Early Years Teaching Partner: Part Time

Barton Park Primary School

OX3 9WN

Grade 4, 17.5 hours per week, permanent role, start September 2026. Possibility of additional hours working in our wrap-around care (breakfast or after school club) is welcomed. 

Role Profile: Early Years Teaching partner (Teaching assistant)

Salary: Grade 4 (Part-Time, Permanent )

Location: EYFS (Nursery class initially, with future scope for Reception)

Are you ready to make a real difference where it matters most?

At Barton Park, we serve a vibrant, wonderfully diverse community. Many of our children face the challenges of social deprivation, meaning that the support, language, and care they receive in our Early Years setting truly shapes the trajectory of their lives.

We are looking for a dedicated Teaching Partner who understands that early years education is about so much more than just "looking after" children. It is about unlocking potential through high-quality interactions, building communication skills, and closing the gap for disadvantaged pupils.

Whether you are an experienced practitioner looking for a new challenge, or someone looking to start their career in education with a passion to learn, we want to hear from you. If you have a natural instinct for connecting with children, a non-judgmental attitude, and the drive to become an expert in early childhood development, we will provide the training to get you there.

We are also seeking someone who is able to offer additional support in our breakfast or after school clubs. If you are able to offer additional hours on a regular or flexible basis, this would be beneficial to your application, but not essential. 

Key Responsibilities & Attributes:

• Elevate Early Learning: Work closely alongside the class teacher to cultivate a rich, inspiring environment where all children are encouraged to thrive, discover, and learn. You will help utilize our exceptional indoor and outdoor facilities—including our kitchen garden—as intentional spaces for cognitive and linguistic growth.

• Impact Through Interaction: Deliver consistent, patient, and high-quality interactions that respect the unique developmental pace of each child, while establishing clear boundaries and high expectations. You will focus heavily on creating a language-rich environment, using everyday moments to explicitly expand vocabulary for all children, including those with EAL or speech delays.

• Team Collaboration & Growth: Work as an integral part of a dedicated, passionate Early Years team. You will be given tailored training, mentorship, and ongoing support to help you succeed in this vital role. In return, you will have a strong desire to further your own professional development and will be expected to attend occasional out-of-hours CPD sessions to rapidly develop your pedagogical skills.

• Nurture and Support: Bring a deep desire to help young children thrive in school through patience, consistency, and a developing understanding of early childhood development. You will learn to use co-regulation strategies to support children experiencing the effects of trauma or deprivation, ensuring our classroom remains an inclusive, non-judgmental space for all.

Flexible Working: We value work-life balance and are committed to attracting the best talent. This is, therefore, a part time role that fits in with an existing part time contract. There is some flexibility within this to find the right hours to suit the right candidate.  

What skills / experience are required?

Experience or Passion for EYFS: Experience working with EYFS/primary-aged children and those with SEND is highly desirable, but a genuine, demonstrable desire to learn the pedagogy of early childhood development is essential.

Interaction & Initiative: The ability to use your initiative in the moment to ensure learning opportunities are sought alongside the child, turning spontaneous play into high-quality language and learning moments.

Inclusive Mindset: A good foundational understanding of how children learn, alongside a deep appreciation for the importance of inclusion for all children, regardless of their background or starting point.

Commitment to Professional Growth: A strong desire to further your own professional development through targeted training. You will be eager to learn and committed to attending out-of-hours CPD sessions to rapidly improve your practice and support the specific needs of the children in your care.

Qualifications: A recognized TA qualification such as an NVQ 2 for Teaching Assistants (or equivalent) is desirable, but not essential if you have the right drive, aptitude, and willingness to train.

Core Personal Attributes: A flexible, resilient approach to your work, paired with a patient, deeply non-judgmental attitude.

Teamwork & Problem Solving: A natural problem-solver and collaborative team-player who will contribute positively and energetically to our small, dedicated staff team.

Safety & Compliance: Knowledge of, and strict compliance with, policies and procedures relevant to child protection, safeguarding, and health and safety.

What we can offer

Our school is new and growing each year. It is popular within our local community: our nursery, reception and KS1 classes are oversubscribed and have waiting lists. Parents speak highly of the opportunities we provide the children and our wonderful new facilities. We have developed a forest school site locally, and have an emergent orchard and wildlife area onsite, as well as a fabulous outdoor EYFS area, including a kitchen garden. Our 6 values are embedded in all we do and our children are welcoming and keen to learn. You would join a small, motivated and dedicated team of professionals, serving a newly opened school at the heart of a growing community. 

Education has the power to change lives, communities and society for the better. At RLT we believe that we can achieve more for our pupils, trainees, staff and communities by working together rather than alone. Schools in RLT are united by a common belief in the benefits of working together, and by our commitment to shared principles.

OUR VISION is for our schools and SCITT to improve rapidly, continuously and sustainably: to be better faster together.

OUR ‘WHY?’ is that children and young people ‘only get one go’ in school and therefore as part of RLT we aim to ensure the best possible ‘go’ for our pupils.

OUR ‘HOW?’ is through the highest support and challenge for our schools and each other, underpinned by our principles.

Our employees benefit from a wide variety of support including extensive  continuing professional learning and development opportunities, wellbeing and staff networks and access to Defined Benefit Pension Schemes (TPS and LGPS) for all staff. For more information on what it is like to work for the Trust, and the benefits you could access, please see our “Working in RLT” guide.

This role includes regulated activity relevant to children. 

If you would like to have a confidential conversation with Bryony McCraw, headteacher, about the role, prior to application, then please email office@bartonparkprimary.org or telephone 01865 415800.

The River Learning Trust and Barton Park Primary School are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and preventing extremism.   The Trust is required to conduct a variety of checks and online searches about you as part of their recruitment process in accordance with Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance. It is an offence to apply for certain roles within schools if you are barred from engaging in regulated activity relevant to children.

For all RLT Safer Recruitment Documentation candidates should click on the following link RLT Safer Recruitment Documents for Candidates. Please see our website for up to date policies including our Child Protection and Behaviour Policies. 

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020. For further guidance for applicants click on this link List of offences that are not filtered