EAL Teaching Assistant
Thistley Hough Academy, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST4 5JJ27 days remaining to apply
Start date details
September 2026
Closing date
7 June 2026 at 11:59pm
Date listed
11 May 2026
Job details
Job role
- Teaching assistant
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Key stage
- Key stage 3, Key stage 4
Working pattern
- Full time
Contract type
- Fixed term - 9 months - Maternity or parental leave cover
Full-time equivalent salary
- £25,989 - £28,142
Pay scale
- Grade 5 points 6 – 11
What skills and experience we're looking for
- Good reading, writing, and maths skills, with GCSEs at grade C/4 or above (or equivalent).
- The ability to build positive, professional relationships with children from a range of cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
- Confidence working independently and as part of a team.
- Clear, friendly communication skills when working with students, parents, and staff.
What the school offers its staff
Health Assured
EAP
Bike2Work
Professional Development
LGPS
VivUp Discounts
Discounted Gym Memberships
Professional Fees
Further information about the job
Are you ready for a dynamic role where every day brings new challenges and rewards? Do you have a passion for helping students thrive and reach their full potential? Thistley Hough Academy is seeking a dedicated and compassionate Teaching Assistant to join our supportive team.
Job Title: Teaching Assistant(EAL)
Location: Thistley Hough Academy, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire
Salary: Grade 5 points 6 – 11: £25,989 - £28,142 per annum (£22,351 - £24,203 actual salary).
Start Date: September 2026
Contract Type: Full-time, fixed term until May 2027
Working Pattern: 37 hours, term-time + 1 week (39 weeks total)
.Application Closing Date: 7thJune 2026
Interview Date: Week commencing 8th June 2026
Please note: We review applications as they are received. Successful candidates may be invited to interview before the advertised closing date, and the vacancy may close early if a suitable appointment is made. Early applications are strongly encouraged.
About You:
Thistley Hough Academy is seeking a supportive and empathetic Teaching Assistant for English as an Additional Language (EAL) to help create an inclusive learning environment where students who are developing their English skills can thrive. In this varied and rewarding role, you will work closely with teachers and the EAL team to support students both in the classroom and through targeted language interventions.
Each day will bring new opportunities to make a meaningful impact, using your initiative to help students build confidence in their English communication skills and access the wider curriculum. You will support small group and one-to-one language work, contribute to engaging and inclusive lessons, and help monitor students’ language development and progress. Building positive relationships with students, staff, and families will be central to the role. Strong communication, organisation, and a proactive attitude are essential, alongside a genuine passion for helping learners succeed academically, socially, and emotionally as they develop their English proficiency.
Our ideal candidate will have:
- Good reading, writing, and maths skills, with GCSEs at grade C/4 or above (or equivalent).
- The ability to build positive, professional relationships with children from a range of cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
- Confidence working independently and as part of a team.
- Clear, friendly communication skills when working with students, parents, and staff.
About the EAL Team:
The EAL Team at Thistley Hough Academy is a dedicated and inclusive group of professionals committed to supporting students who speak English as an additional language. The team works collaboratively to remove language barriers and ensure all students feel welcomed, valued, and able to fully access school life.
Drawing on a wide range of skills and experiences, the team provides both classroom-based and targeted language support, while also offering pastoral guidance to help students settle and succeed. A strong culture of collaboration, ongoing training, and professional development makes the team a supportive and rewarding environment in which to grow and make a lasting difference.
About Thistley Hough Academy:
Thistley Hough Academy is a vibrant, inclusive, and high-performing secondary school in Stoke-on-Trent. Proudly celebrating our best-ever GCSE results in 2025, we are one of the city’s highest achieving non-selective schools.
Significantly oversubscribed, our success reflects expert teaching, high expectations, and a culture of kindness. Our core values, Respect, Resilience, and Responsibility are central to everything we do.
We offer a broad, ambitious curriculum in a disruption-free environment, supported by passionate staff and a strong sense of community. As part of the Creative Education Trust, we benefit from a collaborative network committed to excellence.
Recognised by Ofsted as a ‘Good’ school, we nurture the whole child, academically, socially, and emotionally, and build strong partnerships with families and the wider community. Join us in shaping a school where every child is empowered to reach their full potential. To find out more please visit our website.
