Graduate Teaching Assistant: Autism Specialist

Harris Academy Rainham is looking for a Teaching Assistant with experience of working with students with Autism.

You will support individuals and groups of students to enable access to learning, contributing to the development and maintenance of a purposeful, nurturing learning environment. The successful candidate will be involved in first aid related matters and have a basic knowledge of SEND and learning barriers.

About Us

At Harris Academy Rainham we hold that our academy should provide students with a deep sense of belonging to a caring community, the belief in themselves and their unbounded potential and the opportunities to become more than they thought was possible.  These are the values that we hold to be true and that drive our academy forward.

Belong

We are a community where all students are accepted as they are and are enabled to discover more of themselves and to grow into the person they wish to be.

Believe

We help our students to discover their innate potential for greatness and we strive to enable them to believe they can aspire to great heights and achieve remarkable success. Our students can reach any university or career they desire.

Become

We deliver a knowledge-rich curriculum that ensures we fulfil two essential elements of education.  Firstly, that our students gain qualifications that enable them to choose their career and path in life. Secondly, we help our students to become profoundly human by helping them to engage with the greatest that has been thought and said.  At Harris Academy Rainham we believe that education is a vehicle to a better life.

Main Areas of Responsibility 

• To supervise and provide particular support for identified students, in 1:1, group or whole class situations, ensuring their safety and access to learning. 
• To assist in the development of appropriate resources, schemes of work and teaching strategies, working with the teacher to ensure the provision supports each identified student’s learning needs. 
• To assist in evaluating identified students’ progress through agreed assessment activities. 
• To provide detailed and regular feedback to teachers on students’ achievement, progress and needs. 
• To lead small group sessions and interventions as appropriate. 
• To attend to the students’ personal needs where required, and implement related personal programmes, including social, health, physical, hygiene, first aid and welfare matters. 
• To support with behaviour management, using appropriate strategies in line with academy policy. 
• To contribute to creating a purposeful and supportive learning environment. 
• Undertake structured and agreed learning activities/teaching programmes as appropriate, adjusting activities to ensure achievement of learning goals. 
• To assist with the supervision of students out of lesson times, including playtimes and undertaking lunchtime duty. 
• To establish good relationships with students, acting as a role model and being aware of and responding appropriately to individual needs. 
• To promote the inclusion and acceptance of all students. 
• To be aware of and support difference and ensure all students have equal access to opportunities to learn and develop. 
• To support students with their learning and development in respect of local and national learning strategies e.g. literacy, numeracy, Key Stage and/or subject specific, as directed by the teacher. 
• To encourage students to interact with others and engage in activities led by the teacher. 
• To set challenging and demanding expectations, promoting self-esteem and independence. 
• To prepare the classroom as directed for lessons and clear afterwards and assist with the display of students’ work. 
• To prepare and maintain equipment/resources as directed by the teacher and assist students in their use. 
• To undertake student record keeping as requested. 
• To establish and maintain positive relationships with parents/carers, gathering and reporting information as directed. 
• To provide clerical/admin support as required e.g. photocopying, typing, filing. 
• To ensure the effective/efficient deployment of resources as appropriate. 
• To attend relevant meetings as required. 
• To accompany teaching staff and students on visits, trips and off site activities as required. 
• To contribute to the academy’s Improvement Plan and its implementation. 
• To contribute to the whole academy’s planning activities

Qualifications & Experience

Qualifications, Knowledge and Training 

• Educated to degree level or equivalent 
• Basic knowledge of SEND and learning barriers 
• Some knowledge of strategies in working with young people with challenging behaviours 
• Knowledge of some of the social issues facing students from disadvantaged backgrounds 
• Awareness of Health and Safety issues in the workplace.

Experience 

• Experience of working directly with young people in an education or training environment, supporting the learning of students. 
• Experience of establishing and maintaining positive working relationships with a range of stakeholders, at all levels. 
• Experience of managing and being responsible for own workload.

Personal Skills, Abilities & Qualities 

• Good literacy and numeracy skills, 
• Good interpersonal and communication skills, with an excellent standard of written and spoken English. 
• Good administrative and organisational skills. 
• Ability to interest, encourage, motivate and engage children 
• Ability to work as part of a team; working effectively with people across a wide range of levels and responsibilities. 
• Computer literate – must have good ICT skills including a working knowledge of MS packages e.g. Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel etc, as well as using and updating records and databases. 
• Ability to work using own initiative, exercising good judgement where unsupervised. 
• Flexibility of approach to work. 
• Ability to maintain confidentiality; having tact and diplomacy where necessary.

Safeguarding Notice

The Harris Federation and all our academies are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share in this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to an Enhanced DBS check, references, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed for all applicants. Before applying, please review our Policy Statement on the Recruitment of Ex-Offenders.

Equal Opportunities

The Harris Federation is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates.

As a provider of employment and education, we value the diversity of our staff and students, and all our staff are equally valued and respected. We are committed to providing a fair, equitable and mutually supportive learning and working environment for our students and staff.