Specialist Teaching Assistant

Job Summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Specialist Teaching Assistant to join our Education Team at The Children's Trust. This role will require the successful candidate to support an integrated and holistic approach to education, health, and care, working under the direct supervision of an allocated teacher or senior specialist teaching assistant.

Main Responsibilities

• Support an integrated and holistic approach to education, health, and care.
• Work under the direct supervision of an allocated teacher or senior specialist teaching assistant.
• Support access to learning and provide general support to the teacher in the management of pupils in learning opportunities.
• Assist the teacher in providing relevant support for pupils with severe learning difficulties (SLD), profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD), and complex therapeutic, medical, and health needs.

About Us

The Children's Trust is the UK's leading charity for children with brain injury and complex health needs. We provide rehabilitation, medical care, special education, community services, and expert information.

Key Services

• Rehabilitation for children with Acquired Brain Injury (ABI)
• A non-maintained special school with associated residential houses for children with complex education, health, therapy, and care needs
• Support for children with ABI and their families in the communities across the UK through our Brain Injury Community Services
• Online information and support via our publications and resources

Job Responsibilities

• Provide support for learning activities set by class teacher and senior specialist teaching assistant
• Support learning activities for individual, groups, or whole classes of pupils, leading activities under the direction of the teacher or senior teaching assistant
• Demonstrate our school ethos and pupil charter throughout the school day
• Holistically integrate education, health, and care needs
• Evaluate and record procedures for learning activities
• Know individual learning targets for each pupil in the group(s) and take specific action to enable individual pupil goals to be achieved
• Attend to the general care, maintenance, and storage of classroom equipment

Support Children's Development

• Observe pupils, sharing observational findings, contribute to the implementation of activities to support development
• Actively contribute towards record-keeping, particularly in respect of pupil learning, therapeutic interventions, behavior management, child protection, and any other specific program set up for individual pupils by the teacher or senior specialist teaching assistant

Help to Keep Children Safe

• Undertake annual safeguarding training
• Adhere to the school's safeguarding and child protection procedures and policies
• Record incidents pertaining to pupil safety, including for illness, accidents, and incidents, accepting that safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and that it could happen here
• Report any signs and indicators of possible abuse, being sensitive to the child/young person and circumstances, identifying, reporting, and recording changes in behavior and physical signs
• Be aware of and follow plans, risk assessments, and record-keeping pertaining to individual pupils, including care plans, health care plans, feeding plans, moving and handling, and behavior management plans, actively engaging in relevant training and competencies offered to ensure that you are able to support in keeping all pupils in the class safe

Contribute to Positive Relationships

• Interact with and respond positively and professionally to pupils and adults, including colleagues, other professionals, and parents/carers at all times
• Work collaboratively as part of a class and wider school and organizational team
• Actively support change where it is required to improve the teaching, learning, and meeting of our pupils' needs

Support Literacy and Numeracy Activities, Communication and Interaction Needs

• Support the delivery of appropriate communication, language, and literacy as well as the learning targets related to cognition to individuals, small groups, and whole classes of pupils, providing accurate support and feedback to the teacher and pupils

Support Children's Play and Learning

• Promote and support age-appropriate play for pupils
• Supervise and actively encourage play and leisure activities during playtimes, taking an active role in the organization of play, leisure, and recreational activities

Support a Child with Disabilities or Special Educational Needs and Their Families

• Be confident in each of the pupils' needs in the classroom and the relevant strategies that are required to support them
• See the pupil as a whole and integrate their education, health, and care needs throughout their day
• Support pupils with communication and interaction, cognition and learning, behavior, emotional, and social development needs and pupils' sensory and/or physical needs

Support Individuals during Therapy Sessions

• Receive relevant training from therapists and then implement training and competencies throughout the pupils' day
• Be able to articulate the purpose of programs and ensure their delivery in an integrated way
• Work with individuals to identify the effectiveness of the therapy sessions on their health and social well-being
• Check observations with appropriate people and against agreed outcomes
• Identify any issues or problems in relation to the therapy sessions and work with individuals, key people, and others to identify and agree changes to the therapy sessions
• Record and report on therapy sessions within confidentiality agreements and according to legal and organizational requirements

Promote Positive Behaviour

• Highlight and praise positive aspects of pupils' behavior appropriate to the individual
• Recognize patterns and triggers which may lead to inappropriate behavioral responses and take appropriate action to pre-empt problems
• Encourage the team to support pupils consistently and regularly review their own behaviors to model intended outcomes
• Provide feedback to relevant people on progress made by any pupils with a behavior support plan in line with the school's Behavior Policy
• Implement individual pupil behavior management programs if required

Prepare and Maintain the Learning Environment

• Prepare the learning environment to meet the needs of individual pupils
• Support the teacher in the preparation of resources needed for lessons by gathering and appropriately positioning them for access
• Ensure that pupils are in the right place at the right time in the right clothing with the appropriate equipment in the correct position

Support Pupils with Cognition and Learning Needs

• Implement agreed strategies to support pupils with cognition and learning difficulties to learn
• Sequence and structure learning environment and experiences ensuring adequate time
• Consistently apply visual, auditory, object, and tactile cues
• Provide an appropriate level of assistance to enable the pupil to experience a sense of achievement, maintain self-esteem and self-confidence, and encourage self-help skills
• Listen carefully to the pupil and positively encourage him/her to communicate his/her needs and ideas

Support Pupils with Sensory and/or Physical Needs

• Obtain accurate and up-to-date information about the nature and level of the pupils' sensory and/or physical needs and apply to the pupils' learning needs, planned learning tasks, and activities
• With support, adapt the layout of the learning environment and the equipment used to enable the pupil with sensory and/or physical needs to access and maximize learning opportunities
• Encourage the pupil to actively participate in learning tasks and activities consistent with his/her developmental level, physical abilities, and any medical conditions
• Ensure that any specialist equipment is used appropriately to maintain the pupils' comfort and maximize his/her participation in learning tasks and activities
• Give appropriate assistance to enable the pupil to experience a sense of achievement and encourage independence
• Positively reinforce the pupils' efforts to participate in learning tasks and activities

Assist in the Administration of Medication

• Apply standard precautions for infection control and other relevant health and safety measures
• Report any discrepancies or omissions you might find to the person in control of the administration and to relevant staff as appropriate
• Be aware of school procedures
• Contribute to administering and record-keeping of medication to individuals in the appropriate manner, using the correct techniques according to the care plan if signed off as competent in doing so
• Ensure the security of medications throughout the process and ensure all medication is stored in the correct safe place when administration is complete

Meet their Personal Support Needs

• Attend to pupils' personal care needs as and when necessary, ensuring care and dignity at all times
• Assist with the organization of refreshments and mealtimes, feeding individual pupils where necessary, including feeding by gastric tube after receiving the necessary training
• Support pupils in the water and assist with swimming and/or hydrotherapy programs

Take part in School Staff Development Procedures

• Take part in a performance management program and work towards specific pupil progress and professional development targets
• Take part in a staff induction program, and pursue other training opportunities as agreed with the line manager
• Take part in staff development days, class team meetings, departmental meetings, whole staff meetings, and other occasional meetings held in usual working hours
• Support students and volunteers who work within the classroom from time to time

Wellbeing and Emotional Resilience

• Maintain a positive approach and outlook when dealing with change and overcoming challenges and problems
• Recognize own limitations, develop realistic goals, and use support network resources when or if necessary
• Treat challenges and problems as a learning experience
• Remain organized and focused when under pressure
• Respond appropriately and professionally to challenging situations