About Creative Education Trust:
Creative Education Trust is a growing network of 17 schools, educating over 13,500 children and young people across England. Since 2010,we’veworked in partnership with communities to deliver an education that inspires ambition, promotes equity, and unlocks opportunity for every learner.
We believe every child has talent, every community has strength, and every school can be a place where excellence thrives. Our curriculum is rich, broad, and inclusive - designed to build knowledge, nurture creativity, and prepare students for the future.
We are united by a shared purpose: to transform lives through education. Our schools are places where students feel safe, supported, and empowered to lead their own lives with confidence. Through collaboration, high expectations, and purposeful leadership, we ensure that success is both expected and achieved - together.
Visit our Trust website to explore how we support our staff and discover more about our mission, values, and opportunities.
Ready to Join Us?
Submit your application directly through our website. We warmly welcome visits to our school, and if you'd like to arrange a visit or confidential conversation with the Line Manager, our friendly HR/Recruitment team is here to help. Reach out to us at hr@thistleyhoughacademy.org.uk, and we'll be delighted to assist you. Want to stay connected? Join our Talent Pool here and be the first to hear about future opportunities.
Essential Information:
Creative Education Trust (CET) is committed to Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our children and young people by keeping them safe, we expect all our colleagues to share in this responsibility.
All shortlisted candidates are subject to online checks prior to interview.
The CET Recruitment Policy follows the guidance set out by Keeping Children Safe in Education, where all offers of employment are subject to an Enhanced DBS Check, separate Barred List Check, References and whereappropriate aProhibition from teaching search.
This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974.
CET is committed to developing,maintaining, and supporting an inclusive culture and environment for the benefit of its employees and the communities it serves.
Commitment to safeguarding
Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff, volunteers and trustees to share this commitment.
Our recruitment process follows the keeping children safe in education guidance.
Offers of employment may be subject to the following checks (where relevant):
childcare disqualification
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
medical
online and social media
prohibition from teaching
right to work
satisfactory references
suitability to work with children
You must tell us about any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.
Applying for the job
Apply for the job by following the link below.
CVs will not be accepted for this application.
View advert on school website (opens in new tab)Additional documents
If you need these documents in an accessible format, please contact the school.
About Thistley Hough Academy
- School type
- Academies, ages 11 to 16
- Education phase
- Secondary school
- School size
- 1095 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 11 to 16
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- School website
- Thistley Hough Academy website
- Email address
- hr@thistleyhoughacademy.org.uk
Welcome to Thistley Hough Academy – a community school in the heart of Penkhull, Stoke-on-Trent. Our academy prides itself on its warm and welcoming ethos in which every student is valued as an individual. This is an important part of our identity and this ideology will always remain at the heart of our work. As an academy we believe passionately in supporting all students to achieve their absolute best.
Thistley Hough was first opened in 1938 and over the last seven decades scores of local children have been successfully educated at Thistley Hough. We are proud of our history and we remain dedicated to the same vision - to provide the best possible education for local children of all backgrounds, abilities and beliefs. Over 35 languages are spoken at Thistley Hough and we value and respect all faiths and cultures.We believe in celebrating success and we want our students to be recognised for the amazing things that they achieve. I have very high expectations of our academy and I am clear that all students must be aware of exactly what is expected of them.
In order to be an outstanding academy it is my belief that there are several key things that we must ensure are in place every single day:
• Quality teaching, academic support and enrichment that delivers excellent results and engages students
• The highest expectations of behaviour, uniform and student conduct in order to create a calm and productive working environment
• Outstanding and fully inclusive pastoral care and academic guidance
• Provision tailored to the personal needs of all students as individuals so that they may all achieve personal excellence.
You can be assured that we are relentlessly focused on achieving these goals. We believe passionately in working closely with our community in order to ensure that every one of our students is cherished and nurtured. We want to work in partnership with all stakeholders to ensure success for our current students whilst continuing to strive for an outstanding school of the future.
Arranging a visit to Thistley Hough Academy
To arrange a visit and increase the chance of a successful application email hr@thistleyhoughacademy.org.uk.
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