Teaching Assistant

Teaching Assistant

Salary: £13.05 per hour (£25,185 pro rata per annum)
Contract: Fixed term (until 31st August 2026)

Working Hours: Part time (32.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday, 39 weeks per year, includes Teacher Training Days)
Required: January 2026

Avon Valley Academy is looking to appoint a positive and motivated Teaching Assistant to join its dedicated team of support staff, with effect from January 2026. This is a wonderful opportunity to be part of a team, which encourages all students to have high self-worth and love coming to school.

We are a thriving, co-educational school, educating young people between the ages of 11 and 16. Located in Durrington, Wiltshire, our school has a strong reputation for being at the heart of the community and has built strong relationships with the two local army bases at Larkhill and Bulford. With our strong pastoral care and high standards for behaviour, we aim for every lesson and every day to be exceptional so that each individual can thrive and our dedicated and supportive staff go the extra mile to help all our students achieve their dreams. In May 2022 we joined Acorn Education Trust, which provides exciting opportunities to collaborate and improve local education.

As a Teaching Assistant, you must be able to work across all age ranges and abilities within our school and be prepared to work flexibly to support students with additional needs, including those requiring SEN support, liaising with teachers and SENCO. The role will require you to deliver small group interventions, in class support alongside providing one-to-one supervision to pupils with an EHCP plan in place.  You will be working with both students and staff to ensure they progress in their learning.

We are looking for someone who:  

·         Has a passion for delivering high quality and exciting opportunities for young people and supporting them in their development;

·         Has strong interpersonal and communication skills and is able to work with a variety of pupils, staff and parents;

·         Enjoys working with young people and can develop good working relationships with them;

·         Is self-motivated, dedicated and consistent;

·         Has the ability to deal with new challenging situations;

·         Is a strong team player as who can use their own initiative;

·         Understands and is sympathetic to the needs of young people, including their social, emotional and mental wellbeing;

·         Has experience of supporting student’s learning; in a classroom setting, small group interventions and one-to-one;

·         Has a current First Aid or is prepared to undertake training;

·         Has experience working with pupils with SEND (advantageous).

We can offer the successful candidate:

·         An ambitious and vibrant place to work, with enthusiastic children and staff who are passionate about learning;

·         A workplace where everyone feels valued and supported;

·         Opportunities for training and progression;

·         The support of Acorn Education Trust, with excellent opportunities to work with experienced colleagues;

·         A supportive and clearly defined induction procedure.

For information about this role, including a full Job Description and Person Specification, please read our Applicant Information Pack. If you have any additional questions, please contact our school admin office on: 01980-652467

To apply, please visit our Acorn careers page and click ‘Fast Apply’ to complete an application form by the closing date.

Closing Date: Wednesday 10th December 2025 at 12pm
Interview Date:  w/c Monday 15th December 2025

Please note: while the closing date for applications has been set, we reserve the right to interview and appoint a suitable candidate upon receipt of an exceptional application. Therefore, we would encourage prompt application for this position.

Avon Valley Academy, as part of the Acorn Education Trust, is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. If successful in obtaining this post you will be subject to a Disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service and health screening.  We are an equal opportunities employer. As part of our safer recruitment processes, if you are shortlisted for the post, we will carry out a social media account search.