Vacancy: Teaching Assistant

School
Castle Mead School
Job reference
VJC_042
Closing date
9.00am on 22 May 2023
Interview date
To be confirmed
Start date
As soon as possible after appointment
Contract type
Permanent
Salary
Band D - E £21,189 - £22,777 pro rata dependent upon qualifications and experience
Hours
28.5 hours per week + 2.5 MDSA hours, 39 weeks per year
Location
Mascroft Road, Trowbridge BA14 6GD
Role overview
The friendly, passionate team at Castle Mead School have a vacancy for a Teaching Assistant. You will be joining a thriving, growing school and supporting the learning of a wonderful group of children who are enthusiastic and eager to learn.

This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced Teaching Assistant looking for a new challenge, or someone early in their career looking for the next step. If you are passionate about providing Inspirational Learning for All children, and ready to support all of our learners to flourish, then this post could be for you!

We are looking for applicants who are kind, curious and courageous. You’ll be committed to valuing and supporting the development of each child and be a strong team player. To really succeed in this role, you will need to be flexible and energetic, with a great sense of humour. You’ll have meeting children’s needs at the heart of everything you do and be prepared to work collaboratively with the wider school team.

We pride ourselves on our comprehensive induction process and delivering ongoing professional development to all of our staff. We will give full training to the right person, as we believe strongly that it’s much more about attitude and approach than it is about experience. As a result, we welcome applications from people who are passionate about working with children, no matter what their background is. The role will involve:
• Working with groups of individuals within all curricular areas under the direction of the teacher, to develop the physical, intellectual, emotional and social skills of the children
• Assisting with learning activities to develop children’s knowledge through support and encouragement
• Preparing activities, ensuring that appropriate materials/equipment are available, and assisting in clearing away afterwards
• Supporting the preparation and adaptation of teaching aids, games, and worksheets as directed
• Meeting pupils’ pastoral needs for praise, comfort, encouragement, reassurance and care
• Taking responsibility for the welfare and hygiene of pupils

To be really effective as a Teaching Assistant you will need to have a Level 2 qualification in Supporting Teaching and Learning (essential), and be trained in First Aid, or willing to undertake training.

How to apply
Please refer to the candidate brief for details on how to apply for this role.
Other information
We warmly welcome visits to our schools, and if you would like to visit us please email hello@themeadtrust.org so that we can arrange this.

What we offer

We recognise the value and contribution every member of our staff makes to our schools, and in return for their dedication and commitment we provide:

  • An ambitious and vibrant place to work, with enthusiastic staff and children in all of our schools
  • A highly organised and very supportive team
  • High quality professional development opportunities from Day One, including a National College account, where you can access thousands of training courses online for free
  • A clear vision with purpose and values that are supported by all our staff
  • Unlimited, free access to the Employee Assistance Programme which gives all our staff confidential support and guidance whenever they need it
  • Generous employer contributions to the Local Authority Pension Scheme

Candidate Briefing Pack >

Application Form >

Equality & Diversity Form >

This role will involve contact with children and the post holder will be engaged in regulated activity relevant to children and will be subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check before appointment is confirmed. 

This Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

All posts involving direct contact with children are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. However, amendments to the Exception Order 1975 (2013 & 2020) provide that certain spent convictions and cautions are ‘protected’.  These are not subject to disclosure to employers and cannot be taken into account. Guidance and criteria on the filtering of these cautions and convictions can be found on the Ministry of Justice website.

Please note that by submitting an application, you acknowledge that we reserve the right to view any publicly available information published online (including social media platforms) as part of our shortlisting process, in line with current KCSIE guidelines.

Child Protection Policy >
Code of Conduct >