STUDENT SUPPORT ASSISTANT

Required from January 2025

THE POSITION

We seek to appoint for January 2025, a caring, thoughtful, and professional Student Support Assistant to support a student at our school in Year 7 (aged 12). Whilst the role is unique, the successful candidate will be joining a very close team of staff here at RGS.

A normal day would include meeting our student at school at around 7.45am and caring for them, within lessons and during some break-times, until the end of the school day. This will include toileting, transfers to and from a standing frame and other elements of personal care. There is some flexibility required, the day will end between 4pm and 4.30pm when our student is collected by parents. The exact finish time of each day will depend on co-curricular clubs.

The Student Support Assistant will work a minimum of 3 days per week. However, the school may be able to offer up to 5 days per week for the right candidate.

SUMMARY OF ROLE

Our student is a friendly, bright, and determined young lady and this is a highly rewarding role, caring for an individual within the school. There is no home care as part of this role. The role includes all personal care when in school, such as toileting, dressing for games, PE, and swimming, assisting in classroom lessons, and facilitating independence at mealtimes.

• Hoists are used for transfers – full training will be provided.
• Personal care support – training will be provided.
• Supporting access to co-curricular activities during lunchtimes and after school.
• Ensuring reasonable adjustments are in place to support independence in lessons.
• Must be comfortable in a large school environment.
• Candidate must be mindful of the size of the Senior School site during the transitions between lessons. Access to lifts are always to be always used.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Reporting to the Head of Learning Support, (SENDCO), the Student Support Assistant’s overall responsibilities will include (but are not limited to) the following and may be altered from time to time:

Specific to School

• Accompanying our student to and from each lesson (she has an electric wheelchair and is a great driver!).
• Assisting with tasks within lessons (our student writes well but tires quickly).
• Structuring and facilitating reasonable adjustments in lessons such as access to her workspace, setting up her Surface Pro and writing slope.
• Supporting during swimming lessons (including in the swimming pool). Be prepared to get wet and to encourage exercises that physically strengthen and prevent muscle wastage.
• Conducting Learning Support Assistant (LSA) duties and support other students in lessons when required, should our student be absent from school.
• Opportunity to join school residential and co-curricular trips depending on requirement.

Personal Care:

• Washing and bathing – toweling dry/drying hair.
• Hoisting into and out of swimming pool.
• Applying creams.
• General hair/skin care.
• Hoisting on and off toilet.
• Supporting personal and intimate care needs when required.
• Dressing and undressing.
• Helping into/out of chair and into standing frame.
• Transfer to Sports Wheelchair for Games & PE lessons.
• Giving medication in line with medical policy and under the guidance of the school nurses.
• Helping with other aspects of personal care as required.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

The successful candidate will demonstrate experience and expertise in most of the following areas. Previous experience is preferred but this is not as essential as a kind and common-sense approach to these roles.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Level 2/3 Teaching Assistants or equivalent qualification and/or experience.
• Experience of supporting in a KS3 and GCSE curriculum
• Appropriate first aid training.
• Appropriate safeguarding training.

EXPERIENCE, SKILLS, AND PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

Skills/Experience- Essential

• Proactive approach to the duties and responsibilities associated with the role; able to both follow instructions and work on own initiative.
• An ability to balance conflicting demands, whilst working in a fast-paced environment.
• An understanding of, and commitment to, the needs of working with young people and children. These include safeguarding, Health and Safety, security and managing confidential information at times.
• Ability to use ICT effectively to support learning.
• Learning Support provision capabilities.
• Respectful of our student’s privacy and confidentiality, with the ability to build, maintain quality relationships and communicate effectively with students, colleagues, and parents/carers.
• Understanding and commitment to equality of opportunity for all.
• Reliable, with good timekeeping.
• Hygienic and tidy minded.
• Fit and healthy to undertake the required physical duties.
• Patient and possessing excellent people skills.
• A genuine liking of people and the ability to show warmth, good-humour, empathy, and sensitivity.
• A passion for inclusion and promoting the equitable rights of our young people.

Skills/Experience- Desirable

• Completed training in the relevant strategies such as manual handling of people, supporting personal care or experience of using specialist support equipment such as hoists.
• Committed to developing further personal professional knowledge, skills, and experiences.
• Experience of working with KS3 and (I)GCSE students and curricula.
• Understanding of principles of child development and learning processes.

Personal Attributes- Essential

• Highly motivated, effective, and energetic.
• Resilient and well organised.
• Ability to self-evaluate learning needs and actively seek learning opportunities.
• Ability to work constructively as part of a team, understanding classroom roles and responsibilities and your own position within these.
• Tact, discretion, and diplomacy.

