Vacancy: Teaching Assistant (Maternity Cover)

School
River Mead School
Job reference
RM/TAMC
Closing date
9.00am on 7 April 2022
Interview date
To be confirmed
Start date
As soon as possible
Contract type
Temporary (Maternity Cover)
Salary
Teaching Assistant Band D £18,933 - £19,698 pro rata (pay award pending) for 39 working weeks
Midday Supervisory Assistant Band B £17,842 - £18,198 pro rata for 38 working weeks
Hours
28.5 Hours per week Teaching Assistant (plus 2.5 further hours Midday Supervisory Assistant)
Location
River Mead School, Lowbourne, Melksham SN12 7ED
Role overview
Do you care about making a difference in children’s lives and their life oportunities? Do you believe every child deserves a quality education? Are you resilient and energetic with a great sense of humour and a strong team player? If this is you, then River Mead School needs you!

River Mead School is excited to be able to offer this fantastic Teaching Assistant position (Maternity Cover) to enrich the lives of children at our school. Depending on the best fit for the right candidate, there is the opportunity to work either within our mainstream classrooms, or in our Complex Needs Resource Base. Please indicate on your application if you have a preference for working with mainstream or complex needs children.

The successful candidate will join a strong friendly team whose vision for children’s individual needs is at the heart of every aspect of school life – every child matters.

You will need to have meeting children’s needs at the heart of everything you do, and be prepared to work collaboratively with the wider school team. As well as being positive, friendly, and enthusiastic, this role will suit you if you are:
• Inclusive, passionate, and principled. These are our Trust core principles, and everyone who works for us embodies these in their own unique way
• Able to support all children with their learning needs
• Passionate about improving learning opportunities for all children in the school
• Happy to work in a team, as well as being able to use your own initiative

You will need to have the following skills to be the brilliant Teaching Assistant we are looking for:
• Trained in First Aid, or willing to undertake training
• Confident in the use of IT, including Word, Smart boards and the internet
• Able to communicate well both verbally and in writing with children and adults alike
• Qualified in NVQ Level 2 in Teaching and Learning, or higher

We welcome applications from experienced Teaching Assistants, as well as those who are passionate about working with children and are just embarking on their career of supporting learning. Full training will be given to the right candidates – it’s about your attitude and approach just as much as it is about experience.

How to apply
To apply for this role, you must send the following items to nhewlett@rivermead.wilts.sch.uk by the above closing date and time. Any applications that do not include all of this information will be incomplete and we won't be able to consider them:
1. A completed application form
2. A letter detailing any additional information
3. A video (no longer than 2 minutes) or a written explanation of not more than 500 words describing the knowledge and skills that are needed to be an excellent Teaching Assistant - and how you know you've got them
Other information
We’d love to show you around our lovely school. If you would like to come and visit us, please call the school office on 01225 703428 to make an appointment.

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 on social media platforms as part of our shortlisting process, in line with current KCSIE guidelines.

Child Protection Policy >

Code of Conduct >

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 training 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 just when they need it most