Learning Mentor in Wokingham

Odyssey House School is an exciting special school setting, aiming to provide the highest quality education to students with additional needs. Our students have a range of additional needs, primarily high-functioning autism, anxiety and emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA). All students follow a differentiated National Curriculum, with the aim of achieving a range of recognised qualifications at Key Stage 4 and 5 including Entry Level, Functional Skills, GCSEs and other Level 2 qualifications.

The School Ethos Is Shaped By Our Mission: “To change a child’s experience of education through connection, nurture and belief to help them learn, grow and achieve transformative life outcomes.” The school’s premises have been designed specifically to meet the needs of neurodiverse children as well as providing an amazing work environment, where staff benefit from excellent facilities of the highest quality, allowing them to deliver exceptional education.

Staff and students benefit from small class sizes, a dedicated library, reading booths, student focus areas, a sensory room, staff well-being lounge and work area.

What We Can Offer You: At Odyssey we pride ourselves on developing a creative and supportive environment. In addition to offering a competitive salary, our offer to you includes:

• Newly renovated schools, refurbished to a high standard including air conditioning and staff wellbeing areas based in beautiful surroundings
• A statutory state pension
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Staff celebration events
• Staff recognition
• Supportive CPD offers
• Onsite Parking (Wokingham site)

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and require all staff and volunteers to share and demonstrate this commitment. The successful candidate will have to meet the requirements of the person specification and will be subject to the relevant pre-employment checks which will, where applicable, include a health check, an enhanced DBS check, the Children’s Barred List check and satisfactory references.

Job Purpose: Hours: 8:30-5pm. To work under the instruction/direction of senior manager/teaching staff to support the delivery of quality learning and teaching of pupils with special educational needs. Work with children and young people who have a range of significant and often complex SEND for example those with autism, social, emotional and mental health difficulties, or moderate learning difficulties including, in some instances, those with medical conditions and those who exhibit challenging behaviour.

Duties And Responsibilities: Support for Pupils, Teachers and the Curriculum. Work collaboratively with teachers and other professional agencies to provide effective support for learning activities; Awareness of and work within school policies and procedures especially when and in context to supporting pupils with their learning in their homes; To work with children and young people who have extremely complex needs and, in some instances, serious medical conditions. Providing an appropriate level of emotional and physical support where necessary; To provide support under the direction and supervision of teaching staff to assist pupils on transition and outreach programmes to access the curriculum and participate fully in school activities; Support pupils to understand instructions, support independent learning and inclusion of all pupils; Provide support to pupils who have communication difficulties also where English is an additional language; Implement and contribute to planned learning activities/teaching programmes as agreed with the teacher, adjusting activities according to pupils’ responses as appropriate; Participate in planning and evaluation of learning activities with the teacher, providing feedback to the teacher on pupil progress; Support the teacher in behaviour management and keeping pupils on task based on the expectations for individual pupils; Provide support for pupils with challenging behaviour.