Teaching Assistant

The following information is furnished to assist staff joining the School to understand and appreciate the work content
of their post and the role they are to play in the organisation. The following points should be noted:

1. Whilst every endeavour has been made to outline the main duties and responsibilities of the post, a document such as
this does not permit every item to be specified in detail. Broad headings, therefore, may have been used below, in
which case all the usual associated routines are naturally included in the job profile.

2. Employees should not refuse to undertake work, which is not specified on this form, but they should record any
additional duties they are required to perform and these will be taken into account when the post is reviewed.

3. Moorlands Learning Trust/This school is an Equal Opportunities Employer and requires its employees to comply with
all current equality policies in terms of equal opportunity for employment.

4. Moorlands Learning Trust /This school is committed, where possible, to making any necessary reasonable adjustments
to the job role and the working environment that would enable access to employment opportunities for disabled job
applicants or continued employment for any employee who develops a disabling condition.


Prime Objectives of the Post:

• To complement, appreciate and support the role of teachers and other professionals by undertaking work/care/support

programmes which enables access to learning in the community as part of a teacher planned approach.


• To support the class teacher in the management of pupils in the classroom, and other senior staff on a range of teaching

and learning experiences which deliver an appropriately differentiated and suitably challenging creative curriculum for
all pupils whilst meeting statutory requirements.


• Work within school policies and procedures under the direction and guidance of senior staff and within an agreed system

of supervision.


• May from time to time be required to undertake other duties commensurate with the grade and level of responsibility

defined in this job description.


Duties:


• Assist in the management of pupils in the learning environment.



• Assist in the planning of learning activities., Undertake structured and agreed learning activities/teaching programmes appropriate to the pupil's needs to ensure

physical, social, emotional and intellectual development, taking into account diversity e.g. language, culture, ability, race
and religion.


• Will supervise and support pupils consistently at all times including those with special needs; recognising and responding

to their individual needs whilst ensuring their safety and education in the learning environment.


• Assist with the development and implementation of Individual Education Plans and Personal Care Programmes;

attending to the pupils' personal needs and maintaining related personal programmes with the correct use of care
materials including the safety and well being of the pupils, therapy and medical intervention needs of the pupil and first
aid, paying attention to social, health, physical and welfare matters as well as high standards of cleanliness and hygiene
e.g. washing, dressing, toileting, and, if applicable, mobility.


• For posts working with pupils who are physically less able, it may be necessary to be able to physically assist the pupil in

line with school polices and good practice.


• Will occasionally be required to supervise the class for brief periods during a morning or afternoon session where the

classroom teacher is not available.


• Promote and reinforce the inclusion, acceptance and integration of all pupils, including those with specific and special

needs and those from different cultures and/or with a different first language as appropriate.


• Set challenging and demanding expectations whilst promoting self-esteem and encouraging pupils to act independently

as appropriate as well as interact and work co-operatively with others and engage in activities led by the teacher.


• Will prepare, create and maintain a purposeful, orderly and supportive learning environment to meet the lesson plans.

Take responsibility for the care, preparation, maintenance and use of relevant equipment, assisting pupils in its use and
clearing/storage afterwards.


• Will be aware of pupil progress, monitor/record pupil responses against pre-determined learning objectives as well as

provide accurate, constructive and detailed feedback/reports to the teacher and pupils.


• Promote positive values, attitudes and good pupil behaviour and encourage pupils to take responsibility for their own

actions whilst supporting the teacher in managing this. Deal promptly with conflict and incidents (including those
involving restraint) and reporting challenging behaviour where appropriate in line with established policy.


• Will gather/report information from/to parents/carers as directed, taking into account parental/carer concerns, dealing

with them sensitively under the direction of the teacher.


• Will provide clerical/administrative support as directed by the teacher.



• In respect of local and national learning strategies, will support pupils to achieve learning goals e.g. literacy, numeracy,

KS1, early years as directed by the teacher.


• Will support pupils in the use of ICT in learning activities as directed by the teacher, and develop pupils competence and

independence in its use.


• Will participate in own performance development, identify and address any training needs/other learning activities., Will assist with the supervision of pupils out of lesson times, including before and after school and at lunchtimes,

accompanying teaching staff and pupils on visits, trips and out of school activities; taking responsibility for a group under
the supervision of the teacher.


• Will assist in the supervision of students on work experience, trainees and voluntary helpers.


Knowledge and Skills:

(See also Personnel Specification)


• Will contribute to the overall ethos/work/aims of the school



• Will appreciate and support the role of other professionals



• Be vigilant and sensitive to any child protection/safeguarding concerns that arise, reporting any concerns to the

designated officer in line with school policy and procedure

Environmental demands/Working Conditions:


• Will have long periods of sitting or standing.



• Available to work during school hours during term time and a willingness to be flexible as may be required to attend

staff meetings/training sessions outside of usual hours.


• Will have contact with members of the public/other professionals e.g. teaching staff, governors, parents/carers,

community groups, local education authority, external providers etc.


