Personal Learning Assistant - Fast Hire

Our Purpose at The Alice Smith School

According to the words of our school song: ‘Soon there were two, who were joined by a few’. Alice Smith started a movement with just two people. That single brave act sparked a positive chain reaction. She inspired other families to join her on her journey, creating a nurturing environment for generations of learners and a home away from home for thousands of families.

In that same vein, we keep the Alice Smith spirit alive by building a nurturing community that encourages our students to explore the world with courage, curiosity and compassion. 

To build a better world together.

Our purpose is embedded through our three strategic pillars:

Our People

We are a diverse collective of experts and curious minds, working together to push the boundaries of education to lead learning for an ever-changing world.

Our Students

We encourage students to explore different paths with courage and curiosity, in an environment that empowers them to make an impact as their best self.

Our World

We are a supportive, connected community that innovates, explores and learns together.

The Opportunity 

The Personal Learning Assistant (PLA) is engaged as an external provider (not employed by the Alice Smith School) and will work under the guidance of the class teacher and Special Education Needs Coordinator (SENCo) and within an agreed system of supervision, to implement confirmed work programmes with an individual student in and out of the classroom. This could include those requiring detailed and specialist knowledge in particular areas and will involve assisting the teacher in the whole planning cycle and the management/preparation of resources. The primary focus will be to maintain safety, promote independence and to keep a student on task.

Responsibilities/duties:

Support for Students

• To support student development and promote independence in a safe, secure, challenging environment 
• To support the learning of the individual as identified in Individual Education Plan (IEP)/Individual Targets/Individual Behaviour Program (IBP), act as a role model and setting high expectations
• To encourage the student to interact and work cooperatively with others 
• To observe, record and support the development and progress of the student to identify individual needs and difficulties and to feedback their progress and achievement to the class teacher and SENCo
• To promote the inclusion and acceptance of the student 

Support for Teacher 

• To input ideas to and follow the plans set by the class teacher/SENCo for the daily/ weekly programme of lessons, activities and events in order to support students 
• To liaise with other professionals to ensure an appropriate learning environment 
• To promote home school partnerships 
• To listen, support and discuss issues sensitively with parents and carers under the SENCo’s supervision and to participate in feedback sessions/meetings with parents 
• To monitor and evaluate student responses to learning activities through observation and planned recording of achievement against pre-determined learning objectives 
• To be responsible for keeping and updating records as agreed by the teacher, contributing to reviews of systems/records/as required 
• To provide general clerical support, e.g. make visuals, procedure resources for agreed activities 
• To promote self-control and independence 

Support for the Curriculum 

• To prepare, plan and manage activities to ensure the student is fully involved 
• To develop independence in the student so he/she can access learning opportunities

Support for the School 

• To promote the policies and ethos of the school, e.g personal and social and promote positive values, attitudes and good pupil behaviour, dealing promptly with conflict and incidents in line with established policy and encouraging pupils to take responsibility for their own behaviour 
• To supervise the student on outings and visits as appropriate and if required
• To attend relevant staff meetings as required 
• To be aware of and comply with policies and procedures relating to child protection, health, safety and security 
• To be a proactive member of the school and class team 
• To establish constructive relationships and communicate with other agencies/professionals in liaison with the SENCo, to support achievement and progress of the student
• To attend relevant courses and learning activities in order to update knowledge as appropriate 
• To treat all information relating to a pupil as strictly confidential, and to be aware of and comply with school policy and practice, receiving training where necessary from the school 

Safe Recruitment Practices:

As a school with a diverse collective of experts, we uphold recruitment protocols that adhere to the highest possible international standards. We conduct thorough pre-employment checks on candidate references and verify qualifications. If you require further information regarding the School's 'Pre-Appointment Checks,' please liaise with our People and Culture representative, as the process may vary for individuals of different nationalities.

We prioritise the careful scrutiny of checks as they are essential in ensuring a safe and secure environment for our students. By maintaining stringent recruitment practices, we aim to provide a nurturing and protected learning environment for all our students.

The duties and responsibilities of this post may vary from time to time according to the changing demands of the school. This job description may be reviewed at the reasonable discretion of the Head of School and school leadership in the light of those changing

requirements and in consultation with the post holder.

Selection Criteria 

• Degree in Education or Psychology preferable but not essential
• Good communication skills, fluent in both oral and written English 
• Flexibility, able to think on the spot 
• Friendly nature, empathetic and willing to adapt to support the student 
• Willing to work from 7.30am-3.30pm