EAL Lead Practitioner

Forest View Primary School, Cinderford, Gloucestershire, GL14 2QA

33 days remaining to apply

• Start date details

  As soon as possible

• Closing date

  4 November 2026 at 11:59pm

• Date listed

  2 October 2026

Job details

• Job role:
  • Teaching assistant
  • Pastoral, health and welfare
  • Other support role
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Key stage: Early years, Key stage 1, Key stage 2
• Working pattern: Part time: 19 hours per week, Monday to Friday. Hours can be worked flexibly to suit the needs of the role.
• Contract type: Fixed term - Until 31st August 2027, may be extended beyond this.
• Pay scale: Up to Point 14 (£30,515 Pro-Rata) dependent upon experience and qualifications

What skills and experience we're looking for

An exciting opportunity to help us build something new

3 days per week | Flexible working pattern | Term time only | Salary: Up to Grade 14 (£30,515 pro rata) dependent on experience and qualifications.

At Forest View Primary School, we want every child and every family to feel that they belong.

As the number and diversity of children joining our school who use English as an Additional Language continues to develop, we want to go further than simply helping children access their lessons. We want to understand the whole child, build meaningful relationships with their families and help children develop the language, confidence and sense of belonging they need to flourish.

We are therefore creating our New Roots Hub and are looking for an exceptional EAL Lead Practitioner to help us bring this vision to life.

This is not a traditional Teaching Assistant role.

You will work alongside our Assistant Headteacher for Inclusion to help establish and develop our EAL provision across the school. You will support newly arrived and existing EAL pupils to integrate successfully into their classrooms, develop their English and participate fully in school life, while working alongside teachers and teaching assistants to strengthen classroom provision.

But the role goes beyond the classroom.

You will build strong relationships with parents and carers, taking time to understand families' circumstances, experiences and aspirations. You will help families understand our school and education system, connect them with appropriate services and opportunities, and help create a genuine bridge between home, school and the wider community.

Some days you might be helping a newly arrived child become confident in their classroom. On another, you could be developing resources for teachers, meeting a family who are new to the area, supporting a small language group, contacting a local service, or planning the next stage of the New Roots Hub.

We therefore need someone who is comfortable with a role that is varied, developmental and proactive.

We are looking for someone who:

• has a Level 3 Teaching Assistant qualification or equivalent or is willing to complete the qualification;
• understands children and how they learn;
• ideally has experience of working with pupils who use EAL or knowledge of language acquisition;
• has the empathy and interpersonal skills to establish trusting relationships with children and families;
• is proactive, organised and confident working on their own initiative;
• is curious about different languages, cultures and experiences;
• is able to work sensitively with families whose experiences may be very different from their own;
• believes strongly in inclusion and has high expectations for every child;
• enjoys developing new ideas and turning them into effective practice.

Above all, we are looking for the right person: someone who sees the potential in children and families, enjoys building relationships and is excited by the opportunity to help shape a new area of provision from the beginning.

In return, you will join a supportive school and Inclusion Team and have a genuine opportunity to influence how our EAL provision develops.

If you are an excellent Teaching Assistant looking for your next challenge, already work in EAL or inclusion, or have experience that you believe would enable you to make a difference to our children and families, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Visits to the school are warmly encouraged.

For further information or to arrange a visit, please contact: admin@forestview.gloucs.sch.uk

What the school offers its staff

Choosing where to work is about much more than choosing a job. It is about finding a school where you share the values, believe in what it is trying to achieve and feel that you can make a difference.

At Forest View, we want our staff to enjoy coming to work, feel valued as professionals and know that their contribution matters.

Make a difference - Our children are at the heart of every decision we make. Working at Forest View gives you the opportunity to make a genuine difference, helping children to achieve, grow in confidence and believe in what they can become.

Be supported to succeed - We have high expectations of our staff because we have high expectations for our children. Alongside this, we want colleagues to feel supported, trusted and valued, with access to high-quality professional development, coaching and opportunities to grow.

Grow with us - Whether you are beginning your career or bringing experience to Forest View, we want you to continue developing. Being part of the Forest of Dean Trust provides further opportunities to collaborate, share expertise and develop professionally across our family of schools.

Be part of a team - Strong relationships matter here. We value collaboration, honesty and mutual support, and believe the best outcomes for children are achieved when staff work together, share ideas and learn from one another.

Have a voice - Forest View is a school that continues to learn and develop. We value the experience, ideas and expertise of our staff and encourage colleagues to play an active part in shaping and improving our school.

Pension Scheme - We support staff in planning for their future through membership of the appropriate public sector pension scheme:

• Teachers are eligible for membership of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS).
• Support staff are eligible for membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).

Both schemes provide valuable pension benefits alongside employer contributions.

Professional Development - We want every member of staff to continue to learn and develop. Staff benefit from:

• Supported professional development pathways
• At least five INSET days each year
• Access to Level 5 and Level 7 qualified coaching
• Opportunities to collaborate and develop across the Forest of Dean Trust
• Opportunities to develop expertise and take on additional responsibilities

Staff Benefits and Wellbeing - Our wider staff offer includes:

• Competitive, benchmarked salaries
• Family-friendly policies
• Flexible working arrangements where appropriate to the role
• Access to Perkbox, our employee benefits platform, including discounts, online medical appointments and employee recognition
• Access to the Blue Light Card discount scheme, where eligible

Flexible working opportunities

This post includes flexible working arrangements allow the successful candidates to manage their own time during the week to complete their contracted hours. This may sometimes be dictated by the complexities of the role or work around family or personal commitments.

