School Support Worker, The Community School of Auchterarder - Primary Department - PKC14235

Main Purpose of the Role

Working within Perth & Kinross Council is more than a job; it's about being part of an organisation that puts people at the heart of all we do and provides opportunities to make a real difference by enhancing every life we touch.

The Community School of Auchterarder - Primary Department is seeking a dedicated and enthusiastic School Support Worker to join our team. This is an exciting opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of children and young people.

From working with children and young people to supporting the senior leadership team with administrative duties to ensure the safe and efficient operation of the school, the remit of the role is diverse with no two days the same. The role may focus on some aspects more than others at different times of the year, but there would be an expectation of flexibility based on the needs of the school.

This can include the following roles in the classroom:

• Supporting pupils with additional support needs to access the curriculum in various learning environments (1:1, group, class).
• Collaboration with other professionals to meet support needs.
• Using play-based approaches to support engagement in learning.
• Assisting with and contributing to positive relationships and behaviour programmes and contribute to personal learning plans.
• Undertaking intimate care routines or moving and handling appropriate to a child or young person’s needs when required.

At other times it can include the following administrative duties:

• Providing effective clerical support such as reception duties, communicating with parents, printing and photocopying, mail duties, and maintaining records (SEEMIS).
• Supporting financial and procurement procedures.
• Assisting with school events and parent evenings.
• Assisting with management and maintenance of resources across the school.
• Assuming specific responsibilities in agreed and planned procedures for emergencies and contingency planning.

It is expected the working pattern for this post will be Monday to Friday during term-time, 9am – 3pm. As a School Support Worker, your role will include supporting children and young people who have additional support needs, including children with complex needs and those with challenging behaviour.

About the School

The Community School of Auchterarder is an all-through school, comprising Nursery, Primary and Secondary departments serving the community of Auchterarder and surrounding district. We have a roll of approximately 1,100 children and young people across all three sectors. The school is situated in a rural location, approximately 14 miles south of Perth with good road networks to the rest of Perthshire, Glasgow, Edinburgh and the central belt. Our Associated Primary Schools are Aberuthven, Blackford and Dunning. Our school motto is ‘Strive to Excel’ and, working together, we encourage all children and young people to aspire to be the best they can be. Our aim is to build a community of learners who are: Happy, Engaged, Ambitious, Respectful, Trustworthy.

Please note, we are currently unable to offer sponsorship for this post.

Skills & Experience Required

We are looking for individuals who can demonstrate:

• A genuine interest in the development of children and their wellbeing.
• Kindness, Empathy, patience and an ability to engage with children and young people.
• Confidentiality in relation to children, young people and their families.
• Experience (paid/voluntary) of supporting children and young people with additional support needs.

Working at Perth & Kinross Council

Our values and behaviours influence our work and support us in the delivery of our key priorities. In your application, and should you be invited to interview, you will be asked to describe situations that support the criteria required in the role and which also demonstrate our values and behaviours. Find out more about Perth & Kinross Council and you could soon be joining our team!

Here's what we can offer you:

• A generous annual leave package.
• 6 days public holiday and an additional discretionary day.
• Eligibility to join our pension scheme.
• Family friendly and positive work/life balance policies such as Flexible Working, Maternity, Paternity & Adoption leave, time off for volunteering and our Wellbeing Framework.
• Access to a range of benefits.

We recognise there can be benefits to flexible working and where individual jobs allow, we seek to support this. You are encouraged to discuss potential options with the recruiting manager, if this is of interest to you. A healthy work life balance is important to us and we provide supportive management and, where possible, flexible working arrangements to help you achieve that balance. You will have access to training and support for continued professional development.

All new employees have a four-month probationary period. Further details are available in the FAQs at “How to apply for a job or apprenticeship with us”.

Next Steps

We would love to hear from you and would encourage you to get in touch with us by emailing tcsoacontact@pkc.gov.uk to find out more.

External candidates are required to provide contact details for 2 referees, including email addresses. One of these must be your current or most recent employer. Internal applicants applying for secondment must obtain line manager approval through the secondment form available under My Forms – Secondment Request Form on MyView. Please note that secondment requests are considered on a case-by-case basis.

We welcome applications from everyone and as a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee to interview applicants who declare a disability and meet the essential requirements of the post. Please contact the hiring manager above or the Recruitment Team on (01738) 475555 or recruitment@pkc.gov.uk to discuss any reasonable adjustments. Appointments are based on evidence supplied during the selection process.

Diversity is important to us and although some of our jobs may be perceived to be traditionally gender specific, we welcome applications from everyone and would encourage you to apply if you meet the job requirements. That includes welcoming applications from former armed forces personnel/reservists. Many of the skills picked up during your military career could be transferred directly into a role with local government.

Working with children and/or protected adults is regarded as a regulated role and under the Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020 you will be required to join the PVG Scheme or undergo a PVG Scheme update check. If you have lived overseas for a period of 12 months or more (continuous or total) within the last 10 years, an Overseas Criminal Record Check will be required. You will be required to provide this check.

A confirmed offer of employment and commencement in the post will be subject to the outcome of the above mentioned mandatory pre-employment checks (including references) and will also include eligibility to work in the UK, qualifications and fitness to undertake the post.