Teaching Assistant
The Castle School
RG14 2JG
- £21,685 - £23,102 per year
- New
- Salary:
- Starting salary of £21685 plus SEN allowance of £1,304 per year
- Job type:
- Full Time, Permanent
- Start date:
- 13 April 2026
- Apply by:
- 18 March 2026
Job overview
We are looking for a kind, dedicated, and enthusiastic Teaching Assistant to join our team on a full-time, permanent basis. You will play a vital role in helping our pupils thrive — supporting their learning, nurturing their confidence, and encouraging them to participate fully in school life. Whether working alongside a teacher in the classroom, supporting individual pupils, or working with small groups, your warmth and commitment will make a lasting impact.
What you'll be doing
• Support teachers in the smooth and effective running of the classroom
• Promote positive values, attitudes and behaviour consistently across all settings
• Work with individual pupils and small groups to support their learning and development, always treating them with respect and consideration
• Hold high expectations of all pupils' achievement and demonstrate a genuine commitment to raising educational standards
• Encourage all pupils to participate actively in every aspect of school life
• Nurture the social and emotional development of pupils, helping them build confidence and independence
• Work effectively under the direction and supervision of a qualified teacher
• Stand in for the teacher to lead the class in their absence, supported by the wider class team
• Link in with parents and supporting the teacher in communication
• Attend after school training and parents evening
• Promote the inclusion and acceptance of all pupils
• Work collaboratively with colleagues as part of a professional and supportive team
Who We're Looking For
You don't need to have worked in a special school before — what matters most is that you bring:
• A genuine passion for supporting children and young people with special educational needs
• Patience, empathy, and a naturally warm and encouraging approach
• A commitment to inclusion and a belief that every pupil can achieve
• The ability to work flexibly as part of a close-knit team
• Resilience, positivity, and a good sense of humour
• Candidates must have a recognised level 3 qualification
Contracted hours
Our Teaching Assistants have a 37 hour contract which is non-negotiable. You will be contracted for Monday through till Friday. 8:30-4:30 Monday to Thursday and 8:30-4 on a Friday. These hours are essential for supporting the teacher and the classroom and attending training after school.
How to Apply
If you share our values and are excited by this opportunity, we would love to hear from you.
Attached documents
About The Castle School
About the school
The Castle School caters for children with a variety of complex learning difficulties from the ages of 4 to 19 offering a range of provision for different ages, stages and needs. Our Love Lane and Post-16 sites meet the needs of children and young people with a variety of learning difficulties and disabilities. Our Castle @ Theale site meets the needs of children and young people with social, emotional and mental health needs.
The Castle School is a very welcoming and open school with a caring and highly specialised staff team who are committed to supporting the education of all our pupils and make our school a very special place. We pride ourselves on our warm, caring and supportive atmosphere; a place where children can flourish, learn, enjoy and be happy; a community where we value and embrace support from parents, professionals and friends.
Our Vision
To create a happy, secure and stimulating learning environment which will encourage and challenge our learners to develop their skills and knowledge as far as they can and provide the best education possible.
Our Purpose
The Castle School exists to provide a caring, nurturing and outstanding educational community for the learners of West Berkshire and beyond. Our key purpose is to educate, motivate, inspire and celebrate all children with additional needs and to provide a quality educational experience which encourages equality for all; to develop individual self-worth, esteem and potential in all learners and uphold their rights.
We Believe
That anyone with the drive and desire can reach their goals. Our role is to inspire young people to achieve and provide the support to enable our learners to become independent, self-confident and resilient members of the community.
Our Aims are to:
- encourage all our learners to be curious and hungry to learn, now and in the future
- enable our learners to become valued citizens who contribute positively within their community and beyond
- set high expectations in all areas of learning and create an environment that enables our learners to flourish
- deliver outstanding provision that is at the cutting edge of good practice
- develop positive, mutually-trusting partnerships with families to improve the outcomes of our learners
- empower our learners and equip them with the skills to achieve a full and independent adult life
- engender confidence, resilience, self-worth and a passion for life-long learning
We strive to do this together by:
- providing each learner with the skills, resilience, drive and passion needed to be successful and happy through a well-differentiated broad, balanced and inspiring curriculum
- celebrate everyone’s achievements and talents and embrace the wonderful diversity of our inclusive school community
- having a highly trained, creative and innovative staff team
- empowering each learner through a total communication environment enabling everyone to express themselves and to remove barriers
- supporting each learner with engaging and active challenges to encourage everyone to become life-long learners.
- working together with learners, parents, carers, professionals and members of the community to improve outcomes for all.
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