Teaching Assistant - Westfield Arts College

Westfield Arts College

Casual Teaching Assistants required immediately

DCC JE post XS10.5S Grade 4, £13.05 per hour

We are looking for casual Teaching Assistants to join our team.  Candidates must want to play a full part in the life of the school and enjoy working as part of a friendly and dedicated team.   Successful candidates must be adaptable and be able to support our pupils within the classroom or in small groups.  You will be expected to work across  all age ranges (4-19).  Elements of the role will involve supporting the personal care and medical needs of pupils.

Understanding a therapeutic approach to managing the needs of our pupils is essential to our Teaching Assistant roles and it is expected that the successful candidate will engage in appropriate training.

 Westfield is a highly regarded 4-19, 234 pupil Dorset special school. All pupils have moderate/complex learning difficulties and more than half have a diagnosis of ASD. The successful candidate will be joining a vibrant and successful school. They will also receive the full support of an exceptionally committed and skilful staff team.  Ofsted judged us as outstanding in February 2023.

Westfield is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be required to have an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check in line with the Government’s safer recruitment guidelines.  We value the diversity of our workforce and welcome applications from all sections of the community.

Job description and application forms are available via the Dorset Council Jobs website.   

Further information about Westfield can be found at www.westfield.dorset.sch.uk

Closing Date:  Friday 27 February 2026

Interview Date:  Tuesday 10 March 2026

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.