Teaching Assistant

Job Title:              Teaching Assistant

Location:              Westbourne School, Sutton-in-Ashfield

Salary:                   £16,500

Hours:                   37.5 per week (Mon – Fri, 8.30 – 16.30)

Contract:              Permanent, term-time only

Are you a Teaching Assistant committed to improving the lives of children and young people?

We are looking for an experienced Teaching Assistant to join our fantastic team at Westbourne School, Sutton-in-Ashfield. As a Teaching Assistant, you will support our Teachers to take a creative approach to teaching pupils according to their educational needs, maximising children’s achievement, and ability to develop.

This is a great opportunity for a Teaching Assistant who is looking to start or continue their career in Education and is motivated to inspire learning in children with varied and complex needs. Your work will be challenging and rewarding in equal measure and you will be working in a school where we maintain a strong safeguarding culture, where pupils are listened to, respected and involved in as many decisions as possible.

When it comes to looking after our children, we never settle for second best. We are looking for a Teaching Assistant, who can work with individual and small groups of children, preparing classrooms and materials, and building positive relationships with pupils to promote interaction and learning. Our Teaching Assistants offer essential support to our Teachers and have the opportunity to assist in the planning and delivery of lessons in a creative and positive setting.

Whilst previous experience of working in an SEN environment would be desirable, excellent support skills and the right motivation, personal qualities and levels of resilience are just as important. These roles are ideal for people working in customer facing industries including retail, hospitality, and leisure, looking for a new role that makes a real difference to children’s lives and futures.

We need people who share our vision to build incredible futures by empowering vulnerable young people in the UK, to be happy and to make their way in the world.

Educated to GCSE grade C or above in Maths and English, you will be calm, engaging, resilient, enjoy working as part of a team, and be genuinely motivated by helping every child to reach their potential.

About us:

Westbourne School is a specialist SEN school which is based in Sutton-in-Ashfield and has an occupancy of 49 pupils. We cater for children aged 11-18 who have Social, Emotional and Mental Health challenges (SEMH). Classes are located in the original school building, with classrooms brought right up to date with top class learning and vocational facilities. There are also a number of residential Children’s homes aligned to Westbourne School.

We are opening a new School site later this year to add to the capacity of Children we look after, which will sit in the Westbourne cluster. This will be an exciting opportunity to drive the expansion of the site.

The aim of the school is to provide specialist individual support to each child, enabling them to reach their potential so they can live fulfilling and productive lives. We provide the young people with as much freedom as possible while offering a safe and supervised environment. This is achievable due to the dedication and support from a range of employed professionals who are passionate, reliable and understanding including dedicated education, care and clinical teams.

Acorn Education & Care is the UK’s leading independent provider of specialist education and residential care for vulnerable children and young people. As part of Outcomes First Group we are leading our sector in setting and delivering new approaches that provide measurable outcomes for those in our care.

Why join us?

We offer a friendly and inclusive working environment and the chance to be part of a fantastic multidisciplinary team, who work hard and support each other to deliver personalised, bespoke education & care. Our benefits package includes free parking, shopping discounts and cashback via our ‘Rewards Hub’, and access to content on mindfulness, fitness, recipes and much more as part of our ‘Your Wellbeing Matters’ programme.

As well as opportunities for internal promotion, you will have access to high-quality Continuing Professional Development to help pursue your own personal goals. We also offer accredited training programmes including Diplomas and NVQs, supplemented by ongoing learning opportunities.

Ultimately, all of our roles give you the opportunity to enrich the lives of young people and make a positive difference.

Acorn Education and Care is part of Outcomes First Group. We are committed to the safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. All successful applicants will be subject to a fully Enhanced DBS.