Teaching Assistant

Compass Community; Milton Keynes; On-site; GBP 18,000 - 23,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Career development

Training opportunities

Small class sizes

Wellbeing support

Job summary

Compass Community Limited is seeking enthusiastic Teaching Assistants in Milton Keynes to support children with Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs (SEMH) in a warm, trauma-informed school setting. You will work with individuals or small groups, assist with lesson delivery, and help create engaging, safe learning environments.

Candidates should have good English & Maths literacy and be prepared to participate in therapeutic training, with opportunities for professional development within a

Qualifications

• Support teaching and learning across lessons and activities
• Deliver sessions with small groups or one-to-one with children
• Create engaging displays to support teaching and learning
• Good basic understanding of English and Maths
• Strong behaviour management and communication to keep children safe

Responsibilities

• Support teaching and learning.
• Work with children on a one-to-one basis or with small groups.
• Manage classroom resources and ensure materials are ready for lessons.
• Take children on educational trips and visits.
• Liaise with teachers to support inclusion and SEMH needs.
• Maintain safe and supportive learning environments.

Job description

Are you a Life Changer? Do you want to lean in and transform the life of a child?

Compass Community puts children first through our therapeutic, innovative approach. Integrity, Courage and Care shape how we work. We listen deeply, challenge each other and fix what needs fixing, together.

This is the work. And we'd like you to be part of it.

Who We Are

Our children come from a wide range of backgrounds, but all have Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs (SEMH). Many will also have other Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) such as Autism, ADHD and communication difficulties.

The work we do is both varied and challenging and, as a trauma and attachment informed organisation, all staff are provided with extensive therapeutic training and support.

Our closely triangulated approach places the child at the centre of decision making, ensuring that education and therapy professionals, parents/carers, local authority teams and, most importantly, our students can work together to secure outstanding outcomes for all.

The Role

Teaching Assistants at our school know that no two days are the same and that no two children are the same either. Our children require very special adults who can support children with complex and challenging behaviours.

TAs in our schools understand that our children require lots of attention, just the right sort of communication, consistency and flexibility in equal measure, and a non-judgemental approach. They need to be resilient, persistent and solution focused to meet the needs of our pupils and be prepared to adapt at a moment's notice.

Our Teaching Assistants Will

• Support teaching and learning.
• Work with children on a one-to-one basis or deliver sessions with small groups of students.
• Manage classroom resources.
• Take children on educational trips and visits.
• Have lunch with children who struggle socially.
• Have a good basic understanding of English and Maths.
• Keep children safe when they are experiencing heightened behaviours using strong behaviour management skills and excellent communication.
• Create, play and teach games to develop social skills and further learning.
• Create engaging displays that support teaching and create an exceptional learning environment.
• Celebrate success.
• Participate in therapeutic training sessions and reflective practice.

Our TAs are highly valued members of our team. We want our TAs to be part of the decision making that drives our school, provides outcomes for children and advocates for every child. We welcome their input in developing both the academic curriculum and opportunities within our extra-curricular offer, bringing their own interests and passions to the table.

Benefits and Rewards

• Opportunity to develop and grow your career within Compass Community.
• Extensive training and professional qualification opportunities.
• Small class sizes with specialist TA support.
• Opportunity to be part of an expanding national organisation that recognises skill, effort and potential and develops its own leadership teams.
• Regular therapeutic and supportive supervision.
• Employee benefit service with access to wellbeing services and salary sacrifice schemes.

We regularly review applications and reserve the right to close an advert early if suitable candidates are identified.

Safeguarding

Compass Community Schools are highly committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All staff will be expected to hold or be willing to obtain an Enhanced DBS Check or Enhanced Check for Regulated Activity through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and undergo due diligence checks on social media use.

All school-based staff have responsibility for promoting the safeguarding and welfare of children. Staff should be aware of the school's Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy and work in accordance with this document at all times.

Compass is an equal opportunities employer committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. As we continue to grow, we recognise the importance of attracting talented employees with diverse backgrounds, cultures, perspectives and experiences to support our children and young people.