Do you have a passion for working with children in a school environment? Do you want to join a fast-growing organisation with excellent opportunities for development and professional growth? Then we have a great opportunity for you to join a vibrant Ark academy in Portsmouth.

Ark Ayrton Primary School and Ark Ayrton Nursery is a popular school in the heart of Portsmouth.  It has been graded as ‘Good’ in all areas by Ofsted and as part of the Ark network of schools, we are committed to making sure that every child has access to a great education and real choices in life.

We are looking to recruit a Pastoral Support Worker as part of our Inclusion Team to join our committed team of ambitious staff who will support pupils, parents, teachers and the school to establish a supportive and nurturing learning environment in which children thrive and make good progress. Applicants should be experienced in working within a school, have good, proven interpersonal skills, a confident and professional manner, very good literacy and numeracy skills and suitable skills or experience.    

Ideal Candidates will:- ·       

• Have experience of establishing successful learning relationships with a variety of pupils with social, emotional and mental health difficulties
• Have experience in play therapy, counselling or other similar skills 
• Be committed to Ark’s ethos of high expectations and no excuse  
• Have a genuine passion and a belief in the potential of every pupil 
• Have experience of working pro-actively with parents and carers   

We can offer you:  

• A supportive school 
• Friendly staff and children 
• Opportunities for Professional Development   

By joining the Ark schools’ network, you will gain access to an exclusive range of benefits including comprehensive CPD, training and best-practice sharing opportunities, reduced gym membership, large retail discounts as well as the unique opportunity to apply for international exchanges and other scholarship prospects.

Interested in this exciting opportunity?  Would you like to visit our academy? Please contact the school on 023 9282 4828, or email l.dunning@arkayrtonprimary.org for more information.

Location:                       Portsmouth
Start date:                     ASAP
Contract:                       Permanent, term only 

Hours:                           36 hours per week, Monday to Friday
Salary:                           Ark Support Scale (Outside London) Grade 5 £18,795 - £21,589. Actual Salary £16,510 to £18,964
Closing date:               12.00 pm Friday 17 January 2020

To apply please click below. Please submit your application by 12.00 pm on Friday 17 January 2020 ensuring you have provided clear contact details for referees, including full name, address, telephone number and email details. If you have any queries please contact Lynda Dunning on 02392 824828 or at l.dunning@arkayrtonprimary.org. 

Please note Ark Schools communicate all correspondence to applicants through their website and emails, therefore please ensure you check your email accounts regularly for interview details and other information. Also note that when using a "free" email account such as hotmail or yahoo, please ensure you check your "junk mail" on a regular basis as well as your inbox.

For some posts, we are receiving large volumes of applications, on these occasions we may close the post early, therefore you are strongly advised to submit your application as soon as possible.

Ark is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people in our academies.  In order to meet this responsibility, we follow a rigorous selection process. This process is outlined here, but can be provided in more detail if requested. All successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check.      

Pastoral Support Worker  
Reports to: Deputy Headteacher - Inclusion
Start date: As soon as possible 
Hours: 36 hours per week, Term time only (40 weeks per year)  

To work with children experiencing a range of social, emotional and mental health difficulties to help them overcome these barriers and achieve their full potential.   

 

 Key responsibilities  

• To ensure the pupils are safe and be vigilant inline with the Academy’s Safeguarding Policy 
• To pro-actively assess children and plan targeted intervention to meet their needs 
• To support teachers with strategies to meet the needs of pupils in class 
• To work with parents and carers to develop strategies to effectively meet their children’s needs and help them achieve in school 
• To support the wider work and ethos of Ark Ayrton Primary Academy   Support for Children   
• Promote inclusion and acceptance of all pupils in the school, including those with physical, learning and behaviour difficulties 
• Plan one to one and small group support and intervention 
• Run intervention sessions at a regular time and place 
• Work with teachers to assess the needs of individual children 
• Promote positive change in the child by helping them to help themselves 
• Plan one to one and small group support and intervention 
• Observe, record and feedback information of pupil performance 
• Assist with behaviour management within and outside the classroom 
• Assist pupils' outside of the classroom, e.g., library, PE, play and lunchtimes 
• Accompany identified pupils on school visits/residentials   

Other support

• Assist with follow-through for related services, e.g., speech/language therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, behaviour support 
• Maintain pupil and family confidentiality 
• Attend regular meetings and training, as required   Other   Undertake other various responsibilities as directed by the Headteacher                           

Person Specification 

Qualification Criteria     

• Minimum of NVQ level 3 in Supporting Children’s Education (preferable)
• Maths and English GCSE or equivalent at grade C or above (essential)
• ELSA trained desirable 
• Right to work in UK   

Experience  

• Experience of establishing successful learning relationships with a variety of pupils at the relevant age (essential) 
• Evidence of impact of relevant intervention (essential) 
• Experience of working with children with attachment difficulties (desirable)   

Behaviours     

Personal characteristics

•     Genuine passion and a belief in the potential of every pupil ·
•     Helpful, positive, calm and caring nature 
•     Resilient and able to work in sometimes challenging circumstances 
•     Able to establish good working relationships with colleagues 
•     Able to follow instructions accurately but make good judgments and lead when required.   

Specific skills  

• Empathy and an open and friendly manner 
• The ability to gain the trust of children  
• Resilience and insight for working with children in emotional distress 
• Good spoken and written communication skills 
• A broad knowledge of child development 
• A good understanding of the different ways children communicate their feelings 
• Understand the need to maintain confidentiality at all times 
• Excellent understanding of safeguarding 

Other desirable training and skills :

•   First Aid training   

Other   

• Commitment to equality of opportunity and the safeguarding and welfare of all pupils 
• Willingness to undertake training