Graduate Teaching Assistant

Ark St Alban’s Academy is seeking a skilled and determined candidate to join its special educational needs and disabilities (SEN/D) team.

The academy is rapidly expanding is pastoral care provision, including the support it provides to pupils with SEN/D. Led by the academy SENDCO, the successful candidate will work directly with pupils both in and outside of the classroom. They will take responsibility for supporting pupils in their learning of the curriculum, leading targeted interventions and coordinating between teachers, parents the wider pastoral team. 

The successful candidate will demonstrate a passion for raising the achievement of vulnerable pupils. They will also demonstrate the ability to learn specialist skills and to quickly become an expert in specific aspects of SEN/D provision. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to work directly with the SENDCO, speech and language therapist and external agencies. They will lead the work of the academy in supporting specific pupils or in meeting specific special education needs. The right candidate will demonstrate the capability to specialise and to increase their impact on pupil progress over time.   

A wide-ranging and ambitious job description which will allow the right candidate to grow and to thrive.

Working with SEN/D pupils is vital work and, when done well, is quite often life changing for the young people involved. The successful candidate will need to have experience of communicating effectively with a wide-range of stakeholders. They will need to be persistent, determined and compassionate. Most of all, they must demonstrate the highest of expectations for what young people with SEN/D can achieve. 

We believe that all pupils can, and will succeed, at school and at university, and this role is pivotal in our work to provide all pupils with the safety and support they need to be able to flourish.

• Salaries 2.5% higher than main pay scale.
• Generous pension scheme.
• Access to Ark rewards – a scheme offering savings from over 3,000 major retailers
• Interest-free loans – up to £5,000 available for season ticket or to buy a bicycle.
• Gym discounts – offering up to 40%.
• Access to Employee Assistance Programme – providing free, confidential counselling, legal advice and a range of different support.

We are committed to addressing educational disadvantage. We consistently guide pupils to GCSE and A-Level outcomes which place our cohorts in the top 10% of schools nationally on many measures, including those for the progress of disadvantaged pupils. Our school serves pupils from central Birmingham. The percentage of our cohort eligible for the Pupil Premium is the eighth highest in the country.

There are very few communities in the UK who need great teachers more than ours. Teachers and leaders at Ark St Alban’s Academy are determined to prove that the background of a young person can be no impediment to their success. Our school prepares pupils to succeed at elite universities, with our alumni proudly representing our community at prestigious destinations including Cambridge University, Durham University and the London School of Economics.