#### Job description
**_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 worklife 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)._**
**_4DWW will be rolled out within our school, when we have a full complement
of staff, and within the next year – so there’s never been a more exciting
time to join us #teamOFG!_**
**Job Title: SEN Teaching Assistant**
**Location: Heath Farm School, Ashford**
**Salary: £18,118.75 per annum plus a Welcome Bonus of £500****
**Hours: 32.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday**
**Contract: Permanent, Term Time only**
**UK Applicants only. This role does not offer sponsorship.**
As part of our continued growth, we now have a fantastic opportunity for a SEN
Teaching Assistant to join our close-knit team at Heath Farm School, part of
Acorn Education.
**The opportunity**
Enjoy a rewarding education career and have a real impact on pupils’ lives.
Join an amazing team making our schools and classrooms supportive, enriching
places where vulnerable pupils achieve far more than they ever expected.
As an SEN Teaching Assistant, you will connect directly with the brilliant
pupils we care for, helping to make sure they get the very best from their
education. Each individual has so much potential, and they will rely on you to
guide their learning journeys.
You will help prepare learning materials and run classroom activities, with
plenty of hands-on experience and some supervision too. You will take
responsibility for their emotional and physical needs, supporting them to
develop as individuals and engage with the world.
Supporting pupils with complex needs is important and rewarding work, and you
will benefit from the tremendous support offered by our hugely experienced
teams. As you help our pupils achieve real and significant progress, you will
enjoy having a direct, positive impact on their developing lives.
**Educated to GCSE grade C or above in Maths and English,** you will be calm,
engaging, resilient, enjoy working as part of a team, and be genuinely
motivated by helping every pupil to reach their potential.
**About us**
We are an independent SEN school that offers a unique and stimulating
environment, where every pupil is able to make outstanding progress in their
personal development and enjoy success in their education.
Our students present with a wide range of needs, including social and
emotional issues, learning difficulties, mental health problems and associated
conditions. However, they are able to enjoy extraordinary outcomes and be
happy at school. All classes have excellent ratios of at least 2:1, students
to adults. Typically, classes have between 6-8 students.
As an independent SEN school, we are far removed from the bureaucracy found in
so many other schools and we are able to abandon ineffective and traditional
methods in favour of new, highly effective and tailored initiatives –
essentially, we do what we know is right for the students in our care.
Acorn Education is the UK’s leading independent provider of specialist
education for vulnerable pupils. 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.
We are really proud to say that in 2024, Outcomes First Group were officially
certified as a ‘Great Place to Work’ for the fifth year running.
**Why join Acorn Education?**
**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
* Family Growth Support - inclusive benefits package covering enhanced maternity and paternity leave, along with paid fertility treatment support.
**And that’s not all, we place the outcomes of the pupils 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 safeguarding and promoting the welfare of pupils. All
applicants will be subject to social media checks and successful applicants to
a fully enhanced DBS.**
**_*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. 4DWW is subject to successful
completion of probation and is not a contractual benefit_**
**_**Welcome Bonus is payable as one payment of £250 after completion of one
month and one further payment of £250 upon completion of your final probation
period. Terms and Conditions Apply -_**