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Casual Research Assistant East of England

York Trials Unit, University of York

Full Time East of England 14.91 GBP HOURLY Today

Job description

Casual Research Assistant

Department: York Trials Unit, Department of Health Sciences, University of York

Hours of Work: Full-time or part-time, flexible 3-5 days a week (minimum 3 consecutive days)

Contract Type: Casual, 6 weeks from 5th June to 14th July 2023

Salary/Hourly Rate: £14.91 per hour

Apply by: 17th February 2023

Interview Dates: 28th February 2023

The interview will be completed remotely via Zoom.

Training Dates: 10th May 2023 (10am – 3pm)

Training will be carried out face-to-face at the University of York (you will be paid to attend training, travel costs will be covered, and lunch/refreshments will be provided).

Locations: The role will involve travel to participating schools located in the East of England: Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Bedfordshire, Oxfordshire and Greater London (North). It would be beneficial if you lived in or close to any of these areas. Alternatively, you may live in other areas and be willing to travel and stay overnight.

How to Apply: Please upload your CV (max 2 sides of A4) and covering letter (max 1 side of A4) detailing relevant experience and suitability for the role.

Introduction

The York Trials Unit works in partnership with colleagues to undertake national, scientifically rigorous, randomised trials of the effectiveness and efficiency of existing or potential interventions in health care, education and crime and justice. The work conducted in the field of education helps policymakers use knowledge about effective programmes and practices to help children succeed in school.

Teaching Effective Early Mathematics and Understanding in Primary Schools (TEEMUP) is a 2-year study, centred on evidence-based professional development (PD) designed to support the mathematical outcomes of children in Reception and Year 1. The TEEMUP PD programme involves 3 components: face-to-face workshops; an online ‘knowledgebase’ (with additional resources, materials and discussion forums); and coaching and mentoring offered in schools. Researchers at York Trials Unit, University of York, are evaluating the TEEMUP PD programme. The study is a randomised controlled trial and is funded by the Education Endowment Foundation:

https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/projects-and-evaluation/projects/teem-up

Main purpose and details of the role

Researchers at York Trials Unit, University of York, are recruiting a number of temporary Research Assistants to work on the evaluation of the TEEMUP study described above.

The purpose of the role will be to attend pre-scheduled appointments in schools between 5th June and 14th July 2023 to administer a maths-based assessment one-to-one with children in Reception (ages 4-5) and Year 1 (ages 5-6). The assessment (British Ability Scales [BAS-3] Early Number Concepts) takes 5-10 minutes per child. The assessment is predominately administered using an IPAD, which will be provided. Each school will typically have 15 children to assess in each of the two year groups.

Research Assistants may be scheduled to visit schools in pairs or on their own. When visiting in pairs, it will typically take a full school day to complete all the assessments. Alternatively, it will typically take one to two school days for one Research Assistant to complete all the assessments in a school.

Full training will be provided to ensure Research Assistants are fully prepared for the school visits and able to administer the assessment correctly. Travelling time to and from schools is classed as part of the working day and will be paid at the hourly rate. Research Assistants will be required to arrive at the relevant school between 08:30-09:00am and will typically finish at the end of the school day at around 3:15pm.

Participating schools are primarily located in the East of England: Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Bedfordshire, Oxfordshire and Greater London (North). The role will involve travel within and across these regions. It would be beneficial if you lived in one of these regions. It is desirable (but not essential) that you can drive and have access to a vehicle in order to visit schools (you would require a full driving licence and would need to add ‘business use’ to your car insurance policy, if you do not already have this, which may or may not incur additional charges which cannot be reimbursed). You can claim 45p per mile when using your own car to visit schools. If you live outside of the areas listed above, overnight stays are highly likely. Accommodation and rail travel (if applicable) will be booked by the research team in advance and you will be able to claim back expenses according to the University of York Travel and Expenses Policy.

The days of work will be flexible depending on your availability and the availability of the schools. We require candidates to be available for 3-5 days per week (a minimum of three consecutive days per week). Availability to work all weeks (5th June – 14th July inclusive) is desirable, but is not essential for the role, and will be discussed at interview. Prior to interview, interview candidates will be requested to complete a pre-interview survey detailing availability. If successfully appointed, the research team will provide you with an assessment schedule (detailing the dates and locations of scheduled school visits) which will take into account your availability and the availability of participating schools. The assessment schedule will be provided in advance and you will be required to commit to your school visit schedule as far as possible. If you are a student, most universities specify a maximum of 20 hours work per week during term time, but please check and adhere to your institution’s guidelines.

Appointment for this position is dependent on a clear enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check, which will be undertaken if you have been successful following interview, as this role involves visits to schools and one-to-one work with children. Evidence of entitlement to live and work in the UK will also be required.

Key responsibilities

To undertake assessments in accordance with training received from the TEEMUP research study evaluation team.
To undertake any reasonable associated administrative tasks (e.g. if traveling by public transport, you may be asked to create travel plans well in advance of visits so the research team can book your travel. This would involve working out which trains you need to get to arrive on time at the schools). You will be paid an hourly rate to complete such tasks.

The above list of duties is not exhaustive and the post holder may be required to undertake others duties within the scope and grading of the post.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential:

At least A*-C or 9-4 in GCSE English and Maths or an equivalent qualification, or relevant experience

Desirable:

A graduate level qualification in the disciplines of Psychology, Education or Social Science

Knowledge

Essential:

An understanding of the importance of confidentiality, data protection, safeguarding and ethics

Desirable:

Understanding of research projects
An understanding of undertaking data collection/assessment of young children

Skills/abilities/competencies

Essential:

Complete fluency in spoken and written English
Numerate
Ability to work accurately with attention to detail
Ability to work effectively with children and adults in and out of school settings
Good observation and recording skills
Ability to work well in a team and independently.
Ability to complete work tasks to deadlines and to a specified standard

Desirable:

Ability to drive and have access to a vehicle for some school visits. You would require a full driving licence and be insured for business use.

Experience

Essential:

Experience of working independently
Experience of working in schools and/or with children (ideally young children) in another setting.

Desirable:

Data collection experience

Personal Attributes

Essential:

Highly organised
Excellent interpersonal skills
Good timekeeping
Enthusiasm, commitment and ability to produce high quality work whilst meeting tight deadlines
Willingness to take part in training and project meetings
Ability to work flexibly

Essential: