Wilmington Academy

Wilmington Academy has an exciting opportunity to appoint an enthusiastic and reliable Teaching Assistant (Apprentice) to join their dedicated team from September 2024. If you are seeking to join a highly successful academy and wish to provide high quality teaching support to our students, this is the perfect role for you!

Our successful candidate will provide support for pupils who have a range of specific needs; an opportunity to make a real difference to their development. Applicants should be adaptable, personable and committed to providing an excellent service on behalf of the school and wider Trust, and above all else our appointed candidate will have a positive work ethic and can-do attitude.

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, The basis of the role is fixed term for the duration of the apprenticeship (12-18 month approximately), 37.5 hours per week, Term Time + 1 week. Our successful candidates will work towards a nationally-recognised Level 3 Teaching Assistant qualification, delivered by LAT Apprenticeships.
  
  Essential entry qualifications: GCSEs A - C, Maths and English (desirable)
  
  Working with us: 'Wilmington Academy is an exceptional school providing a world-class education for its pupils and sixth formers.' OfSTED May 2023


The Academy is very successful, rated by OfSTED as Outstanding in all areas, where students from a wide variety of backgrounds and starting points can flourish and succeed. The IB philosophy is at the heart of the curriculum and is carefully designed to meet the needs and aspirations of all our young people. We have an extensive programme of enrichment and support that provides extra opportunities for personal development and growth and students are encouraged to contribute to their wider community. We are housed in state of the art buildings in a semi-rural location just outside of Dartford. Wilmington offers a calm and purposeful learning environment where students are thoughtful, polite and respectful.

In September 2017 we became an International Baccalaureate World School and offer the IB Career-related Programme in key stage 5. In July 2020 we were successfully authorised to deliver the IB Middle Years Programme in Key Stage 3, to ensure we provide our students with a truly world class education. Value added puts it in the top band for similar schools nationally in Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5 and examination outcomes are among the best of non-selective schools in Kent.

Academic excellence, hard work and good manners are expected of all our students. International- mindedness, cultural understanding and an appreciation of the benefits diversity can bring are at the heart of what we believe. Our success is achieved through teamwork. Subject teams work closely together to share resources and ideas to achieve the very best outcomes for our students. We support the Trust model of small schools within a school, so that no student is left behind. Vertical tutor groups, an excellent pastoral programme underpinned by a strong moral purpose, helps students to develop into responsible, well-educated young adults who are ready to take their next steps in life. A large proportion of our students go on to University and high level apprenticeships.

We aim for excellence in everything we do and have received recognition at regional and national level for our work. We are forward thinking and outward facing, constantly striving to advance and improve. We are very supportive and offer excellent training and development opportunities for staff at the various stages of their careers. We are a friendly, caring and ambitious community placing the academic progress and welfare of our students at the heart of everything we do. We work closely with Leigh Academies Trust, external partners and organisations to ensure we provide the educational experience our students need to make their way in an increasingly complex and ever changing world.

Being part of Leigh Academies Trust: As of 1st September 2024, our Trust comprises 33 geographically organised academies (17 secondaries, 14 primaries and 2 special) educating more than 24,000 students and employing 4,000 talented staff. Currently, 14 of our academies are considered to be "Outstanding" which is nearly 50% of those which have been inspected whilst part of the Trust. The Trust is establishing four 'clusters' of academies: North 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.

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 which is inline with Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance. This includes online checks for shortlisted candidates - you can read more about this in our Recruitment Guidance. 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 discriminating on any grounds.

Annual wage: Actual salary £11,964 per annum (£13,725 full time equivalent)
Working weeks: Monday - Friday, Term Time + 1 week inset
Total hours per week: 37.5 (including the 20% training element of the Apprenticeship) - start and finish times to be agreed
Apprenticeship duration: 12-18 months approx.