Teaching Assistant - Level 3

Pleckgate High School are seeking to appoint a level 3 Teaching Assistant to join the school on a permanent basis. This role is term time only, working 39 weeks per year, and 30 hours per week Monday to Friday 08:25 – 15:05. Actual salary - £18,525 to £21,234 per annum.

What does this job do?

• To work under the direction of the class teacher (or HLTA leading the class in the short-term absence of the class teacher), to implement planning and assessment, working with individual or small groups of pupils to achieve high levels of accelerated pupil progress.
• To support pupils to overcome barriers to learning, promoting the inclusion of all pupils by developing their communication skills, supporting them to manage their behaviour, developing independence and social skills and to take responsibility for monitoring/reporting on the impact of class-based interventions.
• To provide supervision and guidance and learning opportunities in all non-lesson-based activities.
• Working with the teacher on lesson planning, evaluating and adjusting lesson plans as appropriate.
• Administering and assessing routine tests to assess the pupils as needed.

What are the job requirements?

• GCSE or Equivalent qualification in English and Mathematics at level 9 – 5.
• Child Care/NVQ/ other relevant qualification (related to education is desirable) at level 3.
• Experience of support work with children in an educational setting.
• Experience of working with small groups of students independently from the teacher.
• Experience of administering and assessing routine tests.
• Excellent written communication skills and a high level of ICT literacy. 

About Pleckgate High School:

We are a large secondary school, part of the Education Partnership Trust (EPT), situated on the northern outskirts of Blackburn. Our school community is made up of 1350 students and 180 staff with excellent facilities to benefit both the school and local community. Pleckgate High School is a thriving multicultural community that places the best interests of young people at the heart of everything we do.

At Pleckgate everyone is committed to providing the best educational experiences and opportunities for our students. At the heart of the school's work is a commitment to high quality teaching and learning and achievement for all: for our students to be safe, happy and successful developing as individuals into caring, responsible citizens who participate fully in school life and are proud of their achievements. Every pupil at Pleckgate is encouraged to have ambitious goals and everybody is responsible for creating a culture of high expectations and academic excellence. Our most recent Ofsted report, March 2023, positively reported “Leaders and staff have high expectations & set high standards for staff & pupils’”. A copy of our full report is available from the school website.

We are proud of our achievements - our ambitious curriculum, our examination success, opportunities for pupils' personal development, our charity work and our community involvement. Ofsted also commented, “Subject curriculums are expertly designed with a careful selection of the most important knowledge for pupils”. We are committed to the pursuit of outstanding teaching and learning alongside the highest possible academic, personal and moral standards. This commitment is built upon a shared belief in hard work, self-reflection and a culture of respect and support for others.

We are significantly oversubscribed and pupils achieve positive outcomes at Pleckgate. We are proud of how staff support pupils in achieving success both academically and through sport.

As a staff member of Pleckgate High School, you will be able to take advantage of the staff benefits, available through the EPT, which includes access to both the Simply Health and Discount for Teachers schemes. We also have an Associate member of our Senior Leadership Team whose role is to work with our staff on staff wellbeing, working to ensure you have a balanced home and work life-style.

If you have any questions about our school, or the role itself, please don't hesitate to get in touch and please visit our school website http://www.pleckgate.com to get a flavour of what we have to offer.

About the Education Partnership Trust (EPT):

EPT was established in 2012 as a multi-academy trust and is an approved academy sponsor. Our vision is to create outstanding schools which transform learning, lives and communities. We benefit from our diverse and unique range of schools which include secondary mainstream, alternative provision and special and have a proven track record of sustained improvement. Our schools are united by a drive to improve opportunities and outcomes for children and young people within a collaborative learning culture.

Our staff are our most valued asset so we continually invest in our colleagues and we believe that all teaching and support staff posts within our schools are key in terms of supporting pupil achievement and improving their life chances. As such we are keen to recruit dedicated and ambitious professionals who will add value to our schools and trust by helping our young people to succeed. 

Our extensive range of rewards and benefits include:

• Healthcare cash back plan provided free by the trust includes optical, dental, physio, diagnostics, health assessment, NHS prescription charges, hospital cover, discounted gym memberships plus lots more.
• Employee Assistance Programme, including counselling, CBT, and wellbeing initiatives.
• Cycle to Work scheme.
• Access to government pension schemes.
• Free parking.
• Electric Car Scheme (Salary Sacrifice).
• Training, mentoring and progression opportunities.
• Trust wide intranet to share knowledge and resources. 

Incomplete application forms will not be shortlisted, if you need to discuss a reason for being unable to complete a section, please contact the recruitment team HR@ept-uk.com

We warmly welcome a visit to the school or an informal conversation prior to application. Please contact Mary Wade - mwade@pleckgate.com

Please be advised, as part of due diligence checks, online searches will be carried out on shortlisted candidates.

Safeguarding Information

The Education Partnership Trust is committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

The post you are applying for is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2013). All offers of employment are subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, references, an online search, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed. 

Education Partnership Trust is also committed to promoting equality, challenging discrimination and developing community cohesion. We welcome applications from all sections of the community.