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SEMH –Teaching Assistant (TA)

Salary:

• Up to £19,500 per annum DoE
• This is an annual salary FT role and NOT pro-rata

Start Date:

• ASAP

Who we are

Compass Community School Owlswick is a part of a passionate, well respected and forward-thinking family of schools throughout the country.

We are an independent specialist school providing high-quality, therapeutic and child-centred education to pupils from 10 to 19 years of age in Lewes, East Sussex. Our children come from a wide range of backgrounds but all have Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs (SEMH), and many will also have other Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) such as Autism, ADHD, and communication difficulties. Many will have suffered significant trauma and adverse childhood experiences and may have social care involvement.

We are part of a strong, supportive network, both locally and nationally, which is committed to providing a safe and inclusive learning environment where everyone is valued and encouraged to reach their full potential, regardless of their starting points or barriers to learning. Aspirations for both students and staff are incredibly high.

The work we do is both varied and challenging and, as a trauma and attachment informed organisation, all staff are provided with extensive therapeutic training and support. Our closely triangulated approach places the child at the centre of decision making, ensuring that education and therapy professionals, parents/carers, local authority teams and, most importantly, our students can work together to secure outstanding outcomes for all.

We place as much importance on academic and vocational excellence as we do on personal growth, resilience, self-regulation, and personal and character development.

Our Vision

Motivate - Educate - Inspire

Compass Community Schools motivate children and young people to engage with education and overcome barriers to learning. Our vision is to inspire learners to make positive life choices and to provide pupils with a therapeutic education which enables them to make the most of their life chances.

Our Ethos

A passion to include everyone

A desire to treat everyone equally

An ability to respect difference and diversity

To celebrate all achievement

A commitment to healthy, open and respectful relationships

A deep sense of purpose that things can change and be transformed for the better

A sense of perseverance to keep going for as long as it takes

An acceptance that failure is not the opposite of success, it is a part of success

The Role

TAs at our school know that no two days are the same and that no two children are the same either. Our children require very special adults who can support children with complex and challenging behaviours.

They will know that our children require lots of attention, just the right sort of communication, consistency and flexibility in equal measure, and a non-judgemental approach. They need to be resilient, persistent and solution focussed to meet the needs of our children and to do so they need to wear a lot of hats and be prepared to change them at a moment’s notice!

Our TAs may be supporting teachers in the classroom, working with children 1:1, managing classroom resources, taking children on trips and visits, having their lunch with children who struggle socially, managing heightened behaviours and keeping children safe, playing board games, conducting science experiments, making amazing displays, celebrating success, being part of therapy sessions or reflecting on difficult periods, They are equal parts TA, key worker, counsellor, entertainer, problem solver and boundary giver.

All of this means that our TAs change lives! They facilitate fantastic outcomes for children that may have had very few chances to success in the past but they don’t do it alone. They have high-quality resources at their fingertips and work with a well-trained and enthusiastic team with a passionate and driven community of specialist professionals to lean on. This includes a responsive and experienced SLT, SENCOs, programme psychologists, HLTAs, therapeutic professionals and pastoral leads who allow our TAs to focus on what is important: being the crucial support that every child and every class needs, increasing children’s confidence and breaking down barriers to learning and success.

We want our TAs to be part of the decision making that drives our school, provides outcomes for children and advocates for every child. We welcome their input in developing both the academic curriculum and the opportunities in our extra-curricular offer – bringing their own interests and passions to the table.

Benefits and Rewards

• Being a part of a progressive and forward thinking organisation which puts children first.
• Competitive salary
• Annual performance reviews with opportunity for development and salary increase
• Extensive and meaningful induction
• Staff laptop and mobile phone
• Subject knowledge enhancement opportunities
• Extensive training and professional qualification opportunities
• Full school holidays
• Small class sizes with specialist TA support
• The chance to be part of an expanding, national organisation that recognises skill, effort and potential and grows its own leadership teams
• Enhanced occupational sickness scheme
• Flexible pension
• Specialist, approachable and responsive SLT
• Regular therapeutic and supportive supervision
• Access to our health and wellbeing support platform. Receive cashback for various medical and wellbeing appointments and treatments with our MediCash scheme, as well as the chance to win up to £150 in vouchers every month from our REACH Awards.

Safeguarding

This role is subject to an enhanced DBS check.

Compass Community Schools are committed to safeguarding children and young people and we expect everyone who works in our school to share this commitment, including proprietors, governors and visitors.

Adults in our school take all welfare concerns seriously and encourage children and young people to talk to us about anything that worries them. We have an established culture of vigilance to protect children from harm.

All children are taught about safeguarding, including online, through various teaching and learning opportunities, as part of providing a broad and balanced curriculum. Children are taught to recognise when they are at risk and how to get help when they need it.

We will always act in the best interest of the child.