Graduate Learning Support Assistant

Do you ‘dare for greatness’? Come and join a team who are really making a difference…

At Ark Elvin Academy we are working hard to give all our pupils an excellent education and are looking for committed teachers and support staff to join us at this exciting stage in our school improvement journey. In June 2017 we came out of special measures and now our team of enthusiastic, high expectations staff are doing what it takes to rapidly improve our school and deliver the outstanding education our community needs and deserves.

We are committed to ensuring staff have the opportunity to refine and develop their practice in the classroom and develop their leadership skills, we have:

·        twice as many training days as is standard

·        weekly professional development for all staff

In recruiting for our Learning Support Assistant we are seeking the following from applicants:

·        A commitment to our school improvement process

·        A growth mindset

·        High standards of professionalism and courteousness

·        A strong team player

You will become part of a close knit professional community of enthusiastic colleagues who benefit from the training, guidance and support from both the Ark network, one of the country’s top performing school groups and our North London region of schools where we work closely with four outstanding schools; Ark John Keats Academy, King Solomon Academy, Ark Academy and Ark Burlington Danes Academy.

Ark Elvin is on an exciting improvement journey – join us and be part of that change.

Closing date:                   10 May 2019 - 5.00pm

Start date:                         ASAP

Salary:                                Ark Support Scale 5 point 15 (Inner London) £20,583 (Pro-rata)

Ark is committed to safeguarding children; successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced DBS check.

We passionately believe in our six pillars and they drive all our thinking and our school improvement at Elvin:

Strong Discipline

Calm, purpose and order are established through the consistency of expectations and explicit teaching of discipline.

High Quality Teaching

Teachers are subject experts with an excellent understanding of the intellectual journey they are taking their pupils on and have mastery in effective teaching skills.

Mastery Curriculum

Our curriculum design enables pupils to make rapid progress and develop a framework of knowledge and understanding in each subject area that provides a solid foundation for further study.

Raising aspirations and enrichment

Pupils understand the opportunities that a school and university education will afford them in terms of careers and quality of life. Pupils develop their passions and interests through our extensive enrichment programme.

Character development

Pupils develop the characteristics that support their academic achievement, create thoughtful citizens and allow them to make reflective choices over their personal lives.

Developing leaders

All members of staff see themselves as leaders within an aligned community of professionals and are systematically trained in best practice. We create high performing teams to drive our school improvement.

Job Description: Learning Support Assistant

The role

To work with the SENCO to provide tailored support to pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Learning Support Assistants play a vital role in supporting pupils, both in a one to one setting and in larger and whole class groups.

Key responsibilities

·        To plan tailored interventions for individual pupils.

·        To provide in class support for pupils, as directed by the SENCO and class teachers.

·        To work with class teachers to plan support in lessons.

·        To liaise with families to gain a thorough understanding of the needs of pupils.

·        To update pupil records as required.

·        To assist student/s with their physical/personal care/medical needs as required.

·        To share information about individual pupils with teachers and other colleagues so that all colleagues understand differentiation needs and how best to support learners.

·        To prepare additional resources for pupils as required.

·        To carry out duties around the school to support the smooth running of the school and promote school values.

·        To carry out additional interventions and assessments as required, e.g. reading tests and phonics interventions.  

·        To liaise with primary schools to gather further information to support the learning of pupils before they join year 7.

·        To support pupils with post-16 applications and understanding of post-16 education.

Other

·      Undertake other various responsibilities as directed by the Principal

This job description sets out the main duties of the post at the time of drafting. It cannot be read as an exhaustive list. These responsibilities will be discussed annually as part of the postholder’s annual performance review and are subject to change. However, it may be altered at any time subject to need in consultation with the postholder subject to the Principal’s approval.

 
Person Specification: Learning Support Assistant

Qualification criteria

• Right to work in UK
• Good literacy and numeracy
• Degree level qualification (ideally 2:1 or above)

 For those interested in training to teach:

• GCSE math’s and English  at grade C  or above or equivalent (this a national requirement to enter teacher training)

Essential experience

• Experience of establishing successful learning relationships with a variety of children at the relevant age
• Experience and/or understanding of the role of a learning support assistant

Skills and attributes

We are looking for these skills and attributes or at the very least, a candidate’s clear, demonstrable capacity to develop them:

Alignment with Elvin vision

• Relentless drive to do whatever it takes to ensure all pupils succeed.
• Embody our core values – integrity, courage, community and mastery – in all aspects of work and conduct.
• The belief that with the right environment all of our pupils are able to excel at university, or in a meaningful alternative.
• The courage and conviction to make a difference.

Communication skills

• The ability to listen and communicate effectively.
• Empathy and the ability to understand the needs, aspirations and motivation of diverse individuals and groups.
• The ability to influence and motivate others.

Working with others

• Develop and communicate a shared vision.
• Model desired behaviour and values.
• Empower, support and coach others.
• Hold others to account for high standards of performance.
• Understand and resolve conflict.
  

• Identify, analyse and resolve problems and issues.
• Develop plans with concrete outcomes and effective solutions.
• Evaluate results and identify necessary actions. 
• Make fact-based decisions.

            Resilience

• Sustain energy, optimism and motivation in the face of pressure and setbacks.
• Stay calm in difficult situations and maintain clarity of vision.
• Be adaptable in the face of adversity.

           Results and learning orientation

• Awareness of own strengths and limits.
• Commitment to ongoing improvement and learning.
• A passion for own role and that of others.
• Focus on achieving challenging goals and results.
• Resourcefulness and flexibility in delivering outcomes

• Demonstrates resilience, motivation and commitment to driving up standards of achievement.
• Acts as a role model to staff and students.
• Vision aligned with Elvin’s high aspirations, high expectations of self and others.
• Effective team worker and leader.
  

        Other

• This post is subject to an enhanced DBS disclosure