Teaching Assistant

Full 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 work/life 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:           Teaching Assistant

Location:          Smallbrook School, Shrewsbury, SY4 3HE

Salary:              £21,000 - £23,000 per annum

Hours:              37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday, 08:45am - 16:15

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 Teaching Assistant to join our close-knit team at Smallbrook School located in Shrewsbury.

About the role

The Teaching Assistant will work specifically with individual pupils who are placed at the school, requiring 1:1 staff support. They may experience multiple social, emotional and learning challenges, related behaviours ranges from speech and sound disorder, disordered expressive language skills, delayed understanding of language, concentration and attention difficulties, challenging behaviour and work avoidance behaviours. This role is predominantly education based but will also have a wider remit including supporting families, carers and the wider community. This role will also involve close working partnerships with all relevant agencies that support the young person including Social Workers, Speech and Language Therapy Service, Social Communication Disorder Assessment Service, Early Intervention Team and an Educational Psychologist. Work may sometimes be undertaken outside the main teaching area. To share the school’s responsibility to support and promote the learning, personal development and well-being of all pupils.

General Responsibilities

The post holder will:

• Safeguard and promote the welfare of pupils and young people;
• Work in accordance with professional practice, statutory and legal requirements and the policies of The Wenlock School;
• Take on specific tasks related to the day to day administration and organisation of the school;
• Take responsibility for specific areas of work which will be reviewed annually then negotiated and agreed within the performance management cycle and school improvement process;
• Take on any additional responsibilities which might from time to time be determined.

Qualifications Required

• GCSE

About us

Smallbrook School is currently increasing capacity from 50 students to 80 and having a large investment in our school site developing KS2 and sixth form provision. We are a co-educational day school catering for pupils aged 7-18 with a range of complex needs including a range of social, emotional and mental health needs and also pupils who have been diagnosed with autism or demonstrate behaviours associated with autism.

You will contribute to making Smallbrook School an outstanding provision for our young people and their families. We provide a therapeutic, supportive and inclusive learning environment and are committed to raising achievement and enabling pupils to recognise their potential and supporting them through a personalised, engaging curriculum. Our priority is to develop the foundation knowledge and skills required to make a manageable and smooth transition to the next life stage.

Our School is based halfway between Shrewsbury and Wem in Shropshire.

We are part of Acorn Education and can promise you plenty of challenges, and a rich variety of opportunities to develop your career.

We provide Education and Care across a number of schools and residential homes nationally. Our specialist SEN provision, coupled with our expertise within residential care means we offer thousands of vulnerable pupils across the UK a holistic, wraparound care, residential and education service, empowering them with everything they need to flourish.

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.
• One Moment In Time

And that’s not all, we place the outcomes of the pupils and vulnerable young adults 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 and young people. 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