Teaching Assistant in The Orchard SEN Provision

Leighton Academy; City of Edinburgh; On-site; GBP 19,000 - 23,000; Full time

Job summary

Leighton Academy is seeking an enthusiastic practitioner to support its Orchard SEN Unit. You will assist pupils with EHCPs to access learning through visual supports, structured routines and differentiated activities, promoting pro-social communication and behaviour.

You will work with teachers and external professionals to implement speech and language, social communication, and emotional regulation programmes, while contributing to Sensory Circuit sessions and 1:1/interventions.

Qualifications

• Experience supporting pupils with EHCPs is desirable.
• Ability to implement visual supports and structured routines.
• Capability to contribute to SEN unit activities and sensory initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Support pupils with EHCPs to access learning through visual symbols and differentiated activities.
• Implement programmes on speech, language, and communication, social and emotional regulation.
• Contribute to daily Sensory Circuit activities and small-group/1:1 interventions.
• Assess and record progress; provide feedback for SEN School Support Plans each term.
• Collaborate with families to model strategies for home use.

Job description

What does the role involve?

Supporting pupils with EHCPs to access learning through visual symbols, structured routines, and differentiated activities, fostering pro-social communication and behaviour.

Implementing programmes focused on speech, language and communication, social communication, emotional and sensory regulation, and life-skills—guided by teachers and external professionals (e.g., speech therapists, educational psychologists).

Contributing to daily Sensory Circuit activities and small-group/1:1 interventions, maintaining a calm, safe environment.

Helping assess and record progress; provide feedback for pupils’ SEN School Support Plans each term.

Working closely with families, modelling strategies that can be supported at home to aid consistency and generalisation.

What is the Orchard?

The Orchard is Leighton Academy’s specialist 20-place SEN Unit (Year 1-Year 6) for pupils whose primary needs are Cognition & Learning and Speech, Language & Communication, as identified on their EHCP. Children learn and play in a dedicated, sensory-friendly area of the school and benefit from highly structured routines, visual supports, and a calm, happy environment designed for engagement and success.

Our provision includes two classrooms with small-group learning areas, a sensory room/calming space, dedicated outside play, and its own toilets and separate changing area—all set up to promote communication, social interaction, emotional regulation, life skills and independence. We adapt mainstream curriculum plans, emphasise fine/gross motor development and social play, and deliver daily Sensory Circuit sessions.

https://www.leightonacademy.com/our-classes/the-orchard

About the Trust

Formed of two local trusts on 1st September 2023, The Learning Alliance and The Learning for Life Partnership, The Learning Partnership is a diverse new multi-academy trust delivering excellent educational provision for pupils in primary and secondary schools across the North-West. The Trust primarily serves the communities of Crewe, Congleton, and Knutsford, and is now the largest multi-academy trust in Cheshire.

At The Learning Partnership, we believe that there are three core facets of our mission -Ambition,, Inclusion and Opportunity. We are striving to build a community of the strongest people, inspiring a passion for education that galvanises these people to maximise their abilities, which supports all pupils to perform at their best. We believe that these core principles will create a culture that helps all our schools to improve and ensures pupil outcomes are the very best they can be.

The trust subscribes to the Education Staff Wellbeing Charter and places staff wellbeing at the forefront of its strategic people priorities. Our ongoing commitment in this area is reflected in our employee offer that includes:

• Discounts in retail stores, entertainment, and supermarkets
• Benefits schemes in affordable tech, cycle2work, gym memberships and a car scheme
• Employee assistance programme providing specialist advice and guidance in a range of areas including menopause, financial management, and up to 8 counselling sessions per referral
• Flexible working offered as a day 1 right of employment
• Free parking
• Access to high quality CPD and secondment opportunities.

The Learning Partnership is a disability committed employer: applicants requiring adjustments to the application or interview process should contact Debbie at: [e-mail].

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), and appropriate online searches in line with the requirements in Keeping Children Safe in Education (2023).

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. For further information regarding this role, please contact : [e-mail]