Teaching Assistant

Hillingdon Manor School; Southampton; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 24,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Life Assurance

Pension scheme

Wellbeing support

Flexible Benefits Platform (Vista)

Cycle to Work Scheme

Electric Car Purchase Scheme

Critical illness cover

Family Growth Support

Job summary

Bower Lodge School in Dibden, Southampton, is seeking a dedicated Teaching Assistant to support pupils with autism and complex learning needs. You will contribute to a nurturing, inclusive environment, assisting individual and small group learning and promoting positive behavioural approaches.

You will work with experienced staff to create engaging activities, monitor progress, and help pupils develop confidence and resilience. This role is permanent and term-time only, starting October 2026.

Qualifications

• GCSE English and Maths at Grade 4/C or above, or equivalent.
• A caring and patient approach with the ability to build positive relationships with young people.
• Resilience and the ability to remain calm and consistent when situations become challenging.
• An adaptable and creative approach to supporting different learning needs.
• The ability to work collaboratively and contribute positively to a supportive team.
• A genuine commitment to helping young people develop and achieve their potential.
• A strong commitment to safeguarding and promoting the wellbeing of young people.

Responsibilities

• Provide individual and small group support, helping young people engage with learning and make meaningful progress.
• Build positive and trusting relationships that help young people feel safe, valued and understood.
• Work alongside teachers to deliver creative and engaging learning activities.
• Encourage greater confidence, independence, resilience and social development.
• Support emotional wellbeing and use positive, consistent approaches to behaviour.
• Adapt your support around individual strengths, needs and learning styles.
• Help create a calm, nurturing and inclusive environment where young people can succeed.
• Recognise and celebrate progress, helping young people develop confidence in their own abilities.

Skills

Caring

Patience

Resilience

Adaptability

Creativity

Team work

Safeguarding

Education

GCSE English & Maths 4/C or above

Job description

Enter your postcode, then select the range below

• Range

Teaching Assistant

Bower Lodge School

• Southampton
• Permanent

Salary: £22,160.62 per annum

Hours: 37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday

We believe in giving you more time to do the things you love outside of work

Job title: Teacher Assistant
Location: Bower Lodge School, Dibden, Southampton, SO45 5TD
Salary: £22,160.62 per annum (not pro rata)
Hours: 37.5 hours per week | Monday to Friday | 8:30am – 4:30pm
Contract: Permanent | Term Time only
Start: October 2026
UK applicants only; no sponsorship available

About the Role

Be the Person Who Helps a Young Person Believe They Can. At Bower Lodge School, we’re looking for a caring, positive and resilient Teaching Assistant to help young people overcome barriers to learning, build confidence and recognise what they are capable of achieving.

This is much more than supporting lessons. You’ll be a mentor, role model and trusted adult, building positive relationships and providing the consistency and encouragement young people need to engage with their education.

Working alongside experienced teachers and a supportive wider team, you’ll help create learning experiences that are engaging, accessible and meaningful. Whether you’re supporting a young person individually, working with a small group or getting involved in wider school activities, you’ll have the opportunity to make a difference every day.

What you will be doing

• Provide individual and small group support, helping young peopleengage with learning and make meaningful progress
• Build positive and trusting relationships that help young people feel safe, valued and understood
• Work alongside teachers to delivercreative and engaging learning activities
• Encourage greater confidence, independence, resilience and social development
• Support emotional wellbeing and use positive, consistent approaches to behaviour
• Adapt your support around individual strengths, needs and learning styles
• Help create a calm, nurturing and inclusive environment where young people can succeed
• Recognise and celebrate progress, helping young people develop confidence in their own abilities

Who We’re Looking For

We’re interested in more than what’s written on your CV. We’re looking for someone with the patience, resilience and enthusiasm to make a genuine difference.

You may already be an experienced Teaching Assistant, or your skills could come from education, care, youth work, childcare, coaching or support services.

You’ll bring:

• GCSE English and Maths at Grade 4/C or above, or equivalent
• A caring and patient approach with the ability to build positive relationships with young people
• Resilience and the ability to remain calm and consistent when situations become challenging
• An adaptable and creative approach to supporting different learning needs
• The ability to work collaboratively and contribute positively to a supportive team
• A genuine commitment to helping young people develop and achieve their potential
• A strong commitment to safeguarding and promoting the wellbeing of young people

About us

Bower Lodge School is a specialist day school in Dibden, Southampton, for boys and girls aged 4–11 with a diagnosis of autism and complex learning, communication, and sensory needs.

With capacity for 40 pupils, we provide a small, nurturing, and inclusive environment. Our approach is tailored to each child’s individual strengths and needs. Through personalised learning and high levels of support, we help pupils thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.

At Bower Lodge School, every child is valued, understood, and empowered to reach their full potential.

For over 19 years, Options Autism has provided specialist care and education for children, young people, and adults with autism, complex needs, and learning difficulties. As part of Outcomes First Group, we are pioneering innovative, evidence-based approaches that deliver meaningful, measurable outcomes for everyone in our care.

We are really proud to say that in 2025, Outcomes First Group were officially certified as a ‘Great Place to Work’ for the sixth year running.

Why Join Us?

We place pupils and vulnerable young adults at the heart of everything we do, so every day brings the satisfaction of making a real difference.We are committed to the safeguarding and promoting the welfare of pupils and young people. All applicants will be subject to social media checks and successful applicants to a fully enhanced DBS.

• Life Assurance
• Pension scheme with options to increase contributions
• “Your Wellbeing Matters” – mental health support and physical health checks
• Flexible Benefits Platform (Vista), including:
  • Health, wellbeing and insurance benefits
  • Hundreds of UK and international discounts
  • Cycle to Work Scheme & Electric Car Purchase Scheme
  • Critical illness cover
  • Family Growth Support, including enhanced maternity/paternity leave and paid fertility treatment support

We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications.

Outcomes First Group is committed to carrying out a fair, thorough and efficient recruitment process in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education. Whilst we aim to keep applicants informed throughout, Outcomes First Group does not accept liability for any loss of earnings or other associated costs incurred by applicants as a result of delays or changes in the compliance process. All stages of the compliance process are subject to necessary safeguarding checks and compliance with statutory requirements, which may affect timescales

Wherever you work – whether in a city location or one of our more rural settings – you’ll be part of one dynamic family, aiming high and dreaming big, and helping the people we work with achieve their own personal goals

Salary: Up to £43,000 per annum (depending on experience)

Hours: 37.5 hours per week, Monday - Friday

Hours: 37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday

With amazing teams working across our family of brands – Acorn Education, Options Autism, Momenta Connect and Blenheim Schools– we offer a huge range of exciting career opportunities.

Meeting the social and emotional needs of pupils who have faced trauma or adversity, equipping them for life’s important steps.

Supporting autistic pupils to value their uniqueness and access the world in their own way.

At Momenta Connect we support young people to overcome barriers and engage with education.

We are committed to enabling outstanding futures for all children through a portfolio of inclusive, high-quality independent and international schools.