Senior Teaching Assistant in Birmingham

Want to make a difference to young people? Are you ready to embark on a rewarding journey within an educational community that values increasing opportunities and improving outcomes for our students? We are looking for a Senior Teaching Assistant to join our team.

As a mixed comprehensive Academy with a dynamic Sixth Form, Q3 Academy Great Barr serves a vibrant and culturally diverse community of nearly 1,200 students. Our fantastic buildings are surrounded by open, picturesque fields and woodlands, and the Academy offers a stimulating setting for teaching and learning. Our facilities are designed to inspire, with state‑of‑the‑art classrooms and resources that support a rigorous, knowledge‑rich curriculum. This curriculum is carefully crafted to challenge students, develop critical thinkers, and prepare them for successful futures.

Professional growth is embedded in our culture, and Q3 Academy Great Barr presents unparalleled opportunities for students and staff. If you are an individual passionate about shaping the future generation, you will be joining a community where education is valued, diversity is celebrated, and personal development is prioritised. This is a place where your talents will be valued, and your career can flourish.

We are proud to be part of The Mercian Trust, which provides us with access to wider resources, professional development, and a network of educators focused on pioneering teaching and learning methods, including digital transformation. Join us for an opportunity to be at the forefront of a transformative educational approach that champions collaboration, innovation, and excellence in teaching and learning.

The Senior Teaching Assistant will support other staff (particularly the SENDCo) in ensuring students with additional needs have barriers to learning removed. They will do this by:

• Providing exceptional in class/out of class support to students in their care
• Having excellent relationships with students
• Ensuring that they adapt the curriculum so that students with additional needs have full access to the curriculum
• Leading timetabled intervention that has an impact on students' learning and achievement.

• Join an incredible team of friendly and supportive staff.
• Work with our amazing students in a positive learning environment supported by a centralised behaviour system.
• Manageable marking.
• Supportive feedback culture with no high‑stakes observations.
• Rich culture of professional learning, with a high‑quality CPD programme.
• Fully resourced curriculum.
• Three‑week Christmas break.
• A visible and supportive SLT.
• Modern laptops for staff and visualisers in every classroom.
• Connect and unwind with regular social activities.
• Access to UK Healthcare benefits, supporting your optical and dental care needs and including a free annual flu vaccination.
• Free car parking on site.
• Enjoy exclusive discounts and benefits through the Vivup Employee Assistance Programme.

• Community – We are stronger together. We foster a sense of belonging where every voice is heard and every individual is respected.
• Ambition – We set high expectations for ourselves and our students, striving for excellence in all that we do.
• Respect – We treat one another with dignity and kindness, creating a culture of mutual trust and understanding.
• Excellence – We pursue the highest standards in teaching, learning, and leadership, always seeking to improve and innovate.

As one Trust, we share a common purpose. We call it our social mobility and social justice mission to change our communities through the very best equitable education. When we get this right, it enables our children and young people to fulfil their potential, thrive in the world of work, and make a positive contribution to the local, national and international community.

Our recent achievements include:

• Sustainable Growth – becoming one of the largest and most diverse trusts in the region.
• Social Mobility & Social Justice – National recognition for the Trust’s two selective grammar schools that have the most successful outcomes on the number of local disadvantaged students passing their entrance and joining the schools.
• Increasing Opportunities – Opening brand‑new purpose‑built campus in Walsall Town Centre including an alternative provision for students at risk from permanent exclusion from mainstream schools alongside a Digital Skills Hub to provide professionals and employers.
• Pioneering Spirit – National recognition for pioneering work around youth mental health, including establishing an in‑house multi‑disciplinary team of clinicians and allied health professionals delivering interventions and providing support to vulnerable students.
• Outward Looking – Organising and hosting the region’s first Youth Suicide Conference (2023) and Youth Violence Conference (2024) at Villa Park.
• Innovation and Improvement – A multi‑million‑pound investment in the digital infrastructure of Trust schools and our Digital Skills Hub underpinning the ongoing transformation of how staff teach, students learn, leaders lead and the whole Trust operates in readiness for the AI‑supercharged careers and workplaces of the future.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications. Please apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. Previous applicants need not apply.

The Mercian Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people and vulnerable adults, and all appointments are subject to enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) checks and satisfactory references. The Mercian Trust is also committed to promoting equality, challenging discrimination and developing community cohesion. We welcome applications from all sections of the community.

Please read our policies attached to this advert.