Job Title                  EYFS Teaching Assistant

Employment Status:    Permanent

Working Hours:                  37 hours per week, term time plus 5 inset days

Actual Salary:            Grade 3 £22,314 - £23,393

Full time equivalent salary:   Support Staff Pay Scale Grade 3 - FTE £25,185- £26,403

Required:                 As soon as possible

Location:                 Whittle Academy, Coventry

About the role

We are seeking to appoint a nurturing and enthusiastic EYFS Teaching Assistant to join our friendly and supportive early years team. The successful candidate will play a vital role in supporting the learning, development, and wellbeing of our youngest children, helping to create a safe, stimulating and inclusive environment where every child can thrive.

The school has a very friendly, lively ethos, a committed staff and offers great opportunities for professional development.

We are looking for someone who:

• ·         Has a relevant Teaching Assistant Qualification
• ·         Has a good standard of education including English & Maths (GCSE/Level 2)
• ·         Has excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• ·         Has experience working within a classroom setting and with Early Years pupils
• ·         Has experience working with EYFS
• ·         Can work on their own initiative and also work well as part of a team
• ·         Is an excellent role model

All staff are expected to know what to do if they have concerns about a child, take on the responsibility for providing a safe environment and promoting children’s welfare, undertake regular safeguarding and child protection training and, familiarise themselves with KCSIE part 1 and local policies and procedures as directed by the trust/academy.

At interview, candidates will be asked for photo identification and where applicable proof of qualifications. The Appointment is subject to DBS enhanced clearance plus 2 suitable professional references.

About us

We are a vibrant and happy one-form entry school, sustaining ‘Good’ when visited by Ofsted in January 2024. Pupils are a credit to the school and are excellent ambassadors. They are right to be proud of their school. Parents say that Whittle Academy is a very special place. As part of the Inspire Multi-Academy Trust, we work in close partnership with Walsgrave CE Academy, Whittle Academy, Hearsall Community Academy, Stockingford Academy and Blue Coat C of E Academy. The links between the schools are both stimulating and supportive, enabling us to share best practice though collaborative working.

Why work for us?

A career at Inspire Education Trust offers a rewarding future, with the opportunity to make a real impact on the lives and outcomes of our young people. We work hard to provide an environment which places staff wellbeing at the forefront of the agenda, as well as providing ample opportunities for personal and professional development.

As such, we offer a portfolio of benefits designed to enhance and support the working lives of our staff. These include, but are not limited to:

• A highly supportive and committed senior leadership team
• Employee Assistance Programme which offers 24/7 confidential advice and support on a range of matters and free access to accredited counsellors
•   A focus on staff wellbeing including a network of wellbeing champions and a supportive working environment.
• Opportunity to join a committed and forward-thinking team of staff.
•  Employee Benefits platform providing staff access to a range of benefits such as shopping discounts

How to apply:

All applications must be received electronically via our My New Term page:  https://www.ietrust.org/vacancies/

If you have any queries about the post, please email whittle.admin@whittleacademy.org

Closing date:    9am Friday 16^th January 2026

Interview date:  Monday 26^th January 2026

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and appointments will be subject to rigorous safeguarding checks including enhanced DBS and references. The postholder must share our commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Candidates who have been successfully shortlisted will be asked to complete a self-declaration to confirm any (non-protected) criminal disclosures or information that would make them unsuitable to work with children.  

The post is exempt from the rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020. Which means 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. Further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS filtering guide.

We aim to recruit the very best staff and welcome those from all backgrounds, communities and faiths (including non-faith individuals). Inspire Education Trust is clear about its responsibilities in embracing diversity and ensuring we recruit people of a high calibre based on their skills, abilities, and experience. As such, we welcome applications from a diverse range of candidates.

Following recommendations from Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) for an additional pre-employment check, with effect of 1^st September 2022, please note an online search may form part of this recruitment process.

The role of EYFS Teaching Assistant will be classed as regulated activity. Any offer of employment will be conditional until satisfactory completion of all mandatory pre-employment checks. It is an offence to apply for this role if barred from engaging in regulating activity relevant to children.