Lead Learning Support Worker

At St. John's, we have been making a positive difference to the lives of young people for nearly 140 years. We are now looking for a Lead learning Support Worker to help us make a difference in the lives of autistic young people. We have aboth a permanent and Maternity cover position available. Who are we? St. John's is a non-maintained specialist provision, working with autistic people, the majority of whom also have learning disabilities. Some of our learners have co-occurring conditions such as epilepsy, hearing or visual impairments, or mental health needs. We also support autistic learners who have an additional profile of Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) syndrome. We have a team built up of support workers, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, nurses, PBS practitioners, assistant psychologists, and more, to support us in our holistic approach to development. Each learner's curriculum is shaped by their individual strengths, interests, and challenges. We support our learners to develop their skills in the areas of:

• Difference in social communication and interaction
• Self-reliance and problem-solving
• Sensory
• Emotional Well-being
About the Role: As the Lead Learning Support Worker, you will play a crucial role in shaping the success of our Learning Support Workers. Your responsibilities will include recruiting, supervising, and managing new team members, ensuring they are thoroughly inducted into our organisation. You will guide them in understanding the expectations of their roles, all while fostering an environment of excellence. Your leadership will ensure that the highest standards of learning support are consistently maintained throughout the college Key Responsibilities:
• Recruit and onboard new Learning Support Workers, providing them with a comprehensive induction to integrate them seamlessly into the St John's community.
• Oversee the performance and development of Learning Support Workers (e.g. through formal observations) ensuring they meet the highest standards of support for our learners.
• Work with the Teaching Staff and Transitions team in the management of prospective learners' initial assessment process.
• Provide input to specific learners, groups or teams of staff through interventions (informed by observation criteria and Team Around the Learner [TAL] meetings) e.g. developing independence or improving wellbeing and quality of life in line with our Ambitious Approach.
Closing Date: Wednesday 9th October 2024 Interview Date: TBC Start Date- November 2024 Ambitious about Autism is fully committed to equality of opportunity and diversity and we warmly welcome applications from all suitably-qualified candidates. We welcome applications regardless of race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, disability, or age. All applications will be considered solely on merit. Ambitious about Autism is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and successful candidates will be subject to an Enhanced DBS check. As part of our Safer Recruitment checks, an online search maybe carried out in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education. The Safeguarding responsibilities of the post as per the job description and personal specification. Whether the post is exempt from the rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendment to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2021. This means that when applying for certain jobs and activities certain spent convictions and cautions are 'protected', so they do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account. Further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS Filter Guidance.

St. John's is a non-maintained specialist provision, working with autistic people, the majority of whom also have learning disabilities. Some of our learners have co-occurring conditions such as epilepsy, hearing or visual impairments, or mental health needs. We also support autistic learners who have an additional profile of Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) syndrome. We have a team built up of support workers, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, nurses, PBS practitioners, assistant psychologists, and more, to support us in our holistic approach to development. Each learner's curriculum is shaped by their individual strengths, interests, and challenges. We support our learners to develop their skills in the areas of:
• Difference in social communication and interaction
• Self-reliance and problem-solving
• Sensory
• Emotional Well-being