About the role: We are looking to appoint committed and enthusiastic Teaching Assistants to join and support our wider SEN teams at Milestone Academy and/or across our satellite sites at Wilmington Academy, The Leigh Academy and the Star Centre at Dartford Primary Academy. This role is ideal for those who genuinely have a passion for helping children, particularly with learning difficulties, and also a fantastic opportunity for those considering a career in Teaching to gain valuable first-hand experience. Candidates who are appointed will receive full support and training from colleagues and teachers.

The basis of the role is permanent, 31.75 hours per week (8.45am - 3.30pm) or paid on claim whereby days are agreed in advance and timesheets are submitted, paid at an hourly rate of £9.77. Therefore, please state on your application the working basis that is your preference. The paid on claim option is perfect if you can only commit to a few days per week (please note that successful candidates must be available for full days, not just parts of the day).

Help our students reach their full potential: Milestone Academy is a large special school for pupils with Profound, Severe and Complex needs, and is part of Leigh Academies Trust. We currently have 385 pupils on roll aged between the ages of 2 and 19. The academy comprises a main site and four satellite provisions, each of which are based within other LAT mainstream academies. Milestone Academy has been judged as Outstanding by Ofsted at our last three inspections. Click here to view our website and learn more about Milestone Academy.

What does the role involve? The main aim of this role is to support our teachers to deliver academic excellence, day in, day out, with professionalism and enthusiasm. This will involve providing a comprehensive support service to the academy including:

Assisting students with their educational and social development, on an individual and group basis
Providing support for individual students inside and outside the classroom to enable them to fully participate in activities
Assisting teachers with the maintenance of student records
Building and maintaining successful relationships with students, whilst treating them with respect and consideration
Provide expertise to deliver a personalised curriculum for each pupil’s learning
Work together with families and other agencies to ensure every pupil is valued, challenged and supported
Have the highest expectation that every pupil will make sustained academic and personal progress
Ensure that every pupil is ready for the next steps in their learning and is supported to participate in, and contribute to, life in modern Britain
Each and every member of staff, regardless of their position or seniority, is expected to participate in the overall running of the school and to act as a positive role model for our students. In and out of the classroom you will encourage and promote positive behaviour and effectively manage any situation that threatens to impact on the progress of other students.

What are we looking for in you? Applicants will have previous experience of working with young people, either in an academic setting or as a voluntary worker. You will be educated to GCSE level (or equivalent) in literacy and numeracy. You will be committed to personal learning and development, and have a sincere commitment to sharing our long-term aims and drive for continuous improvement. In return, we will offer you a professional and supportive team, a state of the art working environment and a genuine opportunity to develop.

As a Trust we feel it is important to hire for the right attitude which is why we look for support assistants that are enthusiastic, focused and resilient to the day to day pressures that the classroom brings.

Being part of Leigh Academies Trust: As of 1st September 2021, our Trust will comprise 31 geographically organised academies (15 secondaries, 14 primaries and 2 special) educating 20,000 students, and employing 2,500 talented staff. The Trust is establishing four ‘clusters’ of academies: North West Kent; Central Kent; South East London; Medway. In addition, the Trust is responsible for one of the region’s biggest initial teaching training organisations, a large teaching school hub and is an accredited apprenticeship provider. Click here to view our future plans in our Vision 2025 document.

As part of Leigh Academies Trust you will have ample opportunity to collaborate with your peers both within the academy and across the whole Trust. This is an important part of our vision as we know through experience that we perform better when we work together. You are supported to undertake regular self-development to continue your professional development and hopefully progress further within the organisation.

Our commitment to safeguarding: Leigh Academies Trust and all of our academies are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our pupils, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We adopt a fair, robust and consistent recruitment process across all academies and business units. All offers of employment are subject to an Enhanced DBS check, references, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check.

Our commitment to equality and diversity: As a Trust we are passionate about diversity and recognise that as individuals, we all bring something unique to the role regardless of any protected characteristics which is why we treat all of our people equally, without compromise. We are committed to providing equality and fairness throughout our recruitment and employment practices and not to discriminate on any grounds.

Based on the quality and quantity of applications received, Leigh Academies Trust reserves the right to close this vacancy sooner than the specified closing date. Applicants will be notified of this where possible. Therefore, early applications are encouraged.