What skills and experience we're looking for
We are seeking an exceptional Learning Support Assistant with the energy, passion and creativity to work as an LSA in the Secondary phase of our thriving All-Through school. Early applications are encouraged and we reserve the right to interview and appoint prior to the deadline.
CFS is a happy, collaborative and forward thinking school for 4-16 year olds, where the personal development of our pupils is just as important as the academic curriculum. In our recent Ofsted, inspectors observed that CFS is a vibrant, ambitious and inclusive school, where our respectful and friendly pupils are thriving and are well prepared for their adult lives. Our values of ‘nurture, challenge and inspire’ influence everything we do as a school, and genuinely permeate all areas of school life. If you share our values and ideals, we strongly encourage you to find out more about CFS via a visit to the school or through our school website
Ideally, the successful candidate will have previous school experience, and will be committed to embracing the unique and special environment and opportunities of working in an All-Through school.
CFS follows national pay scales and the starting point within the range listed will be agreed on appointment with the successful candidate.
The Team
You will be working as part of the Learning Support team that provides support for pupils across all Key Stages of the School, Reception to Year 11. The team provides support in a range of ways which can consist of in class support, small group intervention and working 1:1 with pupils.
The Role
The successful candidate will be expected to support children with their learning and personal development both individually and in groups. You will be calm, flexible and have the ability to use your own initiative as well as be able to work as part of a team. You will need to have the equivalent of a grade C or 4 in English and Maths at GCSE.
Further information, including a Person Specification, is included in the job pack.
Early applications are encouraged, and we reserve the right to interview and appoint prior to the deadline.
What the school offers its staff
CFS is now entering its second decade and is fully established in our state-of-the-art facilities on the Carmelite Convent Site on the Hunston Road in the south of Chichester. Our PAN is 60 in Primary, and 120 in Secondary; in almost all year groups we are oversubscribed with waiting lists. Due to demand, we have a bulge intake of Year 7 who started in September 2023, with over 150 pupils currently on roll in this year group.
The School joined Sussex Learning Trust in September 2023 – a move that we personally initiated through the desire to collaborate with a like-minded family of schools. The Trust is currently small and based in Haywards Heath; CFS are well placed to launch a new Chichester Hub of the Trust, which is really exciting.
As a Free School, we are the same as any other academy; we are both held and hold ourselves to the same exacting and rigorous standards as all state-funded schools. We follow the national curriculum, and are proud of our ambitious, inclusive and varied curriculum offer. Our pupils engage with SATs and GCSE assessments. In May 2024 we received a very strong full graded Ofsted Inspection – graded at least a strong Good in all areas and Outstanding in Personal Development. As a school we are now striving for excellence in all areas, and to achieve above average outcomes in both phases.
CFS is open to pupils of all abilities. We do not have a catchment area, thus ensuring the School is fair and inclusive. We take part in the West Sussex County Council (WSCC) admissions process. As a school we benefit from longer holidays, specifically at October half term, Christmas and during the summer.
Commitment to safeguarding
CFS is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. In accordance with our Child Protection Policy we are unable to process applications without a fully completed application form. The post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. All convictions, cautions and bind-overs, including those regarded as ‘spent’ must be declared when applying. The applicant may post such a declaration in an envelope marked ‘Private & confidential for the Principal’. The successful applicant must obtain List 99 clearance and DBS clearance at enhanced level.