Higher Level Teaching Assistant/ELSA

Location: Pilning, South Gloucestershire, BS35 4JN 

Hourly Rate:  £12.25ph - £13.40ph

Actual Salary: £21,604.00 - £23,632.24 (FTE £25,480.00 - £27,872.00)

Hours: 40 hours per week – Term time only

Closing Date: 9th September 2022

Aurora Hedgeway is a dynamic and inspiring provision for children and young people aged 7-19 with a primary or secondary diagnosis of Autism and related social and communication needs.

We offer every student the chance to explore and fulfil their own unique potential. With provision running from Key Stage 2 all the way through to post-16, we are set up to support children and young people at every stage of their academic journey.

The main purpose of the role:

As our Higher Level Teaching Assistant with ELSA; your role will be to assist in providing high quality, challenging and differentiated educational activities and sensory experiences through the teaching of a broad and balanced curriculum to a small classroom, enabling our students  to achieve their full potential in all areas of learning. You will also deliver interventions around emotional literacy and mental wellbeing.

Key duties:

• To provide high quality, challenging and differentiated educational activities and experiences through teaching a broad and balanced curriculum aiming at pupils achieving their full potential in all areas of learning.
• To provide whole-class strategies around emotional literacy including working with teachers on positive behaviour support plans, ways of developing emotional check-ins and a bank of coping strategies
• Support the day to day running of classes across the school and take the lead in the absence of a Class teacher.
• Plan and deliver individualised programmes of support for children to develop their emotional literacy
• Write regular notes from ELSA sessions and update progress against EHCP and short-term outcomes.
• Lead the planning and evaluation of ELSA activities
• Take responsibility for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of pupils according to the school’s policies, including safeguarding and PREVENT and feed into weekly HPG meetings.
• Provide meaningful feedback on pupil behaviour, relationships and attitudes

 Duties will vary, you must expect to diversify and lend a hand wherever is required.

Skills and Qualifications

Successful candidate qualities:

Qualifications:

• Desirable: ELSA qualification
• Desirable: Level 5 qualification related to the subject area
• Desirable: Mental health first aid training  

Knowledge and experience:

• Essential: Knowledge of / experience in special educational needs, particularly autism
• Desirable: Knowledge of / experience in working with young people with trauma and attachment / ACEs
• Essential: 5+ years working with young people with emotional literacy needs
• Relevant knowledge and experience of pupils with SEN, SLD/PMLD, ADHD and ASD
• Understanding of the Safeguarding principles and Child Protection procedures
• Experience of managing a range of approaches to behaviour, including managing behaviours that challenge.
• Experience of supporting and liaising with complex parents.

Benefits and Additional Information

What’s on offer?

• Full training and continued support
• Life assurance and pension
• Health cash back plan
• Car lease scheme
• Bike to work scheme 
• Perk box
• Free parking

 For more information on this position please contact 07918 144908 / adele.richard@the-aurora-group.com 

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

The post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the Aurora Group is therefore permitted to ask job applicants to declare all convictions and cautions (including those which are "spent" unless they are "protected" under the DBS filtering rules) in order to assess their suitability to work with children.

The Aurora Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children and young adults in our care and is a disability confident and equal opportunities employer.