Teaching Assistant SEN Level 1

We currently have opportunities for Teaching Assistants, Level 1 SEN, at Piper Hill Specialist Support School.

Successful candidates should be suitably qualified, enthusiastic and experienced teaching assistants to support students aged 11-19 years who have a range of special educational needs. 

The role is full time working 35 hours per week, term-time only, plus 5 additional training days. This is a grade 3 post with a starting salary of £18,164. The full time equivalent is £21,189

Piper Hill School is an Outstanding school that is ambitious for every one of our learners.  We are a larger than average size special school that caters for students aged 11 – 19 with significant learning difficulties. We aim to provide the very best education for our students and to ensure they have the very best outcomes and make the best rates of progress they possibly can. 

Piper Hill high School has state of the art facilities that provide an environment suitable for the learning needs of both children and young adults, including a hydrotherapy pool, dance and drama studio, gym, and an interactive learning environment (ILE room). The school also has a variety of outside spaces, including a Forest School space with overnight camping pods. 

Achievements include being awarded the status of National Support School in 2011 and becoming a teaching school in 2014. More recently, we have established the school as a National Centre of Excellence and have developed the capacity to support other special schools through role modelling outstanding practice. 

Prospere Learning Trust 

Piper Hill High School is part of the Prospere Learning Trust, which believes in working collaboratively to ensure the best outcomes and life chances for students. The Trust currently comprises of 8 schools, including 4 mainstream high schools and 4 special needs schools (both primary and secondary) with further schools anticipated across Greater Manchester. Find out more about Prospere Learning Trust in the candidate brochure. 

Main responsibilities 

. To work with small groups of children under the supervision of the teacher including the implementation of Individual Learning Plans

· Establish good relationships with pupils, taking on role model by presenting a positive personal image and responding appropriately to individual needs

. To assist the teacher to ensure a safe classroom and outdoor environment, checking materials and personal equipment for defects and implement risk assessments carried out by the teacher according to school guidelines. This will include cleaning equipment used by pupils and ensuring its accessibility.

. To provide support in all areas of the curriculum and on social occasions for pupils who have been identified as having medical conditions which disable their full independent access to mainstream school life. 

. Undertake pupil record keeping as requested e.g. to assist with annotating work books and providing information on pupil progress.

· Support the teacher in managing pupil behaviour, reporting and recording as appropriate. 

Key skills and experience 

. An understanding of the role of the Teaching Assistant and other professionals working in the classroom.

. Basic understanding of child development and learning

. To be aware of policies and procedures relating to child protection, health and safety and security, confidentiality and data protection

. Command of spoken English sufficient to enable the effective performance of the role, including the ability to speak with confidence and accuracy and the ability to listen and respond appropriately dependent on the audience. 

. Understanding of national/foundation stage curriculum and other basic learning programmes/strategies.

We are proud to be part of the Prospere Learning Trust, which was formed in September 2017 through the merger of two multi academy trusts. We currently employ over 900 staff and are passionate about providing exceptional education for children from any background so that they become happy, confident adults with excellent academic knowledge and qualifications. We believe that our staff play a vital role in achieving our vision. 

Working for us:

Great schools thrive because of the great people in them. 

Prospere Learning Trust offers a variety of employee benefits, including; 

• a commitment to continuous professional development for all colleagues 

• membership to Bupa Level 1 Health Plan which allows employees to claim money back for a range of health expenses such as prescriptions and dental treatments 

• access to counselling, financial, legal and personal advice provided through either our free Bupa or Health Assured Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) including confidential 24 hour support 

• Cyclescheme access 

• Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) contributions and Teacher Pension Scheme (TPS) contributions 

Closing date for applications: Sunday 4 June 2023. Interviews will take place week commencing 5 or 12 June 2023.

Applying to work for us

Applications will only be accepted on the TES application form and references will be applied for at the shortlisting stage. Applications may not be considered if they are incomplete. We cannot accept CV's. We encourage early applications and reserve the right to close this vacancy before the closing date if we receive a high volume of applicants.

Please note that new guidance in Keeping Children Safe in Education 2022 requires us to carry out an online search as part of our due diligence on shortlisted candidates. This to enable us to identify any incidents or issues which have happened and are publicly available online which we might want to explore at interview. Once shortlisting has taken place, this search will be carried out for all candidates who will attend an interview.

All applicants must be permitted to work in the UK and hold a relevant work permit where necessary. This is not a role in which the Trust sponsors a visa application. If you have lived or worked outside of the UK in the last 5 years, the Trust will also require additional information in order to comply with safer recruitment requirements. Any job offer will be conditional on the satisfactory completion of the necessary pre-employment checks and receipt of satisfactory references.

Safeguarding Children

All schools within the Trust are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect this commitment.

Equality Statement

At Prospere Learning Trust we are committed to creating a community of belonging. This means we continually celebrate the diverse communities within our schools and the communities we serve. As an equal opportunity employer, we positively welcome applications from all candidates regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.

If you would prefer to request a manual application pack, or should you require any additional support in completing your application, please feel free to contact us on 0161 527 7953 or via e-mail at hr@prospere.org.uk