Level 1 Teaching Assistant - Heywood Academy in Failsworth

The Leadership Team are looking to recruit to the post of Level 1 Teaching Assistant at Heywood Academy. The position is full time, with a salary of £24,796 per annum (NJC scale point 3) for 36 hours and 40 minutes per week, over 195 days per year. The actual salary is £21,208 per annum, with an additional SEN Allowance of £1,539 per annum. The position is to commence ASAP.

Heywood Academy is a 75-placement school that offers tailored educational support for children and young people diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) and/or who may experience Speech, Language, and Communication Needs (SLCN) associated with ASC. The academy provides a broad and balanced curriculum that enables pupils from Key Stage 3 to Key Stage 5 to access creative learning opportunities tailored to meet their individual needs.

We have worked hard to continue to be at the forefront of successful, innovative curriculum design, providing pupils with ASC and SLCN their full entitlement. As a result, the pupils benefit from excellent opportunities in all aspects of our curriculum to achieve and improve their academic achievement, social skills, communication skills, knowledge, understanding, well-being, and physical development.

The school is part of the New Bridge Multi-Academy Trust, which includes eight special schools and two specialist post-16 provisions across Oldham, Tameside, and Rochdale. The Trust supports a wide spectrum of needs from age 4-19 and beyond, and is proud to be national leaders in Special Education.

This is an exciting time for the school as it continues its journey, developing and enhancing all aspects of its provision as pupil numbers increase year on year. If you share our drive, determination, and ambition, it offers an outstanding opportunity to develop in a forward-thinking and outward-looking organisation. Your continued development will also be a priority, and you will receive excellent support and advice from a talented team of colleagues who will invest in your professional learning.

We are looking for innovative and passionate people to become part of the new Heywood Academy staff team. We currently have vacancies for a number of resilient and enthusiastic Level 1 Teaching Assistants to join our fantastic team based in Heywood.

Essential Criteria:

• Previous experience of working with young people of primary/secondary school age who may present with challenging behaviour and complex needs, preferably within an educational setting.
• A nurturing and empathetic approach to behaviour management.
• The physical and emotional resilience to support students with complex needs, taking a non-judgemental approach.
• The ability to support teaching and learning within a special needs setting to a dedicated group of students.
• The ability to support the class teacher to monitor student progress, ensuring their improved engagement with the school and their learning.
• The ability to record student progress and provide regular feedback to stakeholders.
• The ability to model and encourage appropriate social behaviour in and out of school and to cater for the general welfare of students.
• The ability to work in partnership with classroom teachers to differentiate appropriate interventions for students in relation to the curriculum.
• The ability to work as part of a team using own initiative when needed.
• Willingness to participate in own professional development.

We are fully committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and we expect all staff and volunteers to share the same commitment. This post will be subject to a number of pre-employment checks including an enhanced DBS check, satisfactory references, and proof of right to work in the UK in accordance with the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996. It will be exempt from the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

For all shortlisted candidates, an online search will be carried out as part of our due diligence in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education 2023. We strive to create a fair and inclusive workplace that is as diverse as the communities we serve. We positively welcome applications from all candidates regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy, and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.