Teaching Assistant: PE Specialist

Harris Primary Academy Purley Way is looking for a Teaching Assistant to support individuals and groups of students to enable access to learning, contributing to the development and maintenance of a purposeful, nurturing learning environment. The successful candidate will be involved in first aid related matters and have a basic knowledge of SEND and learning barriers, and will support PE lessons.

About Us

Harris Primary Academy Purley Way has been open since 2016 and is Ofsted rated 'Outstanding' in all areas. At full capacity there will be 21 classes from Reception to Year 6. We opened with a Reception cohort and are growing by a year group at a time with currently over 400 pupils on roll from Reception to Year 6.

The whole community strive for Harris Primary Academy Purley Way to be the best it can possibly be which is encapsulated by our vision statement: “Excellence for All”. Our core values of: Positivity, Ambition and Growth, underpin everything that happens in our academy and we have high expectations that these are followed and modelled by all staff, parents and children.

Main Areas of Responsibility

As part of your role, you will:

• Teach primary-age children the PE curriculum, including dance and gymnastics.
• Plan, prepare, deliver and assess a range of CPD lessons, PPA cover, extra-curricular club sessions and other related programmes, all designed to enhance the school's PE and Sporting culture.
• Ensure all equipment associated with the PE session is correctly set up, maintained, stored and returned on completion of the PE session.
• Establish constructive relationships and communicate with external agencies as required.
• Be responsible for agreed enrichment activities.
• Ensure all students identified for support are given every opportunity to access the curriculum.
• Highlight each student's learning needs to the class teacher and agree how they will be supported in lessons.
• Monitor identified students in lessons, providing teachers with feedback on participation and progress.
• Support identified students to engage with the learning objectives set for the lesson.
• Use the Academy's behaviour management strategies to contribute to creating a purposeful learning environment.
• Maintain records of students' progress in relation to their targets.
• Contribute to evaluation, review and target setting of provision maps.
• Support teachers in creating a positive learning environment.
• Join a curriculum team and be responsible for the organisation of resources linked to that team.
• Supervise students as part of playground duties.

Qualifications & Experience

We would like to hear from you if you have:

• GCSE (or equivalent) in English and Maths – Grade C or above
• UKCC Level 2 Qualified (or higher) in any sport or appropriate equivalent qualification
• Experience of delivering sport coaching sessions to young people aged between 5 and 11 in a school environment
• Basic knowledge of SEND and learning barriers
• Some knowledge of strategies in working with young people with challenging behaviours
• Knowledge of some of the social issues facing students from disadvantaged backgrounds
• Awareness of Health and Safety issues in the workplace.
• Experience of working directly with young people in an education or training environment, supporting the learning of students.
• Experience of establishing and maintaining positive working relationships with a range of stakeholders, at all levels.
• Experience of managing and being responsible for own workload.

Next Steps

If you have any questions about this opportunity, please contact us via e-mail, or call to arrange a conversation.

Before applying, please download the Job Pack for full details on the job responsibilities and person specification. You will need this when completing your application.

Please note: we may hold interviews as and when applications are received and we reserve the right to offer to a candidate prior to the closing date. We only accept applications submitted online via our careers website and which are completed before the closing deadline. With this in mind, we encourage you to apply as soon as possible and advise you check the job information as per the listing on our careers site.

Professional Development & Benefits

Our people are at the heart of our success. We have developed a strong culture of collaboration and best practice, with professional development and career planning at its centre. We invest in our staff with support, coaching, mentoring, and a wide range of top-quality training programmes delivered at every level.

In addition to the opportunities for career development and progression, we also offer a competitive rewards and benefits package which includes a Performance and Loyalty Bonus, Pension Scheme with generous employer contributions, a Wellbeing Cash Plan including access to a virtual GP, electric car scheme, and many other benefits. Learn more about our benefits on our website.

Safeguarding Notice

The Harris Federation and all our academies are 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. All offers of employment are subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, references, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed.

Equal Opportunities

The Harris Federation is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates.

We value the diversity of our staff and students, and everyone at the Harris Federation is equally valued and respected. We aim to be an inclusive employer that reflects the communities we serve. We are committed to providing a fair, equitable and mutually supportive learning and working environment.