Teaching Assistant

At OFG, we work smarter so you can spend more time doing what makes you happy!

How would you like to be paid for five days but only work four*?

Our colleagues’ wellbeing is at the heart of everything we do at OFG, so we’re always looking for new ways to improve everyone’s work/life balance. We’re taking part in a trial of the 4-Day Working Week, meaning that you could be working one day less a week (or equivalent).

4DWW will be rolled out within our school, when we have a full complement of staff, and within the next year – so there’s never been a more exciting time to join us #teamOFG!

Job Title:     Teaching Assistant

Location:         The Wenlock School, Dudley, DY1 3SB

Salary:             £20,906.25 per annum

Hours:             37.5 hours per week; Monday 08:15 - 16:30, Tuesday - Friday 08:15 - 15:45

Contract:         Permanent, Term Time only 

UK applicants only. This role does not offer sponsorship.

As part of our continued growth, we now have a fantastic opportunity for a Teaching Assistant to join our close-knit team at The Wenlock School located in Dudley, West Midlands.

About the role

The Learning Support Assistant will work specifically with individual pupils who are placed at the school, requiring 1:1 staff support. They may experience multiple social, emotional and learning challenges, related behaviours ranges from speech and sound disorder, disordered expressive language skills, delayed understanding of language, concentration and attention difficulties, challenging behaviour and work avoidance behaviours. This role is predominantly education based but will also have a wider remit including supporting families, carers and the wider community. This role will also involve close working partnerships with all relevant agencies that support the young person including Social Workers, Speech and Language Therapy Service, Social Communication Disorder Assessment Service, Early Intervention Team and an Educational Psychologist. Work may sometimes be undertaken outside the main teaching area. To share the school’s responsibility to support and promote the learning, personal development and well-being of all pupils.

Key Result Areas

To work under direct supervision/instruction to support access to learning by:

• Attending to the welfare and learning needs of pupils; 
• Working with and leading small groups or one to one;
• Undertaking general clerical/organisational support for the teacher.

General Responsibilities

• Safeguard and promote the welfare of pupils and young people;
• Work in accordance with professional practice, statutory and legal requirements and the policies of The Wenlock School;
• Take on specific tasks related to the day to day administration and organisation of the school;
• Take responsibility for specific areas of work which will be reviewed annually then negotiated and agreed within the performance management cycle and school improvement process;
• Take on any additional responsibilities which might from time to time be determined.

About us

The Wenlock School opened in September 2018. We are a co-educational day school catering for pupils aged 7-18 with a range of complex needs including a range of social, emotional and mental health needs and also pupils who have been diagnosed with autism or demonstrate behaviours associated with autism.

You will contribute to making The Wenlock School an Outstanding provision and a leading light for our young people and their families. The uniqueness of every pupil is recognised and valued at The Wenlock School and our curriculum embraces the community, from which it exists, recognising and celebrating the diverse backgrounds and experiences of our growing cohort. Through our curriculum, we develop the essential knowledge, skills and understanding, which are the building blocks for later life. 

Our curriculum encompasses not only the formal requirements of the National Curriculum, but goes beyond the experiences of the classroom to ensure that our pupils are exposed to the richest and most varied opportunities that we can provide. Our aim is to enrich every pupil's school experience by creating an environment where they are encouraged to succeed and be the best they can be. We provide a therapeutic, supportive and inclusive learning environment and are committed to raising achievement and enabling pupils to recognise their potential.

Acorn Education is the UK’s leading independent provider of specialist education for vulnerable pupils and young people. As part of Outcomes First Group, we are leading our sector in setting and delivering new approaches that provide measurable outcomes for those in our care.

We are really proud to say that in 2024, Outcomes First Group were officially certified as a ‘Great Place to Work’ for the fifth year running.

Why join Acorn Education? 

Benefits

Your health and wellbeing are important to us, so you’ll get an exceptional reward package including:

• Life Assurance
• Pension scheme with options to increase your contributions
• “Your Wellbeing Matters” – access to a wide range of first-class mental health support services and physical health checks

And a market-leading benefit offering through our Flexible Benefits Platform, Vista, enables you to choose the package that’s right for you, including:

• A wide range of health, wellbeing, and insurance benefits
• 100’s of discount options valid in the UK and abroad
• Cycle to Work Schemes
• Electric Car Purchase Scheme
• Critical illness cover
• Family Growth Support - inclusive benefits package covering enhanced maternity and paternity leave, along with paid fertility treatment support. 

And that’s not all, we place the outcomes of the pupils and vulnerable young adults in our services at the heart of everything we do, so you’ll wake every day in the knowledge that your role will have a significant positive impact on the lives of others.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of pupils and young people. All applicants will be subject to social media checks and successful applicants to a fully enhanced DBS.

*You’ll work 80% of your contractual hours for 100% of your pay, giving you more time to do the things that make you happy.

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