MAIN TERMS AND CONDITIONS

• This is a permanent position with the school which we expect will start in January 2025 but is dependent on completion of the mandatory safer recruitment checks.
• The post will report to the Head of Learning Support (SENDCo).
• This is a term time only position. The successful candidate will work a minimum of 3 days per week. However, this is flexible, and the school may be able to offer up to 5 days per week. This will be discussed with candidates during interview.
• The successful candidate will be required to work on the compulsory safeguarding training at the start of each academic year and four other staff training days throughout the year. Further details regarding staff days will be shared with the successful candidate. Payment for these staff days has been incorporated into the annual salary.
• The successful candidate may also be required to work limited special events e.g., RGS Day and Open Day, with advance notice being given by the school.
• Normal weekly hours during term time will be a minimum of 22.5 hours per week but could be increased up to 37.5 hours per week (to be discussed during interview).
• Set hours are yet to be determined but repeating shifts will be worked between the operational hours of 7.45am until 4.30pm to support the needs of the student. The earliest start time would be 7.45am and the latest finish time would be 4.30pm (the SSA will work 7.5 hours on each working day within this window) with a 30-minute unpaid lunch break.
• There may be occasions where the employee is required to be flexible with the start and/or finish time to meet Senior School requirements at key times during the school year. Some additional hours will be paid by the parents of the child, separate to the school salary.
• The salary for this role will be in the region of £24k gross per annum (Full Time Equivalent). The pro-rata equivalent salary for this term time role is in the region of £11k gross per annum (based on 22.5 hours per week).
• RGS support staff salaries are reviewed on 1st August each year.
• As the successful candidate’s employment will be commencing mid-way through the school academic year, there will be a shortfall on the holiday accrued to cover the holidays during the 2024/2025 school year. We will discuss options around how the holiday shortfall could be balanced at interview.
• Beyond the first academic year, the employee will be entitled to normal school holidays and payment for holidays will be incorporated into the annual salary.
• The employee will be required to comply with a range of RGS policies, in particular, those regarding Data Protection, use of ICT facilities, Child Protection, Staff Code and Health and Safety, a copy of which will be made available.

We offer a range of excellent staff benefits- please visit our website for more details www.rgs.newcastle.sch.uk/join-us/work-for-us

HOW TO APPLY

Candidates are advised to read the ‘Information for Applicants’ with particular care before applying.

Enquiries about this post should be made in the first instance to Lorraine Cattle (Head of Learning Support/SENDCO) l.cattle@rgs.newcastle.sch.uk or jobs@rgs.newcastle.sch.uk.

If, having looked through the website (www.rgs.newcastle.sch.uk) and read this job information pack and the Information for Applicants, you think this particular post would suit you, please say so (and why)in:

1. A covering letter and

2. A fully completed RGS application form.

You must complete the application form, even if you want to also attach a CV. Please email all documents to jobs@rgs.newcastle.sch.uk by the closing date.

Interviews will be held shortly after the closing date. We will hope to make the appointment as soon as possible following interview, offering the post and gaining acceptance.

Reasonable travel expenses will be considered to attend an interview if candidates live outside the local area. This is normally up to a maximum contribution of £100 on provision of receipts. If your expenses will be significantly higher than £100 and an overnight stay is required, please note all expenses will need to be booked and approved in advance. If you plan to claim expenses, please contact the Head’s Secretary, Sandra Ellis S.Ellis@rgs.newcastle.sch.uk in advance of your interview, who will talk you through the policy and advise on eligibility for reimbursement.

Safeguarding and Safer Recruitment

RGS is committed to the safeguarding of children and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff, volunteers and those working in school to share this commitment. The school applies the Government’s Keeping Children Safe in Education Safer Recruitment procedures to all candidates including appropriate pre-interview checks on shortlisted candidates and pre-employment checks pending any offer. More information regarding the checks can be found in our Information for Applicants here, and ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ (September 2024)

Equal Opportunities  

We are looking to appoint staff from a wide variety of backgrounds. Not just because it is the right thing to do but because at the RGS we recognise that those different experiences provide fresh perspectives, opportunities to challenge existing beliefs and provide opportunities to act as excellent role models for our diverse student body.

We are committed to creating an inclusive and diverse school culture and our staff are at the heart of this. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment regardless of neurodivergence, age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships.

We strive to achieve a diverse workforce, fully representative of our pluralistic society and the ethnic make-up of the student population in the UK. People of colour are under-represented on our staff team. We are keen to attract applicants from a diverse pool of candidates and determined to be a fully inclusive employer, and a great workplace for people of Black, Asian, and ethnic minority heritage as well as White heritage.

We encourage all candidates to complete an ‘equal opportunities’ form with your application. This will be sent directly to the HR team for monitoring purposes.