Learning Assistant / Teaching Assistant

Thank you for your interest in the role of Learning Assistant at Edge Grove. This is a full-time position in our Junior Department, including EYFS, and the start date is for September 2024.

The School seeks to employ an inspiring, child-centred and dynamic individual who will work collaboratively and proactively to celebrate and promote the excellence of Edge Grove’s Mission, its core Values and its pupils’ remarkable progress and outcomes. 

The successful candidate will place children at the centre of their thinking and work with teaching and non-teaching colleagues alike to ensure the best possible outcomes for each child. They will have a love of working with young children and will recognise early childhood as a vitally important time for cognitive, social, emotional and physical development. They will be a strong and effective communicator with children and adults alike and will recognise and celebrate our community’s unique cultural diversity. They will demonstrate excellent teamwork skills and will readily form strong, warm and professional relationships with Junior Department colleagues. They will show initiative and a proactive approach in supporting the children in and out of the classroom and will be resilient and flexible in their approach to problem-solving.

The successful candidate may have previous experience of working in independent schools, but this role is equally open to applicants who have never taught in independent schools. They will enjoy engaging with prospective, current and former pupils, teaching and non-teaching staff, parents and governors. They will demonstrate excellent administration, leadership, organisational and communication skills, be able to multitask effectively in a busy and demanding environment, have a high level of emotional intelligence and empathy and be able to work effectively with all stakeholders at all times.

‘Welcome to the Pride’ is the School’s strapline, which articulates the warmth and strength of our diverse child-centred community in which children are at the centre of our vision. The Nursery building is a warm and welcoming home from home environment just a couple of minutes from the main School site and Reception - Year 2 classes are located in the Junior Department building on the main School site. Edge Grove provides children with 60 acres of beautiful estate, heritage buildings, wonderful facilities and the educational space for children to grow and develop. Our pupils feel a strong sense of belonging and pride in our community and devised the 16 core Values of the School, living within them. They develop independence and confidence as they move up through the School and develop the ten core skills identified by the World Economic Forum as those which will future-proof them for a future life and love of learning and fulfilment. We want children to develop their own unique character and creativity in pursuit of future happiness and success and in doing so to make their prep school days the best they can be. 

The candidate specification which follows identifies the scope of the role, including the breadth of activities and personal specifications, but is not exhaustive. I hope that it provides you with all of the information that you need about the role. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me or refer to the School website at www.edgegrove.com. If the words above strike a chord and you would like to play a part in the School’s educational development, please read on! 

Edge Grove School Trust Limited is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and we expect all staff to share this commitment and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974; pre-employment checks will be carried out, references will be sought and successful candidates will be subject to an Enhanced DBS check and other relevant checks with statutory bodies. 

The full policy on Recruitment, Selection and Disclosure and the Data Protection Privacy Notice (Recruitment) are available on our website and should be read before making your application.

Please refer to the ‘Notes for Applicants’ page in the Application for Employment and ensure that you are aware of your responsibilities relating to the declaration of criminal convictions and cautions, as well as periods of more than 3 months living and/or working overseas for any position within the school. The School is committed to being an equal opportunities employer. To enable us to make any reasonable adjustments please let us know at application stage if you have any special requirements.

Please complete an application form which can be found on the About Us / Job Vacancies page on our www.edgegrove.com. Please email the completed form and accompanying letter addressed to Mr Balfour, Head, to hr@edgegrove.com. The closing date for applications is Monday 15th April at 9am. Applications must arrive prior to the closing date and time. CVs will not be accepted. Interviews will take place soon after. However, we reserve the right to interview candidates before the closing date and we encourage early applications.

Please note that due to the volume of applications we receive, we are unable to provide individual feedback except to those candidates who are invited to interview.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me or refer to the School website at www.edgegrove.com.