Teaching Assistant

Are you passionate about making a difference in the lives of children? Tree Tops Primary Academy is seeking a dedicated and experienced Teaching Assistant to join our team in providing exceptional support to our students.

Tree Tops Primary Academy is a vibrant and inclusive learning community dedicated to providing a supportive environment where every child can thrive. With a commitment to fostering holistic development and academic success, we are proud of our inclusive approach to education.

As a Teaching Assistant, you will play a crucial role in supporting the individual needs of our students. Working closely with teachers and SENCO, you will provide tailored support to help students overcome barriers to learning and reach their full potential.

We currently have part time and full time opportunities available. 

• Our part time opportunity will be 25 hours per week, offering an actual salary of £13,200 per annum, Term Time + 1 week of inset. The working hours for this position will be 8:30am - 1:30pm. 
• Our full time opportunity will be 32.5 hours per week, offering an actual salary of £17,160 per annum, Term Time + 1 week of inset. The working hours for this position will be 8:30am - 3:30pm, with a 30 minute unpaid break. 

We are particularly looking for someone who:

• is dedicated to the job and prioritises the needs of the children in their care.
• has experience of working with primary aged children and the Early Years Foundation Stage
• is resilient and solution-focused
• is committed to working as part of a team with everyone

In return, we can offer:

• An inspiring and supportive staff team committed to providing a good level of education for every pupil.
• An excellent offer of continuing professional development for all staff.
• An exciting and creative learning setting where everyone is listened to and there is a very strong teamwork ethic.
• Many wider career opportunities through the Leigh Academies Trust.

Working for Tree Tops Primary Academy: Tree Tops Primary Academy, located on the outskirts of Maidstone, is set in magnificent grounds with ample space for both outdoor learning and play. Our thriving nursery is located on site and offers an excellent start for our children’s education. We have separate and spacious facilities for Early Years, KS1 and KS2.

Our academy is a happy, caring and vibrant community which offers a stimulating learning environment. By developing potential, drive and self-esteem we help everyone to become a unique, responsible, respectful, motivated and successful individual. The academy caters for boys and girls from the age of three to eleven years. It is well equipped, having its own nursery, library, two halls, kitchens and extensive outdoor areas.

Tree Tops Primary Academy values the diversity and talents of all our pupils, parents and staff. We focus on preparing our children for the next step in their education, ensuring they are fully engaged in all aspects of their learning, including decision making, being good communicators and becoming independent, knowledgeable learners. Learning experiences, which our pupils will remember for their whole education career, are created by our hard working and dedicated staff, where pupils of all ages are given the opportunity to work with experts and with children in other year groups and in cluster schools. It’s our pupils who are our best advert and they would warmly welcome the chance to proudly show you our school.

We aim to give every child the very best start to their education through lively and engaging teaching using an exciting, broad and balanced curriculum. We want our children to enjoy a wide range of experiences which bring the curriculum to life and make learning active, meaningful and relevant. All staff work hard to ensure the best possible quality of education for the children in every class.

We were delighted that in June 2019 Tree Tops was judged as Good with Outstanding Leadership and management and Outstanding for pupils' personal development and welfare.

Being part of Leigh Academies Trust: As of 1st April 2024, our Trust comprises 32 geographically organised academies (16 secondaries, 14 primaries and 2 special) educating more than 20,000 students and employing 3,000 talented staff. Nearly 40% of our academies are judged outstanding overall by Ofsted, versus 15% nationally. The Trust is establishing four ‘clusters’ of academies: North Kent; Central Kent; South East London; Medway. In addition, the Trust is responsible for one of the region’s biggest initial teaching training organisations, a large teaching school hub and is an accredited apprenticeship provider. Our future plans are found in our Vision 2030 document available on our website.

As part of Leigh Academies Trust, you will have ample opportunity to collaborate with your peers both within the academy and across the whole Trust. This is an important part of our vision as we know through experience that we perform better when we work together. You are supported to undertake regular self-development to continue your professional development and hopefully progress further within the organisation.

Click here to view the benefits available to all LAT employees from day one.

Our commitment to safeguarding: Leigh Academies Trust and all of our academies are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our pupils, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We adopt a fair, robust and consistent recruitment process across all academies and business units which is inline with Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance. This includes online checks for shortlisted candidates - you can read more about this in our Recruitment Guidance. All offers of employment are subject to an Enhanced DBS check, references, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check.

Our commitment to equality and diversity: As a Trust, we are passionate about diversity and recognise that as individuals, we all bring something unique to the role regardless of any protected characteristics which is why we treat all of our people equally, without compromise. We are committed to providing equality and fairness throughout our recruitment and employment practices and not discriminating on any grounds.

Based on the quality and quantity of applications received, Leigh Academies Trust reserves the right to close this vacancy sooner than the specified closing date. Applicants will be notified of this where possible. Therefore, early applications are encouraged.