Higher Level Teaching Assistant
Walsall Studio School, Walsall, West Midlands, WS1 1RL8 days remaining to apply
Start date details
As soon as possible
Closing date
21 November 2025 at 11:59pm
Date listed
13 November 2025
Job details
Job role
- HLTA (higher level teaching assistant)
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Working pattern
- Full time: 37
Contract type
- Fixed term - 31/8/2026
Pay scale
- Grade 6 SCP 15-23 (£25,939 - £29,749)
What skills and experience we're looking for
Walsall Studio School & SixthFull-Time, Term Time Only | Fixed Term until 31.8.26Grade 6 SCP 15–23 (£25,939 – £29,749)Closing Date: Friday 21st November 2025
About Us
Walsall Studio School & Sixth is a deliberately small, forward-thinking school for 14–19-year-olds passionate about creative pathways in performance,music, and media. Our unique environment mirrors a modern creative workplace, with flexible studio spaces and industry-standard facilities. As part of The Mercian Trust, we are committed to inclusion, aspiration, and professional standards, treating our students as young professionals and supporting them to thrive both personally and creatively.
The Role
We are seeking a dedicated Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA) to join our team. This is a unique opportunity to make a real difference to students with social, emotional, and mental health needs, communication and interaction needs, and anxiety.
As HLTA, you will:
- Deliver high-quality, personalised support for students, including targeted small group and 1:1 interventions.
- Coordinate a small team of Teaching Assistants and Therapeutic Workers.
- Work collaboratively with teaching staff, the SEND team, external agencies, and parents/carers.
- Provide classroom and pastoral support, champion inclusion, and uphold safeguarding at all times.
Key Responsibilities
- Deliver and adapt interventions in line with student EHCPs.
- Support students in mainstream lessons, promoting independence and engagement.
- Lead, coach, and support a team of TAs and Therapeutic Workers.
- Act as a key adult for students, implementing trauma-informed and attachment-aware approaches.
- Liaise with parents/carers and external professionals to ensure coordinated support.
- Maintain accurate records and support statutory processes.
- Engage in ongoing CPD and contribute to the development of others.
About You
Essential:
- HLTA status or equivalent qualification/experience.
- GCSE English and Maths (Grade 4/C or above).
- Experience working with students with SEMH, anxiety, or communication needs.
- Experience leading interventions or small-group learning.
- Strong interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence, and the ability to lead a small team.
Desirable:
- Further qualification in SEND, SEMH, or Trauma-Informed Practice.
- Experience in specialist or alternative education settings.
- Ability to deliver CPD or in-role coaching to others.
For an informal conversation or to arrange a visit, contact Angela Lingard, Executive PA and Office Manager, at a.lingard@studio.merciantrust.org.uk.
The Mercian Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Safeguarding and Safer Recruitment Policies can be found on our website. This position is subject to appropriate vetting procedures including a criminal record check from the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly CRB) which will require you to disclose details of all unspent and unfiltered spent reprimands, formal warnings, cautions and convictions as part of the recruitment process.
What the school offers its staff
Our Offer to You
- A supportive, ambitious staff team and Trust network.
- Extensive professional development opportunities.
- Comprehensive employee benefits, including health plans and staff discounts.
- A dynamic, creative, and forward-thinking working environment.
Further information about the job
Commitment to safeguarding
Studio School & Sixth is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. A copy of the ‘Safeguarding Policy’ is available to view or download by logging onto the School website: https://walsallstudio.school/
This position is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service check (formerly CRB) under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Further details regarding this check are available from the school or by visiting www.crb.gov.uk.
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)Upload additional documents
If you need these documents in an accessible format, please contact the school.
About Walsall Studio School
- School type
- Free School, ages 14 to 19
- Education phase
- Secondary
- School size
- 185 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 14 to 19
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- School website
- Walsall Studio School website
- Email address
- lottie.fellows@merciantrust.org.uk
Studio School & Sixth is a specialist 14-19 non-selective school and founding member of The Mercian Trust.
Located in the heart of Walsall town centre, our unique small school and sixth form offers an immersive professional experience; supporting academic, vocational and personal excellence for students starting Year 10 or Year 12 who seek a creative and digitally rich curriculum.
Vocational learning is really important here, but it would be wrong to think that this means our students focus purely on practical work. There’s plenty of theory to learn and we strike a good balance between the academic and the vocational. Above all, we challenge our students to be the very best they can be in their chosen fields.
Back in the Renaissance, more than 400 years ago, ‘apprentices’ studied under the guidance of ‘masters’ and it’s this model that has influenced the way Studio Schools operate today. Of course, much has changed and now, thankfully, those ‘masters’ and ‘apprentices’ are just as likely to be women and girls as men and boys.
Studio School & Sixth has almost 300 such ‘apprentices’. It’s one of only a handful of Studio Schools in the country and opened its doors in 2013. Its students go on to universities, conservatoires and high-quality apprenticeships. The school focuses on the creative, health and digital industries, which means students have careers as paramedics, therapists, software engineers, actors, dancers, teachers and much else besides.
Arranging a visit to Walsall Studio School
To arrange a visit and increase the chance of a successful application email lottie.fellows@merciantrust.org.uk.
School location
Similar jobs nearby
Higher Level Teaching Assistant
Braidwood School for the Deaf
Bromford Road, Birmingham, West Midlands, B36 8AF
Get a job alert when similar jobs are listed
Find more school jobs in Walsall and West Midlands