Teaching Assistant Level at Winchelsea School

Dorset Council; Kinson, Poole; On-site; GBP 17,000 - 23,000; Full time

Job summary

Winchelsea School, a community special school, invites applications for a Teaching Assistant to work alongside teaching staff. Experience with pupils with moderate learning difficulties and autism is advantageous. You may be required to cover part-time hours and term-time only (39 weeks a year).

The school emphasises safeguarding and welfare, with DBS checks and right-to-work requirements. The role may involve working at satellite settings or the main site, supporting a diverse pupil group aged

Qualifications

• Experience with children with moderate learning difficulties and autism.
• Experience supporting teaching staff in classroom settings.

Responsibilities

• Assist teaching staff in delivering classroom activities.
• Support pupils during lessons and breaks, ensuring safety and inclusion.

Skills

SEN experience

Autism support

Team collaboration

Communication skills

Job description

About the role

Working closely with teaching staff, you will become an integral part of the Winchelsea Team. Previous experience of working with children, specifically those with moderate learning difficulties and autism, would be an advantage.

The standard weekly working pattern for a Teaching Assistant is:

• Mon: 8.30am - 4.15pm
• Tue/Wed/Thu: 8.45am - 3.30pm
• Fri: 8.30am - 3.30pm

We would also be interested in hearing from you if are able to offer part-time hours.

The position is term time only for 39 working weeks a year.

Please be aware that if you have not been contacted by the school as of the 4th December 2026, your application has been unsuccessful.

Further Information

Winchelsea School values the diversity of our workforce and welcomes applications from all sectors of the community.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people; this is a commitment which we expect all staff and volunteers to share. The successful candidate will be required to have a Disclosure and Barring Service check in line with the Governments safer recruitment guidelines.

The salary quoted is the annual salary for the position at the time of advert. The salary will be paid in equal monthly instalments and will be adjusted if leaving part way through the school year to ensure the correct salary is received for the work completed in an academic year.

This role is UK based and your Right to Work will need to be established as part of the appointment process.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974. The amendments to the ROA 1974 (Exceptions Order 1975, (2013 and 2020)) provide that when applying for certain jobs and activities, certain spent convictions and cautions are ‘protected’, so they do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account. The MOJ’s guidance on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the Exceptions Order 1975, provides information about which convictions must be declared during job applications and related exceptions and further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS filtering guide.

Keeping Children Safe in Education

Winchelsea School will conduct online searches of shortlisted candidates. This check will be part of a safeguarding check, and the search will purely be based on whether an individual is suitable to work with children. All aspects of social media and internet searches will be conducted. As care must be taken to avoid unconscious bias and any risk of discrimination, a person who is not on the appointment panel will conduct the searches and will only share information if and when findings are relevant and of concern.

About Us

Winchelsea School is a community special school committed to meeting the needs of pupils, aged 4 to 19, with a wide range of learning difficulties. We collaborate closely with local schools, who host our satellite classrooms at Kinson Academy, Old Town Infant School, Stanley Green Infant Academy, Canford Heath Junior School, Broadstone Middle School and Magna Academy.

Winchelsea School has a comprehensive induction process, provides many opportunities for professional development and the potential for progression.

Candidates should be aware that all staff might be required to work at one of our satellite settings or at the main Winchelsea School site.