Further information about the job

The candidate will be required to undergo a full enhanced DBS check and must be eligible to work in the UK.

Visas cannot be sponsored.

If you're interested in teaching or training to teach in England as an international citizen, we can help you understand your next steps.

Commitment to safeguarding

Forest View Primary School and the Forest of Dean Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Appointment will be subject to the school's safer recruitment procedures, including appropriate pre-employment checks, a social media check and an enhanced DBS check.

Applying for the job

Apply for the job by following the link below.

CVs will not be accepted for this application.

Additional documents

If you need these documents in an accessible format, please contact the school.

EAL Lead Practitioner Recruitment Pack.pdf - 8.14 MB (opens in new tab)

About Forest View Primary School

• Organisation type: Academy, ages 4 to 11
• Education phase: Primary school
• Size: 365 pupils enrolled
• Age range: 4 to 11
• Ofsted report: View Ofsted report
• Website: Forest View Primary School website
• Email address: admin@forestview.gloucs.sch.uk
• Phone number: 01594 822241
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/forest-view-primary-school-cinderford

Children at the heart of every decision


At Forest View, we put children at the heart of every decision we make.


We believe that every child is unique, capable and deserving of the opportunity to succeed. We value each individual within our school community, celebrate their achievements and encourage them to recognise what they can achieve through effort, curiosity and determination.


Our expectations are high because we believe in our children. We want them to enjoy coming to school, to be proud of what they achieve and to develop the knowledge, skills, confidence and character they need for the future.


Above all, we want every child to become a Forest Venturer and to:

Try. Learn. Lead the Way.


These three words capture what we want for every child at Forest View.

Try means having the confidence and courage to take on new experiences and challenges, even when success is not guaranteed.

Learn means being curious, working hard, thinking deeply and understanding that mistakes and challenges are an important part of becoming better.

Lead the Way means developing the confidence, independence and character to make positive choices, set a good example and make a difference to others.


We want our children to understand that learning is a gift and that, with the right opportunities, encouragement and support, everyone has the right to succeed.

What we want for our children


Working in partnership with parents, carers and our wider community, we want every child at Forest View to:

• enjoy school, develop a love of learning and be excited by new experiences;


• become confident and increasingly independent learners;


• achieve the highest academic standards of which they are capable;


• develop their individual talents and interests, whether creative, scientific, technological, sporting, social or cultural;


• develop the confidence and self-awareness to understand themselves and make positive choices;


• understand how to lead safe, healthy and fulfilling lives, supporting both their physical and mental wellbeing;


• recognise that everyone should be treated with fairness, dignity and respect;


• understand their responsibilities towards other people and the community around them; and


• leave Forest View ready and excited for the next stage of their education.

Excellence and opportunity for everyone


We are ambitious for our children and for the community we serve.


We want to ensure that a child's circumstances never limit their aspirations or opportunities. Our aim is not simply for children to make progress while they are at Forest View, but for them to develop the knowledge, confidence and ambition that will allow them to make choices about their own futures.


We recognise that children do not all learn in the same way or start from the same point. Through high-quality teaching, appropriate adaptation, support and challenge, we work to ensure that every child can access learning, experience success and make strong progress.


Our curriculum is shaped by the children and community we serve while providing the breadth, ambition and knowledge children need to understand the wider world. We combine high academic expectations with engaging learning and rich experiences that encourage children to ask questions, explore ideas and discover their individual strengths.

Our values


At the heart of Forest View are two core values:

Kindness and Resilience


We believe these provide strong foundations for learning and for life.

Kindness helps children understand the importance of their words and actions, value others, build positive relationships and contribute to their community.

Resilience gives children the confidence to persevere when something is difficult, learn from setbacks, adapt to challenges and keep moving forward.


Alongside kindness and resilience, we explicitly promote and celebrate:

Honesty • Tolerance • Cooperation • Invention • Courage


These values are not simply words displayed around our school. We want children to understand them, recognise them and demonstrate them through their actions. They are strengthened through our curriculum, assemblies, relationships, expectations and the many opportunities children have to contribute to school life.

Preparing children for life beyond Forest View


Our values sit alongside the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.


Through their everyday experiences at Forest View, children learn to listen to others, respect different viewpoints, understand rights and responsibilities, make positive choices and contribute to the communities of which they are part.


Ultimately, we want every child to leave Forest View as a successful learner and a confident, responsible young person who is well prepared for the next stage of their education.


We want them to leave knowing that they can face new challenges, learn from their experiences, show kindness towards others and have the confidence to make a positive difference.

We want every child to leave Forest View ready to Try, Learn and Lead the Way.

Arranging a visit to Forest View Primary School

To arrange a visit and increase the chance of a successful application email admin@forestview.gloucs.sch.uk.

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