BSL Communication Support Worker

Location: Pilning, Bristol

Salary: £19,281 - £20,868 per annum dependant on qualification (£22,735 - £24,606 FTE) - Pro-rata dependant on hours

Hours: 20-40 hours per week (flexible), 39 weeks per year

Contract: Fixed Term, Full-time/ Part-time, Term –time

Closing Date: 24 August 2018

*Please note that interviews will take place week commencing 3rd September 2018

Aurora is an innovative provider of education and care for children, young people and adults with special educational needs and disabilities. We are currently looking for BSL Communication Support Worker to join our dynamic Aurora Hedgeway School.

Aurora Hedgeway School supports children and young people aged 7-19 years old with communication and associated difficulties, typically as a result of autism or Asperger’s Syndrome. These difficulties can impact on their emotional wellbeing and behaviour and create barriers to learning.

The whole school contributes to a positive, vibrant and collaborative learning community where every student is given the care, support and levels of challenge needed to develop not just their academic abilities, but also their self-confidence, life skills and independence.

Significant investment has gone into producing a creative and enabling school environment to meet the needs of our students, including new classrooms and outdoor learning spaces to accommodate increased demand and a wider age range. 

The passionate and committed team at Hedgeway School are looking for like-minded people to join them in supporting children and young people to have the best opportunities to succeed in life.

The Role:

As a BSL Communication Support Worker you will be providing 1-1 support to a deaf/hard of hearing student not only with their education but also with their emotional needs and behavioural challenges. In school, you will carry out a range of duties, supporting all elements of learning from basic life skills through to academic achievement and personal development. You will demonstrate you are creative, patient and adaptive. Every child we support is unique and they will require an individualised approach to ensure that each of them has the opportunity to reach their full potential in a caring and safe learning environment.

Key Roles & Responsibilities:

• To provide support for the deaf child in your care.
• To provide communication support such as note taking, interpreting or signing to the deaf student in a range of contexts across the school day.
• Note taking, acting as a scribe during exams and lessons
• Supporting the student out of class and during extracurricular activities, such educational trips or work experience
• Working closely with the curriculum to encourage inclusive learning
• To establish a warm, caring and supportive relationship with students in order to support them to feel safe and enable them to enjoy and learn during their time at the school.
• To promote and encourage independence and personal development in students and maintain high expectations of behaviour at all times.
• On occasion to support the Class Teacher (in the absence of the HLTA) in all areas of the day-to-day running of the class.
• To promote students’ cognitive, social, emotional, behavioural, physical development and spiritual well-being.
• To take responsibility for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of pupils according to the school’s policies, including safeguarding and PREVENT.
• To work with students in the class and support their learning, providing further explanation where needed and working towards individual understanding of the subject.
• To manage the behaviour and concentration levels of students and adapt to any change or escalations in behaviour.
• To support the day-to-day running of classes across the school.
• To contribute to planning, evaluation of activities, observations, assessing, recording and reporting students’ progress.
• Reinforce learning concepts presented by teachers.

Qualifications:

• A Communication Support and/or British Sign Language (BSL) qualification of Level 3 and above (essential)
• Experience of working with hearing impaired students (essential)
• Level 3 Diploma or equivalent (desirable)
• SSTLS 01 (desirable)
• 3 or more GCSEs (including Mathematics and English) at Grade C or above or other equivalent

Benefits:

Be part of our successful team and also benefit from a generous package that includes:

• Life assurance
• Pension plan
• High street discounts
• Child care vouchers
• Employee assistance programme
• Paid holiday 
• Training and development

Enquiries:

For more information or to request a job description please call Hedgeway HR Department on 01454 632532 or email HedgewayJobs@the-aurora-group.com.

Successful applicants will be subject to pre-employment safeguarding checks including an enhanced disclosure and barring service (DBS) check.

The Aurora Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children and young adults in our care.