What skills and experience we're looking for
Qualifications
• Level 2 qualifications in English and Maths or equivalent
• Willingness to undertake and complete training to assist students
• Willingness and ability to obtain and/or enhance qualifications and training for development in the post.
Experience
• Working flexibly to meet business needs
• Experience of working in a school environment or working with children/young people
• Previous experience working with children with Special Needs and/or disabilities and/or challenging behaviours (Desirable)
• Experience of working with students in small groups or in 1:1 situations (Desirable)
Skills
• Ability to effectively communicate with a wide range of audiences
• Ability to use standard ICT packages including Microsoft Office
• Ability to respect and maintain confidentiality, including following general data protection regulations
• Ability to relate to students in a pleasant and sympathetic manner and to recognise potential child safeguarding issues
Other
• Satisfactory DBS check
What the school offers its staff
Outwood Grange Academies Trust supports colleagues by funding an extensive range of accredited training courses and apprenticeship opportunities up to Masters level. We also offer:
• Your starting salary with annual increments plus inflation linked increases. The starting salary within the grade advertised will be dependent upon your experience.
You will also receive:
• A comprehensive induction and training process
• Automatic enrolment into an increasingly rare and valuable defined Local Government Pension Scheme with generous employer contribution rates
• Flexible family friendly policies from day one
• Enhanced occupational benefits available (such as maternity, adoption and parental leave) with no qualifying period
• Holidays: A minimum of 25 days plus bank holidays (this increases with length of service)
• A range of working patterns are available dependant upon the role
Automatic enrolment into our Employee Assistance Programme which gives you and your family members free access to:
• Specialist information on a wide range of work-life issues
• Emotional support and counselling for a wide range of personal and work issues
• Legal guidance
• Financial guidance and debt counselling
• Child and dependent care support and advice
• Support for managers
We are also a wellbeing employer with a dedicated wellbeing policy and menopause policy along with menopause champions based in our academies. Other benefits include:
• Free flu vaccinations
• Free onsite parking
• Employee discounts such as competitively priced Synergy Car Leasing
• Access to various discount sites
Outwood Grange Academies Trust (OGAT) is an education charity and not-for-profit sponsor of primary, junior and secondary academies. We are a dynamic organisation, recognised nationally as one of the highest performing family of schools in the North of England, and we currently sponsor over 30 schools.
Our educational blueprint has been developed through leading and supporting schools over many years.
Further details about the role
Overall Purpose of the Post
• To work with teachers, support teaching and learning by working with individuals or small groups of pupils under the direction of teaching staff and may be responsible for some learning activities within the overall teaching plan.
Main Duties and Responsibilities
• Implement planned learning activities/teaching programmes as agreed with the teacher, adjusting activities according to students responses as appropriate;
• Participate in planning and evaluation of learning activities with the teacher, providing feedback to the teacher on student progress and behaviour;
• Support the teacher in monitoring, assessing and recording student progress/activities;
• Provide feedback to students in relation to attainment and progress under the guidance of the teacher;
• Support learning by arranging/providing resources for lessons/activities under the direction of the teacher;
• Support students in social and emotional well-being, reporting problems to the teacher as appropriate;
• Share information about students with other staff, parents/carers, internal and external agencies, as appropriate;
• Understand and support independent learning and inclusion of all students as required;
• Work with students with special educational needs;
• Work with students for whom English is not their first language;
• Assist in the development of individual plans for students such as; One Page Profiles, EHCP, Provision mapping and case studies;
• Support the work of volunteers and other Teaching Assistants in the classroom;
• Support the use of ICT in the curriculum;
• Invigilate formal and mock examinations;
• Assist in escorting and supervising students on educational visits and out of academy activities;
Job Description
• Select, prepare and clear away classroom materials and learning areas ensuring they are available for use, including developing and presenting displays;
• Support students in developing and implementing their own personal and social development;
• Assist students with eating, dressing and hygiene, as required, whilst encouraging independence;
• To provide assistance to the Bridge, PLC and VMG and detentions as required;
• Attending meetings, briefings and CPD as required to secure effective team working relationships and the development of skills;
• Undertake training to assist students’ meeting their medical and/or care plan agreements, and to enable the students to have full access on school trips/visits;
• Facilitate smooth transition between educational phases;
Additional Responsibilities
• Deal with any immediate problems or emergencies according to the academy’s policies and procedures;
• Respect confidential issues linked to home/students/teacher/academy work following the Trust’s Data Protection and Freedom of Information Policy;
• Fire Marshall duties in the case of fire and/or emergency evacuation where applicable;
• To comply with the academy’s Child Safeguarding Procedures, including regular liaison with the academy’s Designated Child Safeguarding Person over any safeguarding issues or concerns;
• To comply with the academy policies and procedures at all times;
• To cover various Inclusion duties in the event of sickness or absence, under the direction of the Inclusion Co-ordinator, to enable a continuation of business need and statutory compliance on behalf of the student;
• Undertake other reasonable duties (with competence and experience) as requested, in accordance with the changing needs of the organisation.
Commitment to safeguarding
Outwood Academy Haydock is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all students; making sure they are happy individuals who know how to keep themselves safe. As an academy, staff do their best to keep students safe. We have a culture of vigilance and we will always take a considered and sensitive approach in order to support all our students. Outwood Academy Haydock is committed to ensuring that students are aware of behaviour towards them that is not acceptable and how they can keep themselves safe. We have a committed team who are trained as Advanced Designated Safeguarding Leads.