Teaching Assistant: Primary

About Us

Chobham Academy is always on the lookout for inspirational and influential staff. Most of all, we are on the lookout for potential colleagues who like our students and want to help them succeed. In order to help our staff have the best possible experience and achieve a proper work- life balance, we have put into place a range of measures to benefit both our teaching and students services colleagues.

These include:

• An extra week of holiday for all Chobham staff. This takes the form of a two-week half term in October. We work fewer days than most other schools.
• Outstanding professional development both at Chobham and through the wider Harris Federation
• Excellent promotion opportunities
• A constant dialogue about workload and how to manage it most effectively. We have regular workload audits, and frequent campaigns to tackle unnecessary work and identify quick wins
• Rapid and effective support with any student behavioural issues arising
• A high-quality staff induction programme
• Marking protocols devised by departments themselves
• Manageable and flexible lesson planning expectations
• Clear communications and manageable deadlines. We only ask staff to do what is necessary and avoid complication and confusion. Chobham is an exceptionally well-run school
• Learning walks rather than formal lesson observations. These are not graded
• Nursery on site
• Flexible and part time working encouraged whenever possible
• Additional time for leadership responsibilities
• Focus on effective outcomes rather than time spent
• High levels of administrative support for all teachers
• Ongoing celebration of staff excellence
• Generous Harris rewards and benefits package, including an extra £2000 annually for all teachers working in our Academy.

We place high emphasis on staff wellbeing at Chobham. This helps colleagues to be happier and more effective in their work. Staff are regularly consulted about their wellbeing and the outcomes of these consultations have a direct and rapid impact upon the Academy's approach to supporting staff wellbeing.

We understand that while it is incredibly rewarding, teaching is also a physically and emotionally wearing job. We want Chobham teachers to be as fit and fresh as possible and to know that the school as a community really cares about how they are. We have tried to put these principles into practice with a number of initiatives which we think give Chobham teachers one of the best wellbeing packages to be found anywhere.

These include:

• A meeting free week every half term
• An extra week of holiday with a two-week half term in the Autumn
• A late start or early finish for every teacher on one day each week
• A staff mindfulness programme led by trained colleagues and supported by a free mindfulness app
• Subsidised gym membership
• Staff fitness and exercise classes
• Guest speakers on wellbeing
• Regular special events such as comedy nights
• The 'Perkbox' package of financial benefits
• Staff discounts at shops and restaurants in the local area
• Access to the Harris Federation's staff counselling service

Our staff are regularly consulted on the wellbeing services the school provides and we always try to respond to staff suggestions. In this way, staff feel empowered and get more of the services they really want. We are very proud of our wellbeing programme at Chobham and hope you will agree that it shows our commitment to making the school an exemplary working environment.

Main Areas of Responsibility

As Teaching Assistant, your responsibilities will include:

• Supervising and supporting identified children in 1:1, group or whole class situations, ensuring their safety and access to learning
• Assisting in the development of appropriate resources, schemes of work and teaching strategies, working with the teacher to ensure the provision supports each identified child's learning needs
• Assisting in evaluating identified children's progress through agreed assessment activities
• Providing detailed and regular feedback to teachers on children's achievement, progress and needs
• Leading small group sessions and interventions as appropriate

Qualifications & Experience

We would like to hear from you if you have:

• Qualifications to degree level or equivalent
• Experience of working directly with young people in an education or training environment, supporting the learning of students
• Experience of establishing and maintaining positive working relationships with a range of stakeholders, at all levels
• Experience of managing and being responsible for own workload

For a full job description and person specification, please download the Job Pack.

Professional Development & Benefits

Our people are at the heart of our success. We have developed a strong culture of collaboration and best practice, with professional development and career planning at its centre. We invest in our staff with support, coaching, mentoring, and a wide range of top-quality training programmes delivered at every level.

In addition to the opportunities for career development and progression, we also offer a competitive rewards and benefits package which includes our Harris Allowance for teachers on MPS/UPS, a Performance and Loyalty Bonus, Pension Scheme with generous employer contributions, a Wellbeing Cash Plan and many other benefits. Learn more about our benefits on our website.