Resource Base Teaching Assistant

Term time only plus INSET days

£22,715 - £24,626 Annually (Actual) + £1,500 SEN

You will work with our dedicated Resource Base team to support students with Moderate Learning Difficulties in their learning and will make a real difference to their school lives. 

Teaching assistants provide invaluable classroom support to our students and can often progress to other roles within the school or the wider Trust in line with your own aspirations. Being in a classroom setting is a wonderful opportunity to be exposed to teachers who have all gone through training and who can provide advice and guidance from their own experience. 

In the first year, the school will open to 187 students and this will rise to 1,200 11-18 students and an additional resource base of 35 MLD students when full. This is a unique opportunity to be part of a small and dedicated school team, to get to know our very first cohort of students and to help them through their learning journey at the school to achieve their potential. 

·      In the early years, we are looking for staff who are willing to be flexible to support the needs of students, and other stakeholders, and to meet the operational needs of the school. This will provide excellent opportunities for staff to develop new skills and gain experience in a variety of areas.

The successful candidate will be: 

• Flexible in providing support and knowledge as needed and as the school grows.  
• Able to demonstrate suitable experience and/or qualifications for working in an MLD setting. 
• Highly motivated in supporting children to make excellent progress, through high expectations and through supporting students to become resilient, independent and confident learners.
• A strong advocate of inclusive practices, acting as a role model and fully aware of individual needs and how to respond to them.
• Able to assist the teacher in classroom discipline, re-enforcing the teacher’s standards of behaviour and tidiness within the classroom. 
• Able to deliver educational programmes within the Resource Base, including supporting the delivery of social skills groups, life skills and other MLD related interventions. 
• Able to discuss and implement different learning strategies to meet the needs of our students, in consultation with the teacher and other professionals as appropriate. 
• Able to deal with new, challenging situations. 
• Has experience working with children with SEND (advantageous). 
• Committed to their own personal development. 

We are looking for someone who has:

• Good questioning skills. 
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. 
• An understanding of how to support children’s learning, especially in an MLD context. 
• A good standard of literacy, numeracy and IT skills. 
• A desire to work as part of a forward looking and knowledgeable teaching team. 
• The ability to develop positive and caring relationships with children. 

The school will be a part of the successful Maiden Erlegh Trust who currently operate eight other schools in Berkshire and South Oxfordshire. The Trust has a reputation for driving high standards and excellence in all its schools, with a strong track record of outcomes and improving OFSTED grading. 

Our People Development Curriculum provides professional development pathways for every role within the Trust, both teaching and support staff, through which staff can tailor CPD to their own needs. 

We have a proven track record of supporting ambitious staff in to middle and senior leadership posts and can offer opportunities to broaden your impact on the sector through the work of the Maiden Erlegh Institute. We are very happy to discuss flexible working arrangements, including part-time working and job-sharing. 

Benefits 

Further information about some of the staff benefits that Maiden Erlegh Trust offers its employees, can be found on our website. 

 Staff Wellbeing is very important to us. As a staff member of Maiden Erlegh Trust these are just some of the examples of how we show our appreciation to staff.

• We operate a system of ‘ME days’ allowing staff to request an additional day off per year to attend special events such as children’s sports days and graduations, family and friends' weddings. 
• CPD is available for all staff at all levels. 
• Free flu vaccinations are offered to all staff. 
• Free eye tests are provided for eligible staff. 
• Breakfast and lunch provided for staff regularly, including on many INSET days and as a thank you throughout the year. 

If you believe that this is an environment where you can thrive, develop and substantially contribute to an exciting future for our students, then you are encouraged to explore further by contacting recruitment@maidenerleghtrust.org for a more detailed discussion, if required.

If you would like to have an informal chat with our hiring manager about this post, please email recruitment@maidenerleghtrust.org.   

Closing date: 9am, 15 April 2024

Interviews: 24 April 2024

Applicants are advised to apply as early as possible as the Trust reserves the right to interview and appoint before the closing date. 

We are an equal opportunities employer and are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. The successful candidate will be subject to an enhanced DBS check and successful references.