Higher Level Teaching Assistant - East Site

Springwell Leeds Academy, Leeds, LS10 3JA

13 days remaining to apply

• Closing date

  18 May 2026 at 9am

• Date listed

  5 May 2026

Job details

• Job role:
  • Teaching assistant
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Working pattern: Full time
• Contract type: Fixed term
• Full-time equivalent salary: £29,712.00 - £31,377.00 Annually (Actual)

Higher Level Teaching Assistant - East Site job summary

Springwell Leeds Academy

East Site

1:1 Higher Level Teaching Assistant

Temporary 1 year post (in the first instance)

Salary: Point 23-25 (Full time 39 Weeks)

(FTE: £34,434 - £36,363 Actual: £29,712 - £31,377)

• Do you want to make a real difference to some of the most vulnerable students in the city?

• Work at a new bespoke SEMH provision?

• Be part of the 45 million pound wider development of the academy across the city?

• Move away from the restrictions of a mainstream pathway?

• Have a passion to develop individuals with a more flexible curriculum than mainstream?

Role Type: 1:1 Specialist Support

Are you ready to move beyond the traditional classroom and make a profound, life-changing impact on a young person's future? We are seeking a creative, compassionate, and driven HLTA to join our nurture-based school.

This isn't just a support role; it’s an opportunity to become a consistent anchor for a vulnerable student, guiding them through a bespoke educational journey built on trust and innovation.

The Opportunity

At Springwell Leeds, we prioritise well-being and connection over rigid systems. Following a primary-based nurture model, you will act as a dedicated tutor for a specific pupil who could be based in KS2, 3 or 4. These posts are reviewed annually as they are funded posts from the local authority to support pupils in line with the provisions identified in section F of their EHCP.

You will work hand-in-hand with specialist teachers to design and lead activities that don't just tick boxes, but actually spark engagement and joy in learning.

New Dimensions to the Role: Depending on the skill-set and experience of the candidate, this role could extend beyond the school gates. You may work one-to-one within the community, supporting your pupil as they navigate the real world. This involves:

• SEMH Development: Building emotional resilience and self-regulation in diverse environments.

• Physical Well-being: Encouraging active lifestyles.

• Life Skills: Empowering the student with the practical tools they need for independence.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead with Creativity: Take the reins on subjects like PSHCE and pastoral support, or co-teach alongside specialists to make academic content accessible and exciting.

• Advocacy & Engagement: Develop bespoke campaigns, events, and courses specifically designed to increase your student’s participation and confidence.

• Full Pastoral Ownership: Act as the primary point of contact and mentor, ensuring your student feels safe, seen, and supported.

Why Join Us?

• A Stepping Stone to Teaching: This is the perfect environment for those looking to transition into a teaching career. You’ll gain "front-line" experience in curriculum delivery and pastoral management.

• Comprehensive Investment: We don’t expect you to know everything on day one. We provide full, specialist training to ensure you are confident in both academic delivery and SEMH support.

• Pure Impact: Get back to the heart of why you entered education: to play a significant, visible part in a child’s holistic development.

This position would suit a candidate with a proven track record of being an advocate and supporting the learning of vulnerable pupils with social, emotional and mental health difficulties (SEMH). It would suit an individual who is passionate about making a real difference to student’s life chances and supporting them in achieving their potential in essential life skills, which is a high priority for Springwell Leeds. The ability to be creative and use imaginative flair to engage is essential, along with having resilience, drive and high expectations to inspire students to achieve. As we are a growing Academy with a teacher training school in the trust, it may also provide an opportunity for further opportunities in the future.

If you would like to discuss or find out more about this post, please contact Emma Dodsworth e.dodsworth@springwellacademyleeds.org

To apply please submit an application through My New Term outlining why you feel your experience makes you a strong applicant for this exciting opportunity, highlighting areas in which you have shown impact.

Wellspring Academy Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our pupils. All posts are offered subject to enhanced DBS checks. References will be requested and an online search carried out for shortlisted candidates, prior to attendance at interview.

Further pre-employment checks, including prohibition from teaching, childcare disqualification and section 128 checks, if deemed relevant for the role, will be completed for the successful candidate upon acceptance of the post.

As you will be working with children, this post requires you to undertake regulated activity. It is an offence to seek to work in regulated activity with a group with which you are barred.

We are committed to equal opportunities and to promoting diversity. We want our people to reflect the diversity of our communities, and we welcome applications from people from all backgrounds, especially from under-represented groups, including those from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.

If you are currently living overseas or have lived / worked overseas in the last five years please be aware that you will be required to provide an overseas criminal records check from the country/ countries you have resided in, if you are the preferred candidate for the post.

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

Springwell Leeds is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

All candidates successfully selected for interview are required to complete a self-disclosure form.

The amendments to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 provides that when applying for certain jobs, certain convictions and cautions are considered ‘protected’. This means that they do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account.

Guidance about whether a conviction or caution should be disclosed can be found on the Ministry of Justice website.

Applying for the job

This school accepts applications through their own website, where you may also find more information about this job.

CVs will not be accepted for this application.

About Springwell Leeds Academy

• School type: Academies, ages 5 to 16
• School size: 345 pupils enrolled
• Age range: 5 to 16
• Ofsted report: View Ofsted report
• School website: Springwell Leeds Academy website
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/springwell-leeds-academy

Springwell Leeds Academy is a special school for children with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs.

We are located on three sites accross the city of Leeds in Middleton, Seacroft and Tinshill - check job details for where each role is based.

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