Teaching Assistant

Phoenix Learning & Care Group; Winkleigh; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading educational organization seeks a dedicated Teaching Assistant to join their team at Acorn School, Winkleigh. The role involves supporting neurodiverse children, assisting with their educational and life skills development, and requires strong communication and interpersonal skills. Benefits include a competitive wage, paid holiday, and comprehensive training opportunities.

Benefits

Paid holidays (5.6 weeks annually)

Pension scheme with employer contribution

Learning & development opportunities

Employee discounts via Blue Light Card

Wellbeing support services

Cycle2Work scheme

DBS check covered by employer

Medicash scheme after 12 months of service

Qualifications

• Genuine interest in a career focused on the education of people with a wide range of needs.
• Driving license required to transport pupils.

Responsibilities

• Assist teaching colleagues in classroom activities including planning and assessing learning.
• Work closely with neurodiverse pupils to help them achieve learning goals.
• Engage and motivate pupils in both academic and life skills.

Skills

Patience

Compassion

Resilience

Communication

Job description

About The Role

Job Title: Teaching Assistant

Job Location: Acorn School, Winkleigh (EX19)

Salary: Between £12.60 and £13.13 per hour, working 40 hours per week, term time only (39.2 weeks per year)

Contract Type: Permanent

Every person deserves the right to access meaningful education. Some pupils may require additional assistance in order to access education that is built around their needs That’s where you come in. As a Teaching Assistant, you’ll work with neurodiverse children and young people (Aged between 7 - 16) that have additional needs related to communication and interaction, cognition, and learning, sensory and/or physical.

Our curriculum is tailored to each individual child, rather than taking a conventional mainstream approach. Each pupils learning is based on their own needs, goals, strengths, and aspirations. Whilst some of our pupils will go on to complete formal qualifications, we measure success in other ways too – Some pupils may have social and emotional challenges, working with them to develop transferable life skills is essential for their transition into adulthood.

You’ll get all the training and support you need to make sure our learners have the best experience possible

This school has no more than 4 pupils in each class, so you’ll have the chance to really get to know the pupils you support.

A day in the life of a Teaching Assistant will involve:

• Assisting teaching colleagues in all classroom activities including planning, teaching and assessing learning. Some classes may focus on more traditional subjects like maths or English, whilst others will focus on life skills, such as communication and expressing emotions.
• Working closely with pupils keeping them engaged, motivated, and inspired to reach their full potential.
• Working either 1:1 with pupils, or in small group settings to help them achieve their learning goals.

To be a successful Teaching Assistant, you’ll need:

• Patience, compassion, and resilience – All of the pupils you’ll support will be neurodiverse, which may impact their learning behaviour and communication needs.
• Great communication skills – Both verbal and written communication is important in this role as you’ll be speaking to a lot of different people at different times. You’ll also need to be able to update the pupils’ plans and help create learning material.
• A driving licence – Our pupils love to go on trips and to do activities. We need you to be able to drive them to where they need to go. We have the cars; you just need the licence.
• A genuine interest in a career focused on the education of people with a wide range of needs.

In return for your time, you’ll get:

• Holidays – You’ll only work term time, but you’ll get paid 5.6 weeks annual leave as well!
• Pension scheme– Our pension scheme is based on you paying in 5%, and us adding 3%.
• Learning & Development Opportunities – We provide comprehensive learning opportunities for team members to develop themselves.
• Discounts – You’ll have access to brilliant discounts through the Blue Light Card and our own employee benefits platform.
• Wellbeing Support – Your wellbeing is always our priority. You’ll have access to mental health and wellbeing support. On top of this, our therapies team offer a monthly confidential check in clinic, and group reflective practice sessions.
• Cycle2Work -The cycle to work scheme enables you to buy a bicycle at a discounted rate.
• DBS – As this role requires you to have an enhanced DBS carried out, we will cover this cost.
• After 12 months service - You’ll also be eligible for our Medicash scheme which covers a wide range of medical, health and wellbeing expenses (Including immediate access to a GP!). You’ll get life assurance paid at x2 your annual salary, and even more high street discounts.

Please note that as part of our safer recruitment processes, successful applicants will be subject to pre-employment checks including an enhanced disclosure and barring service (DBS) check, and online and social media checks, and reference validation.

At Phoenix Learning and Care, we pride ourselves on our diverse workforce, and ensuring we have an inclusive environment for all our team members. We remain committed to ensuring our teams can bring their true selves to work without risk or fear of discrimination.