1:1 Teaching Assistant - Sturminster Newton High School

We are looking to appoint a caring and empathetic 1:1 Teaching Assistant with energy and enthusiasm, and a love for working with young people. This is a wonderful opportunity to join a school within a Trust with great potential, some real strengths and the ability and desire to develop further. 

This role is to work support a named child to enable the student to achieve their full learning potential and facilitate their personal, academic, social, and moral development. 

Should you wish to arrange a visit to view the school, please do not hesitate to contact Jo Bruton at [email protected] who will be happy to arrange this.

SAST will conduct online searches of shortlisted candidates. In line with KCSIE guidance, this will be part of safer recruitment checks, and the search will purely be based on whether an individual is suitable to work with children. As care must be taken to avoid unconscious bias and any risk of discrimination, a person who will not be on the appointment panel will conduct the searches and will only share information if and when findings are relevant and of concern.

Safeguarding responsibilities associated with this role may include engagement in regulatory activity, such as administering first aid or supporting an upset child.  It will have contact with young people on a day-to-day basis.  SAST is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.  The successful candidate will have to meet the person specification and the post is subject to safeguarding checks, including an enhanced DBS check and Children’s Barred List check.  The post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020.

SAST recognises the benefit of having a diverse workforce and is committed to building a workforce which reflects diversity from the communities it serves. SAST values the contributions from all staff from a wide range of different backgrounds and actively seeks to promote an environment that is free from discrimination and harassment and at the same time supports fair promotion and cultural acceptance. Under the provision of the Equality Act 2010 SAST welcomes applications from everyone and operates a recruitment process which is fair and does not discriminate against or disadvantage anyone because of their age, disability, gender reassignment status, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race or nationality, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

Sturminster Newton High School is a mixed 11-18 comprehensive school with a good reputation as a small, community focussed school serving a wide rural catchment area. Our school is grounded in our three clear values of Respect, Responsibility and Resilience and we expect stakeholders to demonstrate and promote these at all times. The school has a strong and established culture and this is grounded in its three guiding principles; knowing our community, a sense of belonging and teaching and learning that inspires. These three principles are woven into all elements of both strategic and operational school management and are key to all we do at Sturminster Newton, both in and outside the classroom. Ongoing professional development and staff wellbeing is priority for the school and you can expect to be supported by a visible and experienced SLT.

We are proud to be a SAST School. SAST is a multi-school trust, formed in June 2017, with 18 schools across Dorset and South Somerset. We have more than 5,700 students and over 850 members of staff. There is real strength in coming together with a collective responsibility for all the children’s development and progress between 0-19 years. SAST has large town primary schools with over 300 children, smaller village primary schools and nursery provision. SAST also has 5 secondary schools, some with a Sixth Form provision. There is a mix of formerly maintained and Church of England schools - both voluntary controlled and voluntary-aided in the Diocese of Salisbury. We believe in preserving Schools in their local community.   

We are looking for a team member with high expectations and standards, the ability to inspire but also the capacity to laugh and enjoy the challenges of this role. You need to be a team player and you will go the extra mile to support. In return, you will join a trust that is full of activity, opportunity, and optimism. You will be strongly supported by our SLT in your work to ensure our provision is the best.