JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title:

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Teaching Assistant

Post Holder:

Department:

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Everton Free School and Sixth Form College

Contract:

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Permanent, term-time only

Location:

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42 Spellow Lane, Liverpool L4 4DF

Responsible to:

/ Deputy Principal/SENCO

Responsible for:

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No line management responsibilities

Role Summary

Everton Free School aims to provide the highest quality alternative educational environment and experiencesfor young people aged 14-16. We offer a range of accredited programmes tailored to the abilities and interests of young people.Everton Free School’s main focus is thesupport ofyoung people who do not currently attend school or are at risk of being excluded.
The role involves supporting the work of the classroom teacher thereby making a strong contribution to students’ learning and achievement. This may be achieved by providing a cover service to absent teachers, supervising classes/groups of students and ensuring that they carry out the agreed learning activities and tasks set by the teacher with designated responsibility.

Key Responsibilities

  1. Core Responsibilities
  • Assist in providing support for individual and groups of students inside and outside the classroom
  • Assist in the planning of lessons with the teacher/ subject lead and assist the teacher in the full classroom planning cycle and with the management and preparation of resources.
  • Assist class teachers with maintaining student’s records
  • Assist in the educational and social development of pupils under the direction and guidance of the SENCO and class teachers
  • Assist in the implementation of Individual Education Programmes for students and help monitor their progress
  • To support and nurture the students in your care by ensuring a secure, stimulating learning environment for them
  • To attend staff meetings / briefings and other meetings with colleagues and / or Governors as required
  • To help minimise disruption through ill health, to assist cover for staff absence as required.
  • To work with the teaching staff to ensure the all-round development of each child in the group, planning appropriately for individual daily progress

  1. Pastoral Support
  • To work flexibly depending on the needs of students, parents/carers, and other stakeholders.
  • To follow up, reportand record incidents either encountered directly and/or referred by colleagues.
  • To contribute and work to resolve conflicts when encountered.
  • To liaise with senior colleagues when necessary in regard to individual student’s personal and educational development.
  • Be available to support and participate in lunchtime and after-school clubs/meetings in order to facilitate engagement of pupils with a range of activities.
  • To follow the School’s behaviour policies, procedures and guidelines at all times.
  • To maintain strict confidentiality of information at all times.

  1. Managing People & Developing Strong Working Relationships
  • Create and maintain good working relationships among all members of the School community.
  • Sustain and develop own motivation, as well as supporting colleagues in their own motivation and development.
  • Foster a service orientated, ‘can do’, approach and a culture of support within teams, ensuring that there are mutually supportive working relationships between academic and support staff.

  1. Supporting Learning & Teaching – If Teaching Staff
  • To maximisethe Everton Free School values, ethos and brand to motivate and incentivise young people aged between 14-16 years to re-engage with education through an alternative form of learning.
  • To support teaching and provide 1:1 additional support for no more than 25 hours a week as required.
  • Develop creative approaches to meeting the needs of students who enter the Everton Free School with a low skill base and who require intensive support.
  • Achieve a sense of harmony, through effective management of student behaviour.
  • Manage student welfare as and when required.Maintainhigh standards and expectations for all students.

  1. Safeguarding Students
  • Monitor potential safeguarding student’s risks and work with the School Designated SafeguardingOfficer, and the Head of Safeguarding for Everton Football Club to promote safer working practice throughout the School.
  • Understand the School Safeguarding policy, procedures and best practice guidelines. Use this understanding to ensure safer recruitment, safe working practices, appropriate reporting of concerns and contribute positively to an Anti-bullying environment.
  • To be responsible for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of all students and young people attending or associate with the School.

