convictions must be declared during job applications and related exceptions and further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS filtering guide via https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-guidance-on-the-rehabilitation-of-offenders-act-1974

Closing Date: 9.00 am on Monday 27 th November 2023.