Individual Support Worker

34.5 hours per week (can be flexible) 

 Sessional/Casual (term time only plus one week training)

[NJC pt. 2 - 10 (starting point 4 £19,264 FTE)] Pro-rata

 The William Henry Smith School is a non-maintained residential special school for boys aged 5-19 experiencing complex Social, Emotional, and Mental Health challenges (SEMH). Our students have a breadth of special educational needs, including learning difficulty and disability. We are a not for profit charitable organisation providing ‘Ofsted Outstanding’ education, therapy and care. Our vision is to ensure opportunities for success are provided through a diverse programme of bespoke individual learning pathways and life skills across the 24 hour curriculum which serve to develop resilience and skills for life-long learning, happiness and an improved quality of life. The school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff to share this commitment There is a strong ethos and culture, built upon firm foundations that underpins all our work on improving quality of life outcomes for our students and their families, through our strong focus on keyworking, developing relationships with students and partnerships with parents and carers. 

“The residential special school provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the school contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people.”  (Ofsted Care inspection 2022)

We are looking to appoint highly motivated, enthusiastic, reliable and proactive Individual Support Workers, with excellent communication skills and the ability to form strong relationships with children and young people. The successful candidate will enjoy being part of an energetic and successful team; have the characteristics, personality, and resilience to handle challenging behaviour effectively and professionally; be physically fit to provide social learning experiences; be involved in education, health and care planning, report writing and enjoy the challenge of working with some very special complex young people. 

The successful candidate will support learning in both care and classroom settings and offer proactive support to young people and their families. They will work closely with the school’s therapy/communication team, with the support of Learning Mentor Teams, which serve to provide holistic and creative wrap around care and support for all our young people. There is a whole school expectation that all staff play an integral part in our keyworking structure which is embedded within our quality of life values and ethos.

Our Commitment to you:

• A friendly and inclusive working environment 

• A full induction programme, including an outstanding network of support 

• Dedicated career pathways to enable you to achieve your full potential 

• Opportunities to truly enrich the lives of our children and young people and make a positive difference

• A learning and development programme and CPD

• Supportive and dedicated leadership through our multi-disciplinary management team 

• A strong focus on staff health and wellbeing including a weekly staff wellbeing programme

• Offers a competitive defined contribution pension scheme

• Life assurance scheme (3x annual salary)

• Offers an employee assistance healthcare cashback plan

• Access to Head Space and Perks at Work which offers hundreds of discounts and benefits

• Will pay 50% towards the cost of branded workwear

• Assistance with childcare savings and cycle to work scheme.

The successful candidate will:

• Be educated to GCSE grade C or equilant in Literacy

• Act as a role model, be able to empower, motivate and provide a high level of support for the team and young people

• Demonstrate experience of acting ethically, with integrity and empathy as well as commitment to working towards these values

• Be passionate in motivating, inspiring and safeguarding young people and the team members in their care

• Embrace and support the school’s Quality of Life and Positive Behaviour Support ethos 

• Have the ability to develop positive and sustainable relationships with children and young people

• Be an outstanding practitioner able to provide stimulating learning opportunities

• Be a creative and reflective individual who inspires confidence in meeting the needs of our young people  

• Be highly motivated and able to contribute to collaborative working with colleagues and wider partners

• Be able to demonstrate resilience, motivation and commitment

• Have a positive attitude and mind-set, embracing the positive physical and mental health and wellbeing ethos. This includes role modelling self-care and reflection as part of our wider strategy

• Have the ability to promote and celebrate diversity, collaboration, and equality at all times

• Be honest and act with integrity, be trustworthy and understand the need for confidentiality.

Special School experience is not essential but a willingness to learn and understand the complex needs of our children and young people, drive, aspiration and achievement and the ability to promote quality of life most certainly is.

The school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff to share this commitment. Our recruitment process aims to create and maintain a safe workforce and contains robust vetting procedures. The successful applicants will be appointed subject to references and enhanced DBS check (you are applying for a position working in regulated activity). In order to be successful in your application you will be subject to a rigorous safer recruitment process and must adhere to a strict code of conduct regarding your behaviour at all times.  

The school values equality and diversity across its workforce and aims to ensure our staff community is reflective of the diversity of the children and young people within our care. We are also committed to promoting the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of both students and staff and reflects life in Modern Britain.  

For further information on this post or to arrange an informal discussion please contact Stewart Griffiths, Individual Support Worker Manager, at the following email address:  stewart.griffiths@whsschool.org.uk 

Application packs can be downloaded from the school websites vacancy page www.whsschool.org.uk   (please note we do not accept CV’s).