Teaching Assistant

The Heath Academy Trust and St Mary’s CE First School & Nursery are seeking to appoint a Teaching Assistant for September 2026, who is committed to providing the best quality learning experience for our children in a personalised and exciting way. We need an enthusiastic, skilled and motivated professional to join our learning focused team and will consider a job share for this role. The successful applicant must enjoy working as part of a friendly and dedicated team.

The successful candidate must have high expectations of children’s learning and behaviour and should be enthusiastic, energetic and excellent learners. We need a creative team member to complement our staff and support our pupils. You must be committed to supporting throughout nursery and the first school age range and putting the needs of our children first in all aspects of the role. You will work under the direction of the class teacher, supporting our pupils to achieve the class learning expectations.

We are committed to ongoing improvement and provide continuous support for our staff with high quality CPD. The successful candidate will understand the importance of whole school continuity and progression across all areas of our provision. We welcome applications from applicants with a relevant Early Years NVQ3 qualification, if possible, although NVQ 2 or suitable relevant experience will be considered.

Further details about this role can be found in the job description and person specification included in this recruitment pack and more information about the school can be found on our website: www.stmaryswestmoors.orgVisits to the school are warmly welcomed and encouraged. Please contact our school office on 01202 874838 to arrange your visit or discuss the post further.

In line with Keeping Children Safe in Education, all applications must be completed via the online application form. CVs will not be accepted or considered. References will be sought for all candidates who accept the invitation to interview. Please ensure referees are able to provide a full reference rather than a standard statement of employment time. You should provide the email and telephone contact details for all referees - thank you.

The Heath Academy Trust are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to an Enhanced DBS check, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed for all applicants. As part of the safer recruitment check, online searches will be conducted for all shortlisted candidates. The search will be purely based on whether an individual is suitable to work with children. All aspects of social media and internet searches will be conducted. As care must be taken to avoid unconscious bias and any risk of discrimination, a person who will not be on the appointment panel will conduct the searches and will only share information if and when findings are relevant and of concern. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (2013 and 2020). This means that certain convictions and cautions are considered ‘protected’ and do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account. Guidance about whether a conviction or caution should be disclosed can be found on the Ministry of Justice website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-guidance-on-the-rehabilitation-of-offenders-act-1974