Purpose of role: 

To supervise and provide support for pupils with special needs and disabilities, ensuring their safety and access to learning activities.

The post holder will complement the class teacher in delivering effective teaching and learning, proactively supporting the teacher in making sure that all pupils receive an appropriate and suitably challenging creative curriculum. You’ll assist the teacher in the behaviour management of pupils, and make sure that resources are used effectively.

You will also help ensure the safety, health and wellbeing of pupils, through the delivery of care, support programmes, interventions and therapies (including feeding, personal hygiene, mental health, physical health and behavioural) across lesson and non-lesson time.  

Formal training will be provided where necessary in specialist strategies, moving and handling, medical interventions, safeguarding, PREVENT, GDPR and Team Teach (de-escalation and physical intervention to support challenging behaviour). 

Working under the direction and guidance of senior staff, you’ll be expected to follow school policies, procedures and code of conduct. This will include but is not limited to; 

• ‘Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy’ in line with Part 1 of the statutory guidance in Keeping Children Safe in Education.  

• Supporting Children with Medical Conditions Policy’ including infection control policies and procedures including Bare Below the Elbows.  

• Acting in accordance with the Data Protection Act and maintaining confidentiality at all times e.g. access to staff, pupil, parent and carer files.  

Key accountabilities (and specific duties / responsibilities):

• Supervise and provide support for pupils with special needs and disabilities, ensuring their safety and access to learning activities.

• Work under the instruction/guidance of teaching/senior staff and the supervision of your line manager. Training and supervision relating to healthcare interventions will be provided by NHS professionals.

• Provide learning activities for individuals and groups of pupils under the professional direction and supervision of a qualified teacher, differentiating and adapting learning programmes to suit the needs of allocated pupils

• Be accountable for the support, progress and supervision of pupils within the scope of the role. The post holder will be accountable for compliance with all school policies and procedures within the scope of the role e.g. raising safeguarding concerns at the earliest opportunity and participation in school/NHS incident reporting protocols.

• Assess, record and report on development, progress and attainment as agreed with the teacher

• Monitor and record progress and attainment, drawing any problems which cannot be resolved to the attention of the teacher

• Assist with the implementation of individual pupils’ Education Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), Behaviour Plans, and NHS Care Plans – including meeting, personal hygiene, moving and handling, health, physiotherapy, eating and drinking, communication, sensory, de-escalation and physical intervention needs.

• Deliver health interventions deemed appropriate to the role in line with Appendix 1, delegated nursing tasks (based on Royal College of Nursing guidance).

• Respond appropriately to the pupils’ needs to ensure physical and emotional wellbeing, and social development, taking into account diversity e.g. language, culture, ability, race and religion.

• Adopt an adaptable and responsive approach to engage and motivate pupils and promote self-esteem.

• Prepare, create and maintain a purposeful, orderly and supportive learning environment to minimise barriers to learning. Take responsibility for the care, storage, preparation, maintenance, and use of equipment, including specialist resources such as communication, sensory, moving and handling, physiotherapy and medical equipment.

• Teaching Assistants in this role are expected to undertake at least one of the following:

• Provide specialist support to pupils with special educational needs, for example, learning,behavioural, communication, social, sensory or physical difficulties

• Provide specialist support to pupils with special educational needs, for example, learning,

• behavioural, communication, social, sensory or physical difficulties

• Provide specialist support to pupils where English is not their first language

• Provide specialist support to gifted and talented pupils

• Provide specialist support to all pupils in a particular learning area (e.g. ICT, literacy, numeracy,National Curriculum subject).

• Ensure familiarity with pupils’ pre-determined learning intentions and the school’s evidence recording system in order to proactively and accurately contribute to the assessment of pupil progress. Feedback constructively to pupils, the teacher and other relevant colleagues.

• Promote positive values, attitudes and responsible behaviour. Take full account of individual pupils’ needs and disabilities when responding to challenging behaviour. Ensure full familiarity with pupils’ Behaviour Support Plans in order to de-escalate potentially challenging behaviour at the earliest opportunity. Offer assistance promptly to colleagues whenever needed. Support with physical interventions whenever required following Team Teach training. Report incidents of challenging behaviour in line with the school’s policy and reporting systems.

• Encourage pupils to interact and work cooperatively with others and proactively endeavour to engage all pupils purposefully throughout the day.

• Liaise with parents and other partners as directed by teachers and senior staff. Communicate and where appropriate, establish constructive relationships with members of the public, other professionals and organisations to support achievement and progress of pupils. This includes teaching staff, parents/carers, governors, other professionals, Ofsted representatives and school reviewers.

• Gather/report information from/to parents/carers as directed, taking into account parental/carer concerns, dealing with them sensitively under the direction of the  teacher.

• Support pupils in the use of ICT in learning activities as directed by the teacher and develop pupil’s competence and independence in its use.

• Support teacher and other senior staff in the use of ICT for recording and reporting purposes e.g. uploading photographs and data input for Evidence for Learning assessment tool.
   

• Continue to promote learning and development during lunch and break time.
   

• Support pupils out of lesson times, including transport before and after school and at lunchtimes, accompanying teaching staff and pupils on visits, trips and out of school activities; taking responsibility for a group under the leadership of the teacher.

• Provide support for classroom colleagues through admin processes and resources, and work as partners with class teams by taking an active part in team meetings and planning discussions.

• Contribute to a positive safety culture. Put pupils first and their safety foremost.
   

• Carry out any other reasonable request as and when required.

• Professionally engage with training courses and opportunities provided either by the school or external providers e.g. NHS organisations, Team Teach, Moving and Handling. Cooperate fully with training schedules in order to keep skills, knowledge and certification up to date.

• Rigorously apply school policies and ensure procedures are followed including, but not limited to, policies and procedures relating to child protection, health, safety and security and confidentiality, reporting any concerns. 

• Follow Standard Operating Procedures (e.g. Missing Child Procedure and Emergency Services Procedure) and contribute to their review.

• Participate in your own performance development, identify and address any training needs/other learning activities and active engagement with your line manager.

• Contribute to school life and the overall vision, values and guiding principles of the school and Trust.

Note: whilst we’ve tried very hard to outline the main responsibilities and duties of the post, the above is not an exhaustive list of responsibilities. A document such as this does not permit every item of the day-to-day role to be specified in detail, particularly as this will vary depending on the specific needs of the pupil(s) you are working with.

Also, roles will naturally evolve and job descriptions will be reviewed with jobholders and updated periodically to reflect this. 

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