Bank Teaching Assistant

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Job Title: Bank Teaching Assistant
Location: Underley Garden School, Kirkby Lonsdale, LA6 2DZ
Salary: £13.25 per hour
Hours: As Needed | Flexible
Contract: Bank
Start: November 2025
UK applicants only – this role does not offer sponsorship

As our school continues to grow, we’re looking for caring, adaptable, and enthusiastic Bank Teaching Assistants to join the dedicated team at Underley Garden School in Kirkby Lonsdale.

This flexible role is perfect for someone who wants to make a genuine difference in the lives of children and young people with a range of complex learning difficulties and disabilities. As a Bank Teaching Assistant, you’ll play a vital part in supporting pupils’ learning, wellbeing, and personal development — helping them to achieve their full potential in a nurturing, structured environment.

Working closely with teachers, therapists, and pastoral staff, you’ll help deliver engaging learning experiences, provide one-to-one and group support, and assist pupils in developing confidence, independence, and key life skills.

What You’ll Be Doing

- Supporting pupils’ learning and progress under the guidance of the class teacher.
- Assisting in structured lessons and activities, adapting support to meet individual needs.
- Helping pupils stay engaged, focused, and motivated throughout their school day.
- Promoting positive behaviour and applying effective strategies in line with school policy.
- Providing pastoral care and emotional support to help pupils feel safe and valued.
- Supporting transitions and routines throughout the 24-hour curriculum.
- Maintaining confidentiality and professionalism at all times.
- Taking part in staff meetings and training to continually develop your skills.

What We’re Looking For

- Experience working with children or young people, ideally in a special educational needs (SEN) setting.
- A patient, compassionate, and flexible approach to supporting diverse learning needs.
- Strong teamwork skills and a willingness to collaborate with teaching and support staff.
- A commitment to helping every pupil achieve their best.

If you’re passionate about making a real difference and want to be part of a supportive, forward-thinking team, we’d love to hear from you.

About Us

Underley Garden School is a large school with small class sizes, focusing on pupils, aged 5-19, who have a range of complex needs associated with autism and learning disabilities, including complex communication, sensory and behavioural needs associated with their disabilities.

Our School adopts a holistic, person-centred approach to the development of our pupils and endeavours to ensure that they achieve as high a standard as possible. We offer a comprehensive portfolio of education, care and therapy to meet the individual requirements of students with complex special educational needs.

At Underley Garden, we aim to make a positive difference to the personal, social and learning lives of the people entrusted to our care.

Located near the market town of Kirkby Lonsdale on the edge of the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales in a commutable distance of Lancaster, Cumbria and surrounding areas.

For over 19 years Options Autism have provided care and education to pupils, young people and adults with autism, complex needs and learning difficulties. We are a leading provider of education for neurodivergent young people and young adults. As part of Outcomes First Group, we are leading our sector in setting and delivering new approaches that provide measurable outcomes for those in our care.

We are really proud to say that in 2024, Outcomes First Group were officially certified as a ‘Great Place to Work’ for the fifth year running.

Why join Options Autism?

We place the outcomes of the pupils and vulnerable young adults in our services at the heart of everything we do, so you’ll wake every day in the knowledge that your role will have a significant positive impact on the lives of others.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of pupils and young people. All applicants will be subject to social media checks and successful applicants to a fully enhanced DBS.

And because your health, wellbeing, and happiness matter to us, you’ll enjoy a fantastic rewards package through our Flexible Benefits Platform, Vista — giving you the freedom to choose the benefits that best suit you, including:

- A wide range of health, wellbeing, and insurance benefits
- 100’s of discount options valid in the UK and abroad
- Cycle to Work Schemes
- Electric Car Purchase Scheme
- Critical illness cover
- Family Growth Support - inclusive benefits package covering enhanced maternity and paternity leave, along with paid fertility treatment support.

We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications.

Outcomes First Group is committed to carrying out a fair, thorough and efficient recruitment process in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education. Whilst we aim to keep applicants informed throughout, Outcomes First Group does not accept liability for any loss of earnings or other associated costs incurred by applicants as a result of delays or changes in the compliance process. All stages of the compliance process are subject to necessary safeguarding checks and compliance with statutory requirements, which may affect timescales.

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