Female Support Assistant Special Needs*

Gosforth Academy is a highly successful academy with a superb record of academic excellence and achievement. Our progress score at GCSE places us, consistently, in the top ten schools in over 170 schools in the North-East over the past ten years.

 Uniquely, we benefit from having only three feeder middle schools within Gosforth which puts us in a strong position when students join Gosforth Academy in Year 9. At the other end of the school our Sixth Form houses over 650 students alone and is one of the largest in the country. It comes with an outstanding reputation and delivers a wide range of courses which is why it is always over-subscribed and many students (over 100) opt to join from other schools. 

Supporting around 2,000 students from Year 9 through to Year 13, our principal aim is to encourage high expectations and high standards of achievement, both academic and personal. Our values embrace honesty, trust, reliability, respect for the legitimate rights of others, care for the weaker members of society, regard for the environment and a kindness towards other people. At Gosforth Academy we offer our students a high quality education, excellent facilities and comprehensive choices, including an established rugby ACE programme with Newcastle Falcons. 

 We offer our staff a positive and thriving working environment. As a large school we can provide a wide array of opportunities for our staff both in and out of the classroom. Whilst our staff work hard to deliver outstanding outcomes and are dedicated to go that extra mile we always seek to provide innovative and bespoke staff workload and wellbeing practices. Ultimately, when staff leave they leave for promoted posts and many even come back. As a large academy within the Gosforth Group Trust we can provide you with personal and career development opportunities within the school or Trust. If you are passionate about providing a first-class education to our well-behaved and able students and want to join a successful team we want to hear from you.

About the role

The primary responsibility of the post holder will be to act as medical and learning support for a small number of pupils with significant medical needs.

The post holders will lead on overseeing and ensuring the medical needs of the pupil(s) are met. This will include completing training and being confident in the delivery of procedures to support pupils, including toileting and tracheostomy care. The post holders will also ensure that all relevant resources and apparatus within school are routinely checked and suitable to meet the pupil’s needs.

 The post holder will also lead on supporting pupils in their movement around school in class, liaising with class teachers, and other support staff, to help ensure the pupil’s needs are met.

 In addition, the post holder will be expected to support the wider work of the Student Support Base (SSB), where necessary.

 What we are looking for

·        Excellent organisational and prioritisation skills with outstanding attention to detail

·        Resilience and the ability to adapt to changing circumstances

·        A high degree of emotional intelligence

·        Excellent communication (oral / written)

·        Excellent ICT skills, and proven experience of managing and maintaining systems and databases

·        A problem solver with a high level of initiative

·        An approachable, flexible and effective team player

·        Working knowledge of GDPR

·        Experience of working within a confidential setting

·        Experience of working with sensitive information

·        Self-starter with a high degree of resilience and drive

What we can offer you

 ·        A competitive salary

·        Generous annual leave

·        Benefits including excellent pension scheme, cycle to work scheme, free on-site parking.

·        An opportunity to work with highly-skilled professionals

·        Free membership of an on-site gym and excellent sports facilities

·        Enthusiastic and motivated students

·        An exciting and extensive commitment to professional development

·        An exciting programme of staff well-being activities

·        Wider career development opportunities to be involved across the Gosforth Group

·        Aspirational, diverse and motivated students

·        A school with its community at heart

 If you would like to discuss this vacancy further, please contact Rebecca Coady, SENCO, rebecca.coady@ga.newcastle.sch.uk. There is not an expectation for you to visit the school in advance of the interviews, but if you would like an informal visit, please email.

To apply

Please complete an application form and email to hr@ga.newcastle.sch.uk

 Closing date: 9.00am Wednesday 28th August

*Please note: Female requirement exemption is claimed under the Equality Act 2010 Part 1 Schedule 9.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020. This means certain spent convictions and cautions are ‘protected’. Further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS filtering guide and you can view our Policy on the Employment of Ex-offenders here. 

Gosforth Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect this commitment. References will normally be requested prior to interview for those candidates shortlisted. The successful candidate will be subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check, along with other relevant pre-employment checks, including an online check.

 The Trust is committed to equality, inclusion and diversity and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates.

 Following the shortlisting process, where applicable, candidates who attend interview, will be reimbursed reasonable expenses for travel and accommodation.