Teaching Assistant at Christchurch Junior School

Start date:               ASAP (subject to pre-start checks)

Contract term:        Fixed term contract until 22 July 2026

Working hours:       Part-time 30.33 hours per week

                               Monday to Friday from 8.30am – 3.10pm

Weeks per year:     School term-time and INSET days

Grade:                    5

Salary range:          Support staff salary points 5-6

(per annum)            £25,583 to £25,989 (FTE)

                                £18,040 to £18,326 (pro-rata)

Location:                 Christchurch Junior School

We are looking for candidates who wish to pursue a career in education. The successful candidate will be responsible for supporting a range of pupils across the school. The role will include 1:1 support, small group and class-based support.  

The working hours are Monday to Friday from 8.30am – 3.10pm, to include a 20-minute lunch duty normally with a specific child.

About our School

Christchurch Junior School is a large, popular community school, which caters for almost 500 children aged between 7 and 11 years. The children spend four years here. The classes are organised in year groups hosting four classes each. We are an inclusive school and welcome children from all walks of life and all faiths. The children enjoy excellent facilities in modern premises. Our facilities include two halls, two libraries with computer technology, a multi-purpose room where cooking, art and science can be taught, and a specialist Music Room.

Our vision:

We will do all that is possible to enable pupils to reach the highest levels of academic achievement, staying true to our school values of Belonging/Achieving/Growing.

This will be achieved through a truly broad curriculum which provides rich experiences and by engaging fully with our community.

Children will graduate into secondary education as motivated young people who have maintained a love of learning.

We are a member of Twynham Learning – a growing multi-academy trust of ambitious infant, junior, primary and secondary schools serving our community. Our aim is to offer this generation of children, young people and those involved in their education the very best leadership, teaching and learning, professional development and support services.

Who we are looking for

We are looking for outstanding individuals who will relish the opportunity to:

• use their knowledge and understanding of strategies to support children with ASD/SEMH needs
• run small intervention groups away from the classroom following suitable training and guidance from class teacher or SENDCO
• support children to regulate emotions and behaviour so that they can access learning
• support groups of children in their learning, e.g. clarifying and explaining instructions; motivating; encouraging independence
• undertake learning activities with children of varying abilities to ensure scaffolding and access to the curriculum
• provide pastoral support for children
• share in the values of our school and Trust
• apply their deep understanding of English and Mathematics
• be adaptable and work as part of the team at Christchurch Junior School
• be committed to delivering excellence for the pupils they support and overcoming barriers
• support first aid during break times
• be committed to professional development
• share a passion for education
• promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young people in accordance with the school’s Safeguarding and Child Protection policies

What we can offer you

• an opportunity to work with wonderful children and their families
• automatic membership of the Dorset Local Government Pension Scheme
• free, confidential access to our Employee Assistance Programme, which offers a range of counselling services plus financial, legal and practical support from qualified professionals on a range of personal issues and access to online health and wellbeing resources
• a trust-wide intranet, where we share our news, information and resources
• local discounts negotiated on behalf of our staff e.g. gym memberships, hair and beauty salons, chiropractic care, cycle shops, restaurants, motoring services, and retail/DIY stores
• access to national discounts on a wide variety of huge brands
• a welcoming staff room with complimentary tea and coffee available throughout the day
• free on-site parking
• the opportunity to work within Twynham Learning; a progressive multi-academy trust
• the opportunity to work in one of the most beautiful areas of the South Coast

We would love to hear from you if you:

• have GCSE Grade C in English, Maths and Science, or equivalent
• have NVQ Level 2 or 3 / BTEC in Learning Support
• have experience of pupils who have additional or special education needs
• have knowledge and understanding of other types of needs such as dyslexia, speech and language, ADHD and development co-ordination disorder (desirable – not essential)
• knowledge and understanding of a range of strategies to support such as: emotional coaching, PACE approach, comic strip conversations, zones of regulation and social stories (desirable – not essential)

You will also be keen to live our Twynham Learning employee values which are:

• aim high
• keep improving
• don’t leave anyone behind
• see the bigger picture

Any questions?

To discuss the post or your application, please contact [email protected]

How to apply

To apply for this vacancy, please submit a Job Application Form and Diversity Questionnaire by email to: [email protected]  

Only applications made using our own official application form will be accepted. You can download the form and questionnaire here:  www.twynhamlearning.com/187/staff-vacancies 

The closing date for applications is Friday 6 March 2026 at 8am.

Christchurch Junior 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.

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

Christchurch Junior 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.