Our Teaching Assistants (TAs) play a vital role working alongside our class teachers to support our amazing students to fulfil their potential and to develop their independence skills. Staff may work with individual students or small groups to assist them to access our broad balanced, fun, relevant and functional curriculum.   Our students have a range of learning difficulties and needs, including some physical or sensory needs and sometimes students present with some challenging behaviours. 

Promoting good communication skills is a key element of the role; good spoken and written English skills are essential.  Some of our students require additional support and assistance; this may mean assisting students with personal care, helping to implement physiotherapy programmes or supporting students to understand and regulate their emotions and behaviours.    TAs supervise the students at lunch time and break times and play a key role in ensuring that the students are safeguarded and their welfare promoted. 

Working in a special school is a unique and privileged opportunity for the right people.  We advise interested parties to ensure they have looked at the school website and our Facebook Page - Official Woodlands Secondary School,  in order to get a flavour of our school.    

Benefits of working at Woodlands Secondary School

• An extensive induction training programme over a 12 month period. The training programme covers: safeguarding 

• Free access to Employee Assistance provided by Spectrum - this is confidential support 24 hours a day, 7 days per week

• Enhanced pension, employers’ contribution and death in service payment

• Opportunities to progress and develop your career

• Free tea and coffee

• Access to our on site cafe 3 days per week - sit in or take away, Loyalty cards available.  

• Opportunity to be entered into a half termly draw to win a cafe voucher - based on good attendance

• Access to onsite gym 

• Discounted membership rates at Active Luton 

• Free eye tests and contribution towards glasses (for those who work on computers)

Application form

When completing the letter of application, please ensure you address all the points in the essential column on the person specification when answering the questions.    Please do not use the assistance of AI (artificial intelligence) to generate your answers. Please refer to your own understanding and experiences to answer the questions.

Closing Date

The closing date for applications is 20th January 2025

Interviews

We will invite successful candidates into school to spend a day in classes as part of the interview process. These visits will take place prior to face to face interviews in the week beginning  20th July. Interviews will be on Monday 27th January 2025.

The school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff to share this commitment.

Applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service.

This post meets the definition of ‘Regulated Activity’ as defined in the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 (as amended).

Because of the nature of this job, it will be necessary for an enhanced DBS check to be undertaken. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare all unspent cautions and convictions; and also any adult cautions (simple or conditional), and spent convictions that are not protected as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020). A person’s criminal record will not in itself prevent a person from being appointed to this post. Applicants will not be refused posts because of offences which are not relevant to, and do not place them at or make them a risk in, the role for which they are applying. However in the event of the employment being taken up, any failure to disclose such offence, as detailed above, will result in dismissal or disciplinary action by the Authority.

 IT IS AN OFFENCE TO APPLY FOR A ROLE WORKING IN REGULATED ACTIVITY IF YOU ARE BARRED FROM WORKING WITH CHILDREN

PLEASE REFER TO ATTACHED POLICIES - Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy - Recruitment of Ex-Offenders Policy