• The post holder may occasionally be subjected to antisocial behaviour from members of the public/parents/site users.



• This post may include a degree of manual lifting and handling. You are expected to be aware of health and safety policies

and procedures and frequently assess your ability to carry out the lifting tasks required of you.


• Report all concerns to an appropriate person.


Fluency Duty:

In line with the Immigration Act 2016; the Government has created a duty to ensure that all Public Authority staff working
in customer facing roles can speak fluent English to an appropriate standard.

For this role the post holder is required to meet the Intermediate Threshold Level.

Intermediate Threshold Level:

The post holder should demonstrate:


• They can express themselves fluently and spontaneously with minimal effort and,


• Only the requirement to explain difficult concepts may hinder a natural smooth flow of language, To be aware of and comply with policies and procedures relating to child protection; being vigilant for signs that children

may be being abused and to report any such suspicions to the school's nominated Child Protection Co-ordinator or the
Headteacher


• To act in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulations and maintain confidentiality at all times e.g. access

to staff/student/parent and carers files


• Accept and commit to the principles underlying the Schools Equal Rights policies and practices



• Be able to perform all duties and tasks with reasonable adjustment, where appropriate, in accordance with the Equality

Act

Person Specification - L2 Teaching Assistant



ESSENTIAL (E)/DESIRABLE (D)

• Experience of working in a team situation. E


• Experience of working with or caring for children of relevant age e.g.

Experience: voluntary organisation or parental/caring responsibilities. E

• Provide evidence of having previously spoken fluently to customers at an

Intermediate Threshold Level. E

• GCSE English and Maths or equivalent e.g. Adult Literacy/Numeracy at

level 1. E
Qualifications/
• Other relevant qualifications relating to the post e.g. Level 2 NVQ in

Training: Health/Childcare, first aid qualification. D

• Evidence of further training/development and/or willingness to participate

in further training and development opportunities. D

• Will possess knowledge of the school's relevant procedures or practices. D


• Will have an outline understanding of relevant legislation. D


• Will have knowledge of some of the policies covering their service area. D


• Problem solving skills. E


• Good communication skills. E


• Exercising advisory, guiding, negotiating and persuasive skills at a

developed level. D

• Good numeracy/literacy skills. E


• Basic ICT skills. E


• An understanding of the needs of a multicultural society. E


• An understanding of the issues relating to pupils who have additional

learning needs, more able and special educational needs. D

• Knowledge of childcare at an appropriate age. D


• Awareness of child development. D

Knowledge/ Skills:
• Knowledge and commitment to schools Equality policy. D


• Ability to relate well to pupils and adults. E


• Ability to work constructively as part of a team. E


• Ability to remain calm under pressure. E


• Demonstrate a commitment to working with children of the relevant age. E


• Demonstrate good co-operative, interpersonal and effective listening skills.

E

• Maintain confidentiality in matters relating to the school, its pupils,

parents or carers. E

• Ability to perform all duties and tasks with reasonable adjustments where

necessary. E

• Ability to cope with the requirements of the post, which will include

working with pupils who have emotional/ behavioural/physical difficulties.
E

• In line with the Immigration Act 2016; you should be able to demonstrate

fluency of the English Language at an Intermediate Threshold Level. E

At Menston Primary School, we provide the children with a high-quality inclusive education
and pride ourselves on our team ethos, our care for our children and our partnerships with
families.

As a team, we work to foster a lifelong love for learning. Everything we do is centred
around the children and their right to be encouraged, to achieve, to find their talents,
to enjoy learning and to succeed in whatever they choose. We strive to create an
environment that allows children to enjoy learning within a happy and caring
environment.



Our History

There has been a village school on our site since Victorian times. In the 1960's a 'new' infant school was added to the
site, and in 2004 a third building was added which houses three classrooms and our before and after school 'Care
Club'.



Our Environment

Our beautiful, extensive grounds include two fields with all-weather running tracks, three playgrounds, a ball court, a
woodland/den building area, a minibeast area, a pond and two polytunnels which are used as outdoor classrooms. We have a
strong commitment to outdoor learning for all of our children as we know that this
benefits their mental and physical health, as well as teaching them to be guardians of
their world. All of our children have regular, planned outdoor learning experiences
throughout their whole time at school.

We are proud of our warm and positive learning environment. Our classrooms are well
equipped and our teachers are innovative and creative. They love to inspire our children!

As well as working to deliver a broad and relevant education, the school is developing
a curriculum which promotes the STEM subjects of Science, Technology, Engineering
and Maths alongside regular, planned outdoor learning.




Our Ethos

We believe that teching children how best to learn in different situations is as important as the
subject specific knowledge they all need to aquire. Because of this we encourage our children to
take increasing control over their own learning, to coach each other and to peer and self-assess
where this is appropriate. As a result, each day our children grow more confident and independent
and they are able to take on more responsibility for their own learning.