EAL Lead Practitioner

An exciting opportunity to help us build something new

3 days per week | Flexible working pattern | Term time only | Salary: Up to Grade 14 (£30,515 pro rata) dependent on experience and qualifications.

At Forest View Primary School, we want every child and every family to feel that they belong.

As the number and diversity of children joining our school who use English as an Additional Language continues to develop, we want to go further than simply helping children access their lessons. We want to understand the whole child, build meaningful relationships with their families and help children develop the language, confidence and sense of belonging they need to flourish.

We are therefore creating our New Roots Hub and are looking for an exceptional EAL Lead Practitioner to help us bring this vision to life.

This is not a traditional Teaching Assistant role.

You will work alongside our Assistant Headteacher for Inclusion to help establish and develop our EAL provision across the school. You will support newly arrived and existing EAL pupils to integrate successfully into their classrooms, develop their English and participate fully in school life, while working alongside teachers and teaching assistants to strengthen classroom provision.

But the role goes beyond the classroom.

You will build strong relationships with parents and carers, taking time to understand families' circumstances, experiences and aspirations. You will help families understand our school and education system, connect them with appropriate services and opportunities, and help create a genuine bridge between home, school and the wider community.

Some days you might be helping a newly arrived child become confident in their classroom. On another, you could be developing resources for teachers, meeting a family who are new to the area, supporting a small language group, contacting a local service, or planning the next stage of the New Roots Hub.

We therefore need someone who is comfortable with a role that is varied, developmental and proactive.

We are looking for someone who:

• has a Level 3 Teaching Assistant qualification or equivalent or is willing to complete the qualification;
• understands children and how they learn;
• ideally has experience of working with pupils who use EAL or knowledge of language acquisition;
• has the empathy and interpersonal skills to establish trusting relationships with children and families;
• is proactive, organised and confident working on their own initiative;
• is curious about different languages, cultures and experiences;
• is able to work sensitively with families whose experiences may be very different from their own;
• believes strongly in inclusion and has high expectations for every child;
• enjoys developing new ideas and turning them into effective practice.

Above all, we are looking for the right person: someone who sees the potential in children and families, enjoys building relationships and is excited by the opportunity to help shape a new area of provision from the beginning.

In return, you will join a supportive school and Inclusion Team and have a genuine opportunity to influence how our EAL provision develops.

If you are an excellent Teaching Assistant looking for your next challenge, already work in EAL or inclusion, or have experience that you believe would enable you to make a difference to our children and families, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Visits to the school are warmly encouraged.

For further information or to arrange a visit, please contact: admin@forestview.gloucs.sch.uk