Communication Support Worker (BSL) - The Prince of Wales School

Join Our Team at The Prince of Wales School – Where Every Voice Matters

At The Prince of Wales School in Dorchester, we pride ourselves on being a truly inclusive, values-driven community. Rooted in the belief that every child deserves to thrive, we are a forward-thinking mainstream primary with a proud record of supporting pupils with complex needs, including those who are Deaf.

We are currently seeking a part-time (12 hours per week, afternoons only) Communication Support Worker (CSW) with BSL qualifications (minimum Level 3, ideally Level 6) to work 1:1 with a Year 2 pupil who is profoundly Deaf. This is a fixed term role working 39 weeks (term time plus inset days) Dorset Grade 9 Pay award pending.

This is a meaningful role, with the potential to transform a child’s experience of education—both academically and socially—while also shaping our whole school culture to become even more Deaf-aware and inclusive.

What You Will Gain

Joining our team means joining a close-knit school with a collaborative ethos and a deep commitment to professional development. You’ll have the opportunity to:

• Make a lasting impact on a young learner’s access to language, learning, and relationships.

• Influence whole-school practice by upskilling staff in BSL and promoting Deaf-friendly strategies.

• Be part of a school that champions equity, respect, and the celebration of diversity through our #InspiredToLearn approach.

• Access ongoing training opportunities, local networks and multi-agency working to enrich your practice and career.

You will be supported by a passionate SENCO, an experienced and nurturing class team and the wider leadership team who place high value on inclusion and child-centred practice.

About the Role

As our Communication Support Worker, you will:

• Translate classroom talk and learning into British Sign Language, providing live access to teaching across the curriculum.

• Support the child’s receptive and expressive signing within a rich, spoken language environment.

• Modify and clarify language for better understanding and emotional wellbeing.

• Foster a strong sense of Deaf identity and promote emotional literacy through positive, respectful interactions.

• Work with teaching staff, parents, and external agencies to ensure consistent and holistic support.

Beyond this individual support, you will play a key role in helping our school become a model of inclusive practice. This includes running a signing club, offering informal training to staff, and contributing to whole-school celebration of Deaf culture.

Our Vision for Inclusion

This role is central to our commitment to creating a school where all pupils can:

• Be heard

• Be included

• Be celebrated for who they are

We believe that Deaf pupils should not only be able to access the curriculum—but should feel valued and empowered to thrive. As a CSW in our school, you won’t just be supporting a pupil—you’ll be shaping the culture of an entire community.

The Prince of Wales School values the diversity of our workforce and welcomes applications from all sectors of the community.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people; this is a commitment which we expect all staff and volunteers to share. The successful candidate will be required to have a Disclosure and Barring Service check in line with the Governments safer recruitment guidelines.

The pro rata salary shown is based on the number of hours and weeks worked and includes appropriate paid annual leave and bank holiday entitlements.

The salary quoted is the annual salary for the position at the time of advert. The salary will be paid in equal monthly instalments and will be adjusted at the start of employment and again if leaving part way through the school year to ensure the correct salary is received for the work completed in an academic year.

This role is UK based and your Right to Work will need to be established as part of the appointment process.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974. The amendments to the ROA 1974 (Exceptions Order 1975, (2013 and 2020)) provide that when applying for certain jobs and activities, certain spent convictions and cautions are ‘protected’, so they do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account. The MOJ’s guidance on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the Exceptions Order 1975, provides information about which convictions must be declared during job applications and related exceptions and further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS filtering guide.

Keeping Children Safe in Education

The school will conduct online searches of shortlisted candidates. This check will be part of a safeguarding check, and the search will purely be 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 on the appointment panel will conduct the searches and will only share information if and when findings are relevant and of concern.