Learning Support Mentor - Shaftesbury Primary School

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About The Role

We are looking to appoint an outstanding Learning Support Mentor with energy, enthusiasm and a love for working with young people to join our school. The post is part-time, working Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 1.30pm. This role will be largely SEN focused and is a wonderful opportunity to join a school within a Trust with great potential, some real strengths and the ability and desire to develop further.

Main job purpose:

• To assist the Principal/Headteacher/SENCO to promote individual pupils' academic, social and emotional development through the development and implementation of programmes of pupil work and support and in the provision of a stable, caring and supportive learning environment; to enable the pupil(s) to achieve their full learning potential and facilitate their personal, academic, social and moral development.
• To supervise and support pupils who are engaged in learning activities during the short-term or unforeseen absence of their usual class or subject teacher. Such work will have been set in accordance with the school policy.
• Have high expectations of all pupils and respect for their social, cultural, linguistic, religious and ethnic backgrounds.
• To be deployed on a daily or short-term basis to cover the short-term absence of a teacher. Deployment may therefore change on a daily basis. To work as part of a team to help the development of the effectiveness of this role.
• To work with individual students or small groups of students outside the classroom to enable them to enable them to overcome a range of barriers to learning.

Main responsibilities and duties:

• Work with selected pupils or small groups of pupils outside the classroom situation.
• Develop 1:1 mentoring arrangements with pupils which enable the pupil to agree plans and targets to move forwards
• Provide information and advice to enable pupils to make choices about their own learning/behaviour/attendance
• Provide support to pupils to enhance their emotional health and well-being (EHWB)
• Help pupils to follow individual Education Plans where appropriate
• Challenge and motivate pupils
• Promote and reinforce self-esteem
• Act as a positive role model
• Liaise with parents/carers as appropriate
• Network with other learning mentors, teachers and professionals, e.g. educational psychologist
• Take sole charge of a group or class of pupils in the short term or unforeseen absence of their usual teacher.
• To escort pupils to school or parental transport, home or to hospital as necessary and/or support in the integration/re-integration of the pupil
• To develop an understanding of and provide for pupils' specific personal needs to ensure a safe learning environment. This may include providing some direct personal care, support and assistance to the pupil in respect of toileting, eating, mobility and dispensing medication.
• To work with pupil groups, using a range of strategies to gain acceptance and inclusion of pupils with special educational needs.
• Support pupils' access to learning using appropriate strategies, resources etc.
• Provide feedback on pupil's progress as required
• Maintain records as agreed with other staff, contributing to reviews as requested
• Assist in the implementation of strategies, before, during and after school, to promote positive behaviour and attitudes
• Implement agreed learning activities/teaching programmes, adjusting activities according to pupil responses/needs
• Be aware of and appreciate a range of activities, courses, organisations and individuals to provide support for pupils to broaden and enrich their learning
• To assist in the preparation for educational visits, and where appropriate accompany/supervise students undertaking off-site activities.
• Registering attendance in accordance with school policy.
• Maintain accurate student attendance and lateness records on the SIMS Net Attendance Module on a daily basis.
• Follow up student absences and lateness by In-touch/telephone or other means, on a daily basis with guidance from relevant colleagues, making appropriate referrals.
• To supervise pupils using cloakrooms, showers and toilet facilities. Supervise pupils in playgrounds and when entering and leaving using school transport.
• Responsible for supervising the activities of pupils during the midday sessional break within school, including both indoor and outdoor areas, ensuring a safe environment is maintained at all times.
• To prepare the dining areas in preparation for student meal times including setting up and taking down of furniture.
• To undertake first aid training where required and undertake first aid duties.
• To attend and contribute to school staff meetings and in-service training within contracted hours or outside normal hours by agreement.
• To contribute to the process of school self-review.
• To liaise with parents and other professional agencies in support of pupils' needs.
• To assist in the supervision of Standard Assessment Tasks and tests / assessments as directed.
• To adhere to and execute school policies and procedures where appropriate.
• Under the direction of the Head teacher/Principal/SENCO and/or individual teaching staff, to assist in the development of Individual Education Plans (IEPs) for pupils with special educational needs and contribute to IEPs.
• Promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young people in accordance with the school's safeguarding and child protection policy.
• Contribute to the implementation of the National and/or Foundation Curriculum and specific individual pupil targets and/or group targets.

Knowledge and skills

• Know and behave in a way that shows an understanding that positive and encouraging relationships with children and adults is the foundation to helping them be successful.
• They must have achieved a qualification in English/literacy and mathematics/numeracy e.g. GCSE Grade C or equivalent.
• Have secure IT skills with the ability to not only apply these skills to a range of software but also use these skills confidently to create patterns of work or routines to solve problems or complete tasks more efficiently.

Working Environment

• Most of the working day is spent standing, with periods of crouching / bending to engage pupils in activities.
• There may be an occasional need to physically lift pupils such as for safety or care needs and occasional unpleasant conditions relating to pupils' personal hygiene needs.
• A normal school environment, with a variety of learning environments including classrooms and specialist areas, although the job holder may be involved in external school activities, such as swimming and educational visits.
• The key responsibilities and duties sets out the area of work in which duties will generally be focused, and gives an example of the type of duties that the post holder could be asked to carry out.

PLEASE NOTE that this is for guidance only. Post holders are expected to be flexible and may be required to operate in different areas of work/carry out different duties as may be reasonably assigned by the Principal/Headteacher.

Further Information

Should you wish to arrange a visit to view the school, please do not hesitate to contact Jamie Paul, Office Manager at [email protected] or on 01747 852901.

SAST will conduct online searches of shortlisted candidates. This will be part of safer recruitment 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 be on the appointment panel will conduct the searches and will only share information if and when findings are relevant and of concern.

Safeguarding responsibilities associated with this role may include engagement in regulatory activity, such as administering first aid or supporting an upset child. It will have contact with young people on a day-to-day basis. SAST is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will have to meet the person specification, and the post is subject to safeguarding checks, including an enhanced DBS check and Children's Barred List check. The post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020.

SAST recognises the benefit of having a diverse workforce and is committed to building a workforce which reflects diversity from the communities it serves. SAST values the contributions from all staff from a wide range of different backgrounds and actively seeks to promote an environment that is free from discrimination and harassment and at the same time supports fair promotion and cultural acceptance. Under the provision of the Equality Act 2010 SAST welcomes applications from everyone and operates a recruitment process which is fair and does not discriminate against or disadvantage anyone because of their age, disability, gender reassignment status, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race or nationality, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

This role is UK- based and your right to work will need to be established as part of the appointment process.

About Us

Shaftesbury CE Primary School is an exciting and innovative school. We are perched 215 metres above sea-level, riddled with history and a beautiful place to be! Our school is very much part of the local community - we have strong links with the Church; we have wonderful support from the Governing Body, parents, a band of volunteers from the community and our PTA. We are committed to excellence in education and aim to INSPIRE children's imaginations through a range of engaging and challenging learning experiences within a Christian environment.

At Shaftesbury we truly believe in educating the whole child and giving the children as many opportunities and learning experiences as we possibly can in all subjects, whether they are creative, practical or sports as well as academic, so that we can equip them for life in our modern world.

There are currently 340 children on roll in our school. We have two-form entry and currently have 14 classes through the school - including mixed provision classes in Years 4/5.

As leaders, recruiting is a great opportunity to develop our staff and we are keen to make sure that we get the very best person for the job. The interview process will be designed to help us achieve this. We are looking for someone with a real passion who will contribute to continuing the school's journey to excellence.