Teaching Assistant - Cullum Centre Autism SRB

Alderman Peel High School; Wells-Next-the-Sea; On-site; GBP 18,000 - 23,000; Full time

Job summary

Alderman Peel High School, part of The Wensum Trust, seeks a Teaching Assistant or Higher Level Teaching Assistant to support learners in the Cullum Centre SRB. You will work with the Lead Teacher and mainstream staff to help autistic students access learning, develop communication and independence, and manage sensory and emotional regulation needs.

You will build trusting relationships, use autism-informed approaches such as visual supports and structured teaching, and collaborate with families

Qualifications

• Experience supporting autistic students and delivering autism-informed support.
• Ability to build trusting relationships with students and adults.
• Ability to communicate clearly with families and professionals.
• Willingness to learn and develop practice.
• Team collaboration across Cullum Centre and Alderman Peel High School.

Responsibilities

• Develop positive, respectful and trusting relationships with students and adults.
• Be curious about the reasons behind a student's behaviour and recognise that behaviour communicates a need.
• Respond with empathy, patience and consistency, particularly when students are experiencing anxiety, sensory overload or difficulties with emotional regulation.
• Recognise and manage their own emotions, thoughts and behaviours and understand how these can impact others.
• Communicate clearly and respectfully with students, colleagues, families and professionals.
• To reflect on their own practice, make changes and continue to learn.
• Work collaboratively as part of a team to provide consistent support across the Cullum Centre and Alderman Peel High School.
• For Higher Level Teaching Assistants, lead planned learning activities, deliver targeted interventions, adapt resources and support the development of other support staff.
• For Teaching Assistants, provide consistent, autism-informed support, helping students access learning and develop communication, regulation and independence skills.

Skills

Relationship-building

Empathy

Patience

Teamwork

Education

HLTA qualification preferred

Teaching Assistant experience

Tools

Visual supports

Structured teaching

Low-arousal strategies

Job description

The Wensum Trust
At the Wensum Trust, we are committed to fostering emotional wellbeing, belonging, inclusion, and achievement for every child and every member of our team. Central to this is a relational approach that prioritises building strong, positive relationships with children, their families, our staff, colleagues and the wider community.

We deliver this approach through our 3 C’s:

• Connecting with curiosity and compassion
• Communicating with courtesy and courage
• Collaborating calmly and creatively

Alderman Peel School
As part of the Wensum Trust, Alderman Peel High School shares this commitment to inclusion, wellbeing and achievement. We believe that every student should be supported to achieve their potential and develop into confident, healthy, caring and resilient young people who are able to contribute positively to their families, communities and wider society.

Our Cullum Centre - Autism Specialist Resource Base (SRB) is an important part of this vision. It provides a specialist, inclusive environment where autistic students can develop the skills, confidence and independence they need to flourish within our school community and beyond.

At the heart of our approach are the Alderman Peel values:

• Ambition - to achieve personal goals

• Pride - take pride and recognise achievements

• Happiness - experience happiness through positive relationships and belonging

• Success - to achieve success in meaningful ways

Our staff play a vital role in making this possible. We are looking for colleagues who share our belief that strong relationships, understanding and consistency are fundamental to effective support.

About this Role

Working within the Cullum Centre requires more than simply supporting students to complete their work. It is about understanding the individual behind the behaviour, recognising barriers to learning and creating the conditions in which students feel safe, understood, ready to learn and flourish.

Every member of the Cullum Centre team is expected to:

• Develop positive, respectful and trusting relationships with students and adults
• Be curious about the reasons behind a student's behaviour and recognise that behaviour communicates a need
• Respond with empathy, patience and consistency, particularly when students are experiencing anxiety, sensory overload or difficulties with emotional regulation
• Recognise and manage their own emotions, thoughts and behaviours and understand how these can impact others
• Communicate clearly and respectfully with students, colleagues, families and professionals
• To reflect on their own practice, make changes and continue to learn
• Work collaboratively as part of a team to provide consistent support across the Cullum Centre and Alderman Peel High School

The Cullum Centre - Autism Specialist Resource Base (SRB)

The Cullum Centre is an additionally resourced provision within Alderman Peel High School and forms part of Norfolk's county-wide Specialist Resource Base programme. We work in partnership with The National Autistic Society and The Cullum Family Trust to provide support and space to enable autistic students to thrive in mainstream schools.

Students accessing the Cullum Centre are able to access a mainstream lessons and curriculum but may experience barriers associated with social communication, sensory processing, anxiety, flexible thinking, managing busy environments or emotional regulation. Some students may have a diagnosis of autism.

The Cullum Centre provides differentiated learning, tailored environments and additional resources to enable autistic students to flourish within school. Our vision is to be a Norfolk beacon of excellence in inclusive education, underpinned by a child-centred approach and informed by evidence-based practice.

Why this role is different?

Working in the Cullum Centre is an opportunity to make a genuine difference to the lives of young people at a pivotal stage of their education.

As a Teaching Assistant or Higher Level Teaching Assistant, you will be an integral part of the Cullum Centre team. You will work closely with the Lead Teacher and mainstream colleagues to help students access learning, develop communication and independence, manage sensory and emotional regulation needs and participate meaningfully in school life.

You will have opportunities to:

• Build trusting relationships with autistic students and become an important source of consistency and support
• Use autism-informed approaches such as visual supports, structured teaching, communication systems and low-arousal strategies
• Support students to develop their communication, social understanding, independence and emotional regulation
• Help students successfully access both the Cullum Centre and mainstream lessons and activities
• Contribute to targeted interventions and learning activities
• Observe, record and communicate information about students' progress and wellbeing
• Work alongside teachers, support staff, families and external professionals to ensure consistency
• Develop your own knowledge and expertise in autism and inclusive practice

For Higher Level Teaching Assistants, there will also be opportunities to lead planned learning activities, deliver targeted interventions, adapt resources and support the development of other support staff, while working under the direction of the Lead Teacher.

For Teaching Assistants, the role will focus on providing consistent, autism-informed support, helping students access learning and develop the communication, regulation and independence skills they need to succeed.

Be part of something pioneering

You will not be expected to have all the answers. What matters is a willingness to learn, reflect and develop your practice alongside colleagues.

You will be supported to develop your understanding of autism, evidence-informed practice and the approaches that enable autistic students to flourish. Professional development will form an important part of the role, alongside opportunities to learn from colleagues and specialist professionals.

You will work as part of a team that includes the SRB Lead Teacher, teachers, TAs, HLTAs, pastoral staff, SEND colleagues, families and, where appropriate, external professionals.

Our aim is to provide students with consistency, predictability and belonging, while ensuring that they remain part of the wider Alderman Peel High School community.

If you are passionate about supporting autistic young people, believe in inclusive education and want to develop your practice within a supportive and ambitious team, we would be delighted to hear from you.

For further information on this vacancy and our school, please contact Kelly Cawston at [e-mail]

Safer Recruitment

The Wensum Trust is committed to safeguarding children and promoting the welfare of children and young people, we expect all trustees, staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The Wensum Trust is exempt from the Rehabilitations of Offenders Act 1974 and all convictions, cautions and bind-overs, including those regarded as 'spent' must be declared. All successful candidates will be subject to an Enhanced Criminal Record Disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service, along with other relevant employment checks, including overseas criminal background checks.