Teaching Assistant - St Joseph's Primary

30 hours per week

We are seeking to appoint a Teaching Assistant to support children with specific needs within the classroom and in the playground. Due to the nature of the children’s needs, some physical assistance will be needed to meet the child’s daily needs, full training will be given.

The successful candidate will need to:

• Appreciate the impact of complex needs on a children’s well-being and learning
• Be able to follow direction but also use their initiative
• Be an enthusiastic, well organized and committed member of staff
• Have a calm patient manner
• Have good personal organization and be flexible and positive in their approach with strong interpersonal skills.
• Foster positive relationships with all members of the school community.

Experience of working with a child with SEN needs would be an advantage, however full training will be given.

The successful applicant must undertake an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check prior to appointment.

This job is offered on a permanent basis.

Approximate start date - November

Visits to the school are warmly welcomed. For more information about the role or to arrange a visit please contact the Headteacher, Mrs. N O'Donoghue on

St Joseph's 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.

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

The 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.

St Joseph's Catholic Primary is a two form entry, friendly school situated in Parkstone.

The Governors and staff aim to create a caring and very secure place to learn, a place where children are encouraged to thrive and develop into young people, in a school community where learning, both academic and personal, will continue regardless of age, ability level, race, gender or physical disability.

We are proud of the high standards we achieve in reading, writing and mathematics and of the excellent music provision and the many sporting opportunities we offer to our children.