EYFS Teaching Assistant / SEN Learning Support Assistant

We are seeking an exceptional EYFS Teaching Assistant / SEN Learning Support Assistant to join our dedicated team at Westbury Park School. In this role, you will have the opportunity to make a significant impact on the lives of our students with specific learning difficulties and educational needs, supporting them to make progress and thrive in our inclusive and nurturing environment., 1. Support for Children's Learning & Progress

• Targeted Support: Deliver direct, structured learning support to individual pupils or small groups (including those with SEND) following work plans approved by teaching staff, ensuring progression towards individual education plans (IEPs) and classroom targets.
• Positive Engagement: Utilise skills of empathy, listening, and age-appropriate communication to build rapport, guide behaviour positively, and foster an inclusive learning environment.
• Observation & Analysis: Observe children's responses to learning activities, analyse achievements, and help reinforce structured learning habits as directed by the class teacher.
2. Cover, Planning & PPA Responsibilities
• Short-Term Cover: Step in to supervise classes or groups of students as required, ensuring they carry out set tasks safely and productively.
• Short-Period Teaching: Actively step in to teach for short periods as necessary to maintain classroom continuity.
• PPA Cover: When providing designated cover for a teacher's PPA time, take responsibility for the planning, delivery, and marking of lessons (with an appropriate grade uplift applied).
3. Support for the Learning Environment
• Resource Management: Prepare, store, retrieve, and display materials, equipment, and curriculum work plans to maintain a stimulating and effective learning environment.
• Assessment Support: Assist in monitoring, reviewing, and recording children's learning progress. Record and retrieve accurate records following defined school assessment procedures.
• Team Continuity: Help supervise the work of support staff colleagues or placement students as required by the line manager to ensure team consistency.
4. Care, Welfare & Safeguarding
• Day-to-Day Care: Attend to the personal, social, hygiene, and welfare needs of children both inside and outside the classroom (including administering medical procedures following specialist training, and adhering to the intimate care policy).
• Supervision Duties: Conduct 30 minutes of school lunchtime supervision (and/or break duties) in the dinner hall or playground to ensure safe behaviour and promote social-emotional development.
• Regulatory Compliance: Strictly apply and adhere to all regulatory frameworks regarding Health & Safety, hygiene, child welfare, and child protection/safeguarding.
5. Wider Professional Responsibilities
• Collaboration: Develop and maintain highly effective professional relationships with colleagues, parents/carers, and external therapeutic or educational agencies.
• School Ethos: Make a positive contribution to the wider life and distinctive ethos of Westbury Park Primary School.
  
  Essential Criteria (Must have)
• Experience: Experience of working within a learning or childcare setting.
• Health & Safety: Experience of successfully applying regulations related to Health & Safety, Hygiene, and Child Welfare & Protection.
• Qualifications: GCSE Grade C (or equivalent) in English and Mathematics, alongside.
• Core Skills: Exceptional empathy, active listening, and communication skills to build quick rapport with children and carers from diverse backgrounds.
• Attitude: A highly flexible, adaptable, and positive approach to working within a structured educational environment.
Desirable Criteria (Should have)
• Education: GCSE Grade C or above (or equivalent) in at least three additional academic subjects.
• Child Development: A clear understanding of how different children learn and develop, with the practical experience to apply different processes to achieve pupil progression.
• Teamwork & Initiative: Proven ability to work productively on one's own initiative (including knowing when to escalate issues) while contributing effectively to a team's collective workload and planning.
• Communication: Strong interpersonal skills equipped to handle potentially complicated or sensitive issues with a diverse range of contacts.
• Safety: A current, valid first aid certificate.
Advantageous Criteria (Could have)
• Varied Exposure: Previous experience working across a varied range of educational settings (e.g. development, care, or multiple school types).
• Leadership: Experience in the effective supervision or guidance of support staff colleagues to achieve team outcomes.
• Autonomy: The proven ability to plan, review, and carry out professional duties seamlessly without direct supervision.
• Languages: Ability to communicate proficiently in a language other than English.
  
  Westbury Park School - "Together We Discover Tomorrow"
Westbury Park School is a vibrant and high-performing primary school located in the heart of the historic Victorian suburb of Westbury Park. Our school is renowned for its exceptional teaching, engaging curriculum, and supportive community. At Westbury Park, we value and respect everyone. As a learning community, we challenge and inspire one another, developing confidence to make positive choices in a changing world, so that together we discover tomorrow. Our curriculum puts the child at the centre of our caring, sharing, and achieving school, where positive relationships, based on mutual trust and respect, are at the heart of everything we do.