Specialist Teaching Assistant (BSL)

Specialist Teaching Assistant (Supporting Hearing Impairment and Delivering Learning, BSL)

We are looking for an empathic, enthusiastic and hard-working individual to join our school.

This Teaching Assistant role involves supporting a child who has a hearing impairment.

It is very important to us that we get the right person for this role. We are looking for someone trained in British Sign Language (Level 2 or Level 3).

The hours of work will be 8.30am until 3.15pm, Monday to Friday, with a 30 minute break for lunch.

Responsibilities will include:

• Supporting the pupil’s access to the curriculum and participation in the life of the school by communicating in Sign Supported English (using BSL Level 2).
• Supporting the pupil to play and communicate with peers.
• Supporting other staff and children within the school to use Sign Supported English.
• Providing support as agreed with the class teacher and the Teacher of the Deaf. This may include pre-teaching support to ensure the pupil has the necessary knowledge and familiarity with the vocabulary and concepts used in the lesson. It may also involve post-teaching to check understanding, and reinforce key learning points.
• Supporting the pupil in following instructions.
• Using praise, assistance and encouragement to motivate the pupil and to help them stay on task.
• Providing constructive feedback to the teacher on how the pupil has responded to the lesson.
• Supporting the development and implementation of the pupil’s individual learning plan.
• Liaising with a range of professionals, including the Teacher of the Deaf, the Specialist Speech and Language Therapist, and the Deaf Inclusion Worker.
• Liaising with parents so that school and home are working together.
• Managing the pupil’s specialist equipment.

Liaising closely with the class teacher to ensure the content of the curriculum is known and is able to be signed to the child to enable them to be fully included in all aspects of school life and the school day.

This is a fixed term post to assist with provision of the special educational needs of a pupil and is subject to their continued attendance at the school and/or the result of any review of their special needs.

Please see the job description and person specification for further details of the post.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

This role requires a DBS disclosure.

This role requires the ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence and fluency in English.

Online searches may be done as part of pre-recruitment checks.

This ‘regulated activity’ post is subject to a satisfactory enhanced DBS disclosure, a Disqualification by Association check and other rigorous safe recruitment procedures. Failure to disclose important information may lead to dismissal if discovered at a later date. Offer of appointment for the successful candidate will be conditional upon receipt of satisfactory references.      

Please complete a Support Staff application form which can be found on our website Montgomery Primary School | Exeter.

Please send your completed application form back to Lisa Shepherd lshepherd@montgomery.school by the closing date. Please call on 01392 285240 if you have any questions.