Teaching Assistant

Key Dates

Final date to receive applications: 10/07/26

Interview Date: W/C 13/07/26

Compass Community School Willow Dean is an independent specialist school providing high-quality, therapeutic and child-centred education to boys and girls from 6 to 17 years of age in Halifax, West Yorkshire.

Our children come from a wide range of backgrounds, but all have Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs (SEMH). Many will also have other Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) such as Autism, ADHD, and communication difficulties.

The work we do is both varied and challenging and, as a trauma and attachment-informed organisation, all staff are provided with extensive therapeutic training and support.

Our closely triangulated approach places the child at the centre of decision making, ensuring that education and therapy professionals, parents/carers, local authority teams and, most importantly, our students can work together to secure outstanding outcomes for all.

TAs at our school know that no two days are the same and that no two children are the same either. Our children require very special adults who can support children with complex and challenging behaviours.

They will know that our children require lots of attention, just the right sort of communication, consistency and flexibility in equal measure, and a non‑judgemental approach. They need to be resilient, persistent and solution‑focused to meet the needs of our children and to do so they need to wear a lot of hats and be prepared to change them at a moment’s notice!

Our Teaching Assistants may:

• support teachers in the classroom
• work with children 1:1 or deliver sessions with small groups of students
• manage classroom resources
• take children on trips and visits
• have their lunch with children who struggle socially
• manage heightened behaviours and keep children safe
• play board games
• conduct science experiments
• make amazing displays
• celebrate success
• be part of therapy sessions or reflect on difficult periods

• Competitive salary
• Extensive training and professional qualification opportunities
• Small class sizes with specialist TA support
• The chance to be part of an expanding, national organisation that recognises skill, effort and potential and grows its own leadership teams
• Enhanced occupational sickness scheme
• Flexible pension
• Regular therapeutic and supportive supervision
• Employee benefit service with access to wellbeing services, salary sacrifice schemes, high‑street vouchers, and money off eating‑out and takeaways

Compass Community Schools are highly committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All staff will be expected to hold or be willing to obtain an Enhanced DBS check or an Enhanced check for Regulated Activity with the Disclosure & Barring Services and undergo due diligence checks on social media use.

All school‑based staff have the responsibility for promoting the safeguarding and welfare of children. All school staff should be aware of the school’s Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy and work in accordance with this document at all times.

Compass is an equal‑opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Applicants should be resilient, persistent, solution‑focused and able to adapt to changing demands while maintaining a non‑judgemental approach to children with complex behaviours.