Teaching Assistant

How would you like to be paid for five days but only work four*?

Our colleagues’ wellbeing is at the heart of everything we do at OFG, so we’re always looking for new ways to improve everyone’s work/life balance. We’re taking part in a trial of the 4-Day Working Week, meaning that you could be working one day less a week (or equivalent).

If the trial is a success, we’ll be rolling the 4DWW out across the Group – so there’s never been a more exciting time to join #teamOFG!

Job title:          Teaching Assistant

Salary:             £19,500 per annum

Location:         The Shires, Oakham LE15 6JB

Hours:             37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday 8:30am - 4:30pm

Contract:        Permanent; Term Time only

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

We are looking for staff who have a passion for working with pupils, have a compassionate, caring manner and a mature, non-judgemental approach to life. You will be a clear communicator and resilient. In return, we offer a competitive salary and benefits package, via a salary sacrifice scheme, company pension, life assurance and inclusion within a supportive team with great career and development opportunities for personal growth.

About the role

As a Teaching Assistant you will support the Teacher in delivering bespoke learning to our pupils. Class groups are small allowing you to focus on each child’s needs; all of our pupils are treated as an individual, one size does not fit all and we recognise that in our approach to learning. We are looking for staff with a knowledge and understanding of autism and developmental trauma, who can apply that knowledge in all of their dealings and interactions with the young people we support. We use an “in their own time and space” philosophy to support our pupils to navigate their lives. We focus on understanding behaviour for communication and use this to help support their social and emotional development. We have a strong safeguarding culture, where pupils are listened to, respected and involved in as many decisions as possible.

You will be educated to GCSE grade C or above in Maths and English and ideally you will have experience of supporting autistic teenagers that have struggled throughout their school journey to achieve their academic and life goals; you will play a pivotal role in working with our pupils to meet their Education Health Care Plan outcomes empowering and equipping them with the tools they need to be happy, healthy and make their way in the world.

About us

Set in the heart of Oakham town, Oakham Shires School is an independent day school for autistic young people, and those with associated needs, offering specialist secondary education for pupils aged 11 – 18.

Recently opened as a day school, we are a growing school who are looking to double our pupil numbers over the coming year, meaning we need to recruit passionate and dedicated staff to support our developing pupil cohort.

For over 16 years Options Autism have provided care and education to pupils, young people and adults with autism, complex needs and learning difficulties. 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 Options Autism?

Benefits

Your health and wellbeing are important to us, so you’ll get an exceptional reward package including:

• Life Assurance
• Pension scheme with options to increase your contributions
• “Your Wellbeing Matters” – access to a wide range of first-class mental health support services and physical health checks

And a market-leading benefit offering through our Flexible Benefits Platform, Vista, enables you to choose the package that’s right for you, including:

• A wide range of health, wellbeing, and insurance benefits
• 100’s of discount options valid in the UK and abroad
• Cycle to Work Schemes
• Electric Car Purchase Scheme
• Critical illness cover

And that’s not all, we place the outcomes of the pupils and vulnerable young adults in our services at the heart of everything we do, so you’ll wake every day in the knowledge that your role will have a significant positive impact on the lives of others.

We are committed to the safeguarding and promoting the welfare of pupils and young people. All successful applicants will be subject to a fully enhanced DBS and social media checks.

*You’ll work 80% of your contractual hours for 100% of your pay, giving you more time to do the things that make you happy.

#1