  1. Other Responsibilities
  • To keep up to date with current relevant education developments, policy and new technologies in order to enhance the quality of administration and support services.
  • To work such hours as may reasonably be required for the proper fulfilment of duties, including some evenings during open days and whole school events.
  • To undergo any training required in order to perform duties effectively.
  • To undertake any other duties or one off tasks at the reasonable request of teaching staff, SLT,the Principal or Chair of the Governors.
  • To exercise a commitment to the Schools mission statement and stated ethos, including equal opportunities policy and health and safety policies.
  • To attend departmental meetings and Inset as required.
  • Be part of a match day rota to support activities in the School. Time off in lieu for the hours worked will be given.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Skills & Abilities
Essential / Desirable
  • Ability to work effectively with, relate to and earn the trust of young people, families and carers, and all relevant external agencies.
  • The ability to identify the challenges and barriers that many young people experience and to engage in strategies to help them to overcome these.
  • Ability champion imagination, creativity and flexibility to reflect the needs of each individual.
  • Ability to be an inspirational role model with a commitment to the highest possible achievements for all.
  • Ability to enthuse and engender a desire for learning in students and adults.
  • Outstanding organisation, interpersonal and communication skills (including written, oral and presentation skills).
  • Ability to translate vision into practice.
  • The ability to build a collaborative and creative learning culture.
  • The ability to tackle difficult issues and take difficult decisions and convey outcomes clearly and sensitively.
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  • Experience of working in a school in challenging circumstances, or similar.

Knowledge & Experience
Essential / Desirable
  • Experience of successfully managing challenging behaviour and helping young people to grow in confidence with a positive vision for the future.
  • Have experience of supporting aspects of inclusion. Meeting successfully the needs of pupils with complex special educational, social and emotional needs.

Personal Attributes
Essential / Desirable
  • Courageous, with relentless energy, resilience and passion in pursuit of the vision, treating challenges as opportunities and creating new targets from setbacks.
  • A belief that a personalisedcurriculum matched to the talents, aptitudes and interests of young people is a powerful tool for effecting change and bringing success.
  • Believe that all studentsand young people can succeed both socially and academically.
  • A commitment to raising standards across the ability and age range.
  • Demonstrable commitment to equality of opportunity and inclusive education.
  • A commitment to the vision, values, aims and objectives of the Everton Free Schools programme.
  • Is a good listener, approachable, caring and has a sense of humour.
  • Possess integrity and can inspire commitment, enthusiasm and confidence from staff, students andyoung people, parents/carers, partners, governors and the community.
  • A lifelong learner who understands the value of creative and innovative thinking and of taking appropriate risks as a means to improvement.

Qualification
Essential / Desirable
Level 3 Higher Level Teaching AssistantQualification /
  • Postgraduate Qualification.
  • Degree or equivalent level Qualification.

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Employee Relations
To make suggestions to improve the working situation and contribute to positive employee relations within their area of work and Everton Free Schoolas a whole.
Health & Safety
To take reasonable care for the health and safety of yourself and other employees, students and members of the public who may be affected by your acts or omissions at work.
To comply with all aspects of the Everton Free School Health and Safety Policy and Arrangements, to enable the School to perform its civil and statutory obligations in relation to Health & Safety.

Customer Service

Identify and meet the needs of colleagues, students and stakeholders, focusing on initiating and welcoming contact and communication whilst striving to deliver first class customer service. Recognise potential complaint situations and make effective steps to avoid and/or resolve these situations.

Self-development

To take responsibility for your own development and to help realise your own potential by undertaking any necessary internal or external training sessions in accordance with the Everton Free School Performance Management and Strategic Development Plan Review.
Team Work
Ensure effective communication within your work team and across the Everton Free School whilst actively offering support and guidance as necessary.

Equal Opportunities and Harassment

To cooperate with measures introduced to ensure there is equality of opportunity in employment. To ensure understanding, awareness and compliance with the Everton Free School Equal Opportunities Policies.
To ensure that the working environment is free of sexual and racial harassment and intimidation and any other form of harassment constituting unacceptable behaviour which is personally offensive.

This document is a guide only and should not be regarded as exclusive or exhaustive. It is intended as an outline indication of the areas of activity and will be amended in the light of changing needs of the organisation without incurring a change in the grading of the post.

All employees may be required to undertake any other duties as may be reasonably requested.