Job Introduction

LINWOOD SCHOOL

Teaching Assistants

To work across all our campuses and curriculums including our Post 16 provision.

BCP Spine Points 5 - 6   

Salary £23,500 - £23,893

30 hours per week

To work 39 weeks per year (term time only plus inset days)

Salary pro rata is £16,315 per annum based on 30 hours per week.     

It is an offence to apply for this role if you are barred from engaging in regulated activity relevant to children.

Linwood School is an ‘Outstanding’ (Ofsted January 2018) multi-campus, day special school for children and young people aged 4 – 19.  We welcome them from a wide geographical area and support a comprehensive range of special educational needs including moderate (MLD), severe (SLD) and profound (PMLD) and complex learning difficulties (CLDD) as well as those on the Autism spectrum. 

As a school we employ c. 180 Teaching Assistants.   We are now seeking to appoint highly motivated, committed Teaching Assistants to join our expanding team on a permanent basis.  Due to the special educational needs of our students this role can be challenging and sometimes physically demanding, however the work is also very rewarding.  Resilience is a key personal quality for the role as is the ability to communicate effectively using a range of tools. 

Some of our Teaching Assistants work with students with PMLD who require high levels of care.  Teaching Assistants working with them need to have the ability to:

• Follow each individual young person’s care and medical plans, which may include epilepsy and manual handling, and carry out necessary procedures following appropriate training.
• Administer medicines according to school policy, including via specialist techniques following appropriate training.
• Assist with intimate and personal care e.g. personal and/or feminine hygiene and bathing, ensuring the highest standards are met.
• Assist where necessary with eating and drinking in line with care plans.
• Enable and encourage as high a level of independence as possible.
• Under the direction of the class teacher, support students to engage in activities to their full potential, using appropriate total communication techniques.

If you have the skills and aptitudes outlined above please refer to this in your application form.

Appointments are made to Linwood School and we currently have vacancies across the campuses.  Successful candidates will be based at any of our campuses in line with their skills, abilities and experience so please ensure you are easily able to get to any of these campuses. 

Positions are for 30 hours per week to be worked over 5 days, Monday to Friday 8.45 a.m. - 3.30 p.m. 39 weeks per year (term time plus INSET days).  Consideration will be given to lesser hours per week but we ask that applicants commit to a minimum 2 full days (12 hours). 

The role is subject to a 6-month mandatory probation during which there is an expectation that Teaching Assistants attend Monday after school training sessions to enhance their work in school and their skill levels.  A list of training dates and topics is provided upon commencement. 

Linwood School offers career progression opportunities for Teaching Assistants wishing to enhance their skills further in an education setting, leading to Specialist Provision Teaching Assistant followed by Higher Level Teaching Assistant status.  Some of our Teaching Assistants have progressed to Teacher level.  

Linwood School is an equal opportunities employer which values a diverse workforce.  We seek and encourage applications from individuals from a diverse background who will come and work with us and become part of our Linwood family, supportive of our school values whilst providing an excellent an inclusive service to our students, ensuring they continue to feel part of the school community in everyday activities.  

Closing date for applications: Midnight on Sunday 12^th May 2024

Interviews to be held: Week commencing 20^th May 2024

All applications should be submitted to hr@linwood.bournemouth.sch.uk  

Our school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our young people and the successful applicant will be required to have an enhanced DBS check as well as an overseas criminal records check, if worked or lived outside the UK within the past 10 years.  Offers of employment are also subject to satisfactory references, health and right to work checks.  

This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020.  If the role is exempt, certain spent convictions and cautions are ‘protected’, so they do not need to be disclosed, and if they are disclosed, we cannot take them into account. 

All Linwood School staff are expected to adhere to our policies and procedures in respect of safeguarding and child protection, including Keeping Children Safe in Education and Guidance for adults working with children and young people in an education setting.