Pupil Support Assistant, St John\'s RC Academy Primary, Perth - PKC13472

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.

We currently have the following opportunity:

Pupil Support Assistant (Fixed Term until 16 August 2026) - £17,067 - £17,988 (27.5 Hours per week, Term-time only) St John’s RC Academy Primary, Perth.

St John’s RC Academy is looking to recruit a Pupil Support Assistant. We are looking for an enthusiastic and nurturing individual, who has a positive and solution-focused attitude to join our team at St John’s RC Academy (Primary).

The successful candidate will support our learners, individually and in small groups, to help meet a range of learning needs whilst also working closely with teaching staff.

About the School

Set at the top of Perth’s North Inch and overlooking the River Tay, St John’s RC Academy is at the heart of the North Inch Community Campus. The 2-18 all-through school provides education for over one thousand children and young people from nursery to S6. The campus is a hub of opportunities for the local community, utilising state-of-the-art sports and cultural facilities, offering a wide range of services for all ages.

St John’s RC Academy’s success is built on respectful relationships, strong partnership working, a culture of self-evaluation for improvement and effective leadership at all levels. The school offers a wide range of excellent learning experiences for children and young people and achievement is significantly improving across the school year-on-year.

As a Catholic school, the school’s vision and values are rooted in the Gospel. St John’s RC Academy is also a Fairtrade School, an Eco-School and the first all-through school in the UK to achieve UNICEF’s Rights Respecting Schools Gold Award.

Skills & Experience Required

• You will ideally have knowledge and experience of working with learners with a range of additional support needs and be interested in pursuing a career working in an educational environment.
• You will be motivated and interested in child development and keen to support learners reach their full potential.
• Knowledge of behaviour management strategies and how to foster positive relationships would be an advantage.
• You will understand the need for confidentiality and be able to work sensitively to support learners and their families.
• You will also be able to demonstrate an ability to work effectively within a team and on your own initiative.
• You will have excellent communication skills and a positive approach to working with children.
• Previous experience of working within a school setting would be desirable.

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.

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.

Next Steps

We would love to hear from you and would encourage you to get in touch with Sinead Rees, Depute Head Teacher on 01738 454300 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.