Teaching Assistant

The Oaks Academy; City of Edinburgh; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 28,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Staff wellbeing programme

Professional development opportunities

Employee discounts

Job summary

The Learning Partnership Trust is seeking a dedicated Teaching Assistant to support pupils with low literacy in Edinburgh. You will work with small groups, prepare materials, and provide individualized help to help learners flourish.

Permanent role starting November 2026, 32.75 hours per week during term time, with a salary range of £26,403 to £28,143. The Trust emphasizes staff wellbeing, professional development, and inclusive practices.

Qualifications

• Positive, resilient attitude and empathy toward pupils.
• Flexibility and willingness to learn and adapt are essential.
• Experience in education, care, or support roles is a plus but not required; full training provided.

Responsibilities

• Work with small groups to support literacy development.
• Prepare learning materials and assist with engaging classroom activities.
• Provide individualized support to help pupils reach personal goals.
• Collaborate with teachers and colleagues to deliver tailored learning experiences.

Skills

Positive attitude

Empathy

Flexibility

Team collaboration

Job description

If you have a passion for improving the life chances of our children, then this could be the role for you. This is a fantastic opportunity for anyone passionate about supporting children with low levels of literacy. We are looking for caring, patient, and resilient individuals to help them flourish.

As a Teaching Assistant, you will:

• Work closely with small groups of pupils to support their literacy development
• Prepare learning materials and assist with engaging classroom activities.
• Provide individualised support to help pupils reach their personal goals.
• Collaborate with teachers and colleagues to deliver creative, tailored learning experiences.

What We're Looking For:

• You should bring a positive, resilient attitude and empathy, understanding the unique challenges our pupils face every day. Flexibility and a willingness to learn and adapt are essential, as is the ability to work collaboratively within a supportive team environment.
• A strong passion for supporting children with low levels of literacy
• Willingness to learn, adapt, and actively contribute as part of a team
• Experience in education, care, or support roles is a plus but not required — we provide full training to help you succeed

What can we offer you:

• The Learning Partnership Trust has a comprehensive and supportive performance management process, to motivate, inspire, and develop colleagues to ensure that both staff and pupils can realise their potential. There is a wealth of continuous professional development and networking opportunities across the Trust.
• Collaborative working across trust schools and sharing best practice are highly encouraged, and we have opportunities for more formal training and qualifications through the Trust.
• The trust promotes and prioritises staff wellbeing through its commitment to the Education Staff Wellbeing Charter. A new staff benefits programme has launched this academic year, providing staff discounts in response to the rising cost of living, and offers a confidential employee assistance programme to support staff mental health and wellbeing both personally and professionally
• Individual subscription to a range of research-based teaching and learning platforms, including:
  - The National College
  - TES Develop
  - Bluesky Learning Modules
  - TLP Perks - access to a wide range of discounts and benefits for employees of The Learning Partnership Trust.

Hours of work: 32.75 per week, full time hours during term time.

Contract: Permanent to commence in November 2026

Actual salary range: £ 26,403 to £ 28,143

As part of our commitment to employee development, all internal applicants will be offered a priority interview.

The Learning Partnership is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All staff appointments are subject to satisfactory references and enhanced checks with the Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS).

All posts involving direct contact with children are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. However, amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975 (2013 & 2020) provide that certain spent convictions and cautions are 'protected'. These are not subject to disclosure to employers and cannot be taken into account. Guidance and criteria on the filtering of these cautions and convictions can be found on the Ministry of Justice website.

Shortlisted candidates will be asked to provide details of all unspent convictions and those that would not be filtered, prior to the date of the interview. You may be asked for further information about your criminal history during the recruitment process. If your application is successful, this self-disclosure information will be checked against information from the Disclosure & Barring Service before your appointment is confirmed.

The Learning Partnership is committed to the promotion of equality of opportunity and the elimination of discrimination; all applicants should note that they will be considered on the basis of suitability regardless of disability, gender, race, religion, age, sexual orientation and marital status or any other discrimination which is unfair or unreasonable.

We particularly welcome applications from black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates, LGBTQ+ candidates and candidates with disabilities because we would like to increase the representation of these groups at The Learning Partnership. We want to do this because we know greater diversity will lead to even greater outcomes for children. We are proud to be an employer that holds Disability Committed and Menopause Friendly status.

The Trust is ‘happy to talk flexible working’. Flexible working increases workplace diversity by making roles accessible to those with caring responsibilities (primarily women), disabled staff, and both older and younger workers.