Job summary
Are you a creative, dynamic and resourceful? Are you an experienced Teaching Assistant or LSA looking for an opportunity to have an even greater positive impact? Do you have high expectations of yourself, your team and your pupils? This is a challenging yet highly rewarding role, supporting teachers within our school to enable some of the most vulnerable pupils to achieve their full potential.
As part of the Tavistock & Portman NHS Foundation Trust, Gloucester House offers a specialist therapeutic education for pupils aged 5-14 who present with complex SEMH needs.
If you have:
- A passion for supporting children's achievement through creative and imaginative learning opportunities
- The ability to inspire, challenge and motivate
- Excellent communication skills with high levels of emotional intelligence, reliance and flexibility
- The ability to work collaboratively as a member within a professional multi-disciplinary team
- A responsive, highly approachable attitude and the ability to support your colleagues in this challenging yet rewarding environment
We can offer:
- An opportunity to join a highly skilled team at the cutting edge of practice for children with complex needs
- Support, guidance and training from a highly skilled and experienced team
- Extensive clinical support including individual, class-based and whole team reflective practice
- Excellent salary and continuous professional development opportunities
Main duties of the job
To work with individuals/groups of children to support them to progress in academic learning and social and emotional development.
This may be through:
- Supporting classroom management in collaboration with the teacher and other members of the class team.
- Recognising barriers to learning and implement 'My Strategies' and to address this under the guidance of the class teacher and with other professionals.
- Implementing programmes and delivering specific pieces of work with letters and sounds / specific educational support programmes, under the guidance of the teacher or set by other professionals e.g. SALT/OT/EP.
- Being aware of the children's academic levels and specific learning needs through knowing Integrated Care Plan (ICP) targets and Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) objectives.
- To be fully informed of and to implement Integrated Care Plans in collaboration with the multi-disciplinary team.
- To develop children's ability to develop as 'learners' a good understanding of the children's learning abilities, and to support the working through of any difficulties relating to educational development and supporting access to the curriculum.
- To take a lead role in planning and delivering specific programmes and lessons as appropriate: these may be subject-based or may relate more generally to the social and personal development of children in Gloucester House.
About us
Gloucester House forms part of the Specialist Schools Service of the Tavistock Clinic and is managed by the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust. It is a specialist school and CAMHS team which provides education and clinical services for up to 21 pupils aged 5-14 years who have social, emotional and mental health difficulties, often alongside other learning difficulties such as specific language or literacy difficulties and sometimes more general learning difficulties. Baseline records show that all pupils are underachieving when they start at the Gloucester House. Many of the pupils who attend are from socially disadvantaged backgrounds, some of whom have experienced severe deprivation or trauma/abuse in their early lives. The pupils come from both inner and outer London boroughs.
Gloucester House aims to provide a safe and nurturing environment and an effectively integrated educational and therapeutic approach in order to promote the overall development of primary age and early secondary pupils with social, emotional, and mental health needs.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please see the attached Job Description and Person specification for more information on the role requirements and duties.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please see the attached Job Description and Person specification for more information on the role requirements and duties.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- GCSE (or equivalent) in English, Maths and Science
Desirable
- Achieved either the King's Scout Award / Queen's Scout Award, Queen's Guide Award, The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, participated in the National Citizen Service or obtained other qualifications showing broad and balanced skills.
- Additional training or professional learning in teaching or supporting young people in school (such as NVQ)
- Additional training or professional learning in supporting young people with complex needs or SEMH
- Higher degree or training
Experience
Essential
- Experience working with young people in an educational/vocational/clinical setting
- Experience of working with children with social, emotional, behavioural and mental health difficulties.
Desirable
- Experience leading/facilitating small group learning activities in a formal or informal educational setting (i.e. school, Scouts, religious groups, charity work, placements, youth clubs)
- Experience of working with young people with developmental trauma
- Experience of supporting the delivery of phonics and/or supporting the teaching of early literacy/numeracy skills
Skills
Essential
- Able to deliver engaging and motivating learning activities
- Able to relate to young people with SEMH needs
- Able to work as part of a multi-disciplinary team
- An understanding of child protection and safeguarding
- Ability to celebrate equity, diversity and inclusion in practice
- Able to use reflective practice effectively to help manage the considerable emotional impact of working at GH.
- Ability to use initiative and prioritise time efficiently
Desirable
- Knowledge of specific strategies to support learning
- Knowledge of strategies to support emotional regulation (i.e. Zones of Regulation, Emotional Literacy, PACE)
- Experience of working with young people to develop understanding of individual difference (for example work on race equity, LGBT+ inclusion, neurodivergence)
Personal Qualities
Essential
- An accepting, compassionate attitude towards others
- Empathic therapeutic presence and curiosity
- Emotionally robust, with an ability to stay stable under stress
- Understanding of your own lived experience and the relevance in work with young people with SEMH needs
- A good ability to play
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- GCSE (or equivalent) in English, Maths and Science
Desirable
- Achieved either the King's Scout Award / Queen's Scout Award, Queen's Guide Award, The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, participated in the National Citizen Service or obtained other qualifications showing broad and balanced skills.
- Additional training or professional learning in teaching or supporting young people in school (such as NVQ)
- Additional training or professional learning in supporting young people with complex needs or SEMH
- Higher degree or training
Experience
Essential
- Experience working with young people in an educational/vocational/clinical setting
- Experience of working with children with social, emotional, behavioural and mental health difficulties.
Desirable
- Experience leading/facilitating small group learning activities in a formal or informal educational setting (i.e. school, Scouts, religious groups, charity work, placements, youth clubs)
- Experience of working with young people with developmental trauma
- Experience of supporting the delivery of phonics and/or supporting the teaching of early literacy/numeracy skills
Skills
Essential
- Able to deliver engaging and motivating learning activities
- Able to relate to young people with SEMH needs
- Able to work as part of a multi-disciplinary team
- An understanding of child protection and safeguarding
- Ability to celebrate equity, diversity and inclusion in practice
- Able to use reflective practice effectively to help manage the considerable emotional impact of working at GH.
- Ability to use initiative and prioritise time efficiently
Desirable
- Knowledge of specific strategies to support learning
- Knowledge of strategies to support emotional regulation (i.e. Zones of Regulation, Emotional Literacy, PACE)
- Experience of working with young people to develop understanding of individual difference (for example work on race equity, LGBT+ inclusion, neurodivergence)
Personal Qualities
Essential
- An accepting, compassionate attitude towards others
- Empathic therapeutic presence and curiosity
- Emotionally robust, with an ability to stay stable under stress
- Understanding of your own lived experience and the relevance in work with young people with SEMH needs
- A good ability to play
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
