jobTeaching Assistant

Nishkam Schools are Sikh schools with a multi‑faith ethos, taking a distinctive approach to faith‑based education. As a high‑performing multi‑academy trust serving communities across five cities, our work is grounded in a virtues‑led model shaped by compassion, humility, service, contentment, optimism, trust and forgiveness. These virtues are lived daily through our teaching, leadership and relationships. We support pupils to explore the divine context of humanity and learn from the wisdom of different faith traditions, encouraging them to recognise their capacity to do good unconditionally. We are equally committed to supporting both pupils and staff in developing their own religious, spiritual or human identity, approaching this work with humility, reflection and a spirit of service.

Job Purpose

To be a subject specialist who delivers high‑quality teaching, learning, and assessment across Key Stages 3, 4, and 5. You will model the school's virtues‑led ethos, fostering academic excellence and spiritual development while preparing students for national qualifications and life beyond school.

Teaching

• Deliver the curriculum as relevant to the age and ability group/subject/s that you teach with deep pedagogical knowledge, ensuring students meet or exceed progress targets at GCSE and A‑Level.
• Be responsible for the preparation and development of teaching materials, teaching programmes and pastoral arrangements as appropriate.
• Be accountable for the attainment, progress and outcomes of pupils you teach.
• Be aware of pupils' capabilities, their prior knowledge and plan teaching and differentiate appropriately to build on these, demonstrating knowledge and understanding of how pupils learn.
• Have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs, gifted and talented, EAL, disabilities; and be able to use and evaluate distinctive teaching approaches to engage and support them.
• Demonstrate an understanding of and take responsibility for promoting high standards of literacy including the correct use of spoken English (whatever your specialist subject).
• Use an appropriate range of observation, assessment, monitoring and recording strategies as a basis for setting challenging learning objectives for pupils of all backgrounds, abilities and dispositions, monitoring learners' progress and levels of attainment.
• Make accurate and productive use of assessment to secure pupils' progress.
• Give pupils regular feedback, both orally and through accurate marking, and encourage pupils to respond to the feedback, reflect on progress, their emerging needs and to take a responsible and conscientious attitude to their own work and study.
• Use relevant data to monitor progress, set targets, and plan subsequent lessons.
• Set homework and plan other out‑of‑class activities to consolidate and extend the knowledge and understanding pupils have acquired as appropriate.
• Prepare pupils for public examinations and internal assessments, including the development of revision materials and exam techniques.
• Contribute to the design and review of schemes of work within your department to ensure a challenging, engaging, and virtues‑aligned curriculum.

Behaviour and Pastoral

• Establish a safe, purposeful and stimulating environment for pupils, rooted in mutual respect and establish a framework for discipline with a range of strategies, using praise, sanctions and rewards consistently and fairly.
• Manage classes effectively, using approaches which are appropriate to pupils' needs in order to inspire, motivate and challenge pupils.
• Act as a Form Tutor, taking responsibility for the daily registration, pastoral care, and academic mentoring of a specific tutor group.
• Promote the spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development of students through the delivery of assemblies.
• Monitor and support student wellbeing, identifying barriers to learning and liaising with the Head of Year or SENCO as required.
• Maintain good relationships with pupils, exercise appropriate authority, and act decisively when necessary.
• Be a positive role model and demonstrate consistently the positive attitudes, values and behaviour, which are expected of pupils.
• Have high expectations of behaviour, promoting self‑control and independence of all learners.
• Communicate effectively with parents with regard to pupils' achievements and well‑being.
• Carry out playground and other duties as directed.
• Be responsible for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young people within the school, raising any concerns following school protocol/procedures.

Team Working and Collaboration

• Participate in any relevant meetings/professional development opportunities at the school, which relate to the learners, curriculum or organisation of the school including pastoral arrangements and assemblies.
• Work as a team member and identify opportunities for working with colleagues and sharing the development of effective practice with them.
• Contribute to the professional development of other teachers and support staff including the induction and assessment of new teachers, and teachers serving induction periods.
• Effectively deploy and ensure that colleagues working with you are appropriately involved in supporting learning and understand the roles they are expected to fulfil.
• Take part as required in the review, development and management of the activities relating to the curriculum, organisation and pastoral functions of the school.
• Supervise and so far as practicable teach any pupils whose teacher is not available to teach them.

Other

• Participate in and carry out any administrative and organisational tasks.
• Contribute to the wider life of the school community by leading or supporting extracurricular clubs, school trips, and community events.

Safeguarding

The jobholder must observe their obligations in accordance with the Trust's Child Protection Procedure and the document 'Keeping Children Safe in Education: Information for all school and college staff', and to report any concerns that they may have regarding a child or young person's welfare to the appropriate person.

Compliance

Comply with policies and procedures relating to child protection, health, safety and security, confidentiality and data protection, reporting all concerns to an appropriate person.

Equal Opportunities

Be aware and support difference and ensure equal opportunities for all.

Conduct

To have professional regard for the ethos, policies and practices of the school in which you teach, and maintain high standards in your own attendance and punctuality.

Perform any reasonable duties as requested by the headteacher.

Training and Development

• Regularly review the effectiveness of your teaching and assessment procedures and its impact on pupils' progress, attainment and well‑being, refining your approaches where necessary responding to advice and feedback from colleagues.
• Be responsible for improving your teaching through participating fully in training and development opportunities identified by the school or as developed as an outcome of your appraisal.
• Proactively participate with arrangements made in accordance with the Appraisal Regulations.

The job description reflects the major tasks to be carried out by the job holder and identifies the level of responsibility at which the jobholder will be required to work, as at the date on which the last review took place. The job description may be subject to review and/or amendment at any time to reflect the requirements of the job. Any amendments will be made in consultation with any existing jobholder, and will be commensurate with the salary grade for the job. The jobholder is expected to comply with any reasonable management requests for any other duties commensurate with the grade of the post.