Higher Level Teaching Assistant

Westfield Academy, Watford, Hertfordshire, WD18 6NS

24 days remaining to apply

• Start date details

  ASAP

• Closing date

  23 February 2026 at 11:59pm

• Date listed

  23 January 2026

Job details

• Job role:
  • Teacher
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Working pattern: Part time
• Contract type: Permanent
• Full-time equivalent salary: £27,254.00 - £29,540.00 Annually (FTE) Pro Rata salary for hours and weeks worked

Higher Level Teaching Assistant job summary

Job description

Job title:

Higher Level Teaching Assistant

Grade:

Grade: H5

Scale point range: points 9-14

Salary range: £27,254 - 29,540 (FTE)

Pro Rata salary for hours and weeks worked

Hours / weeks:

32.5 hours / week, term time only, plus 5 INSET Days

Contract type:

Permanent

Reports to:

SENCo

Job purpose

• To support the education of named student(s) in order to help him / her to overcome barriers to learning and to achieve his / her potential.

• To contribute to the overall ethos, work and aims of the Academy.

Main responsibilities

• Helping the student(s) to access the content of lessons and to respond to tasks given.

• Contributing to curriculum differentiation which takes into account student’s needs and difficulties.

• Helping to promote the development of the student’s literacy and numeracy skills so that he / she can achieve his / her potential in both.

• Monitoring & developing the student’s attention, listening and concentration skills.

• Monitoring the student’s social communication and interaction and to implement actions that will promote positive development in these and integration with his peers.

• Helping the student to develop his verbal comprehension, extend his expressive language and clarity of speech.

• Promoting the development of the student’s fine and gross motor skills.

• Promoting and supporting group work and both structured & unstructured activities that will provide opportunities for the student to develop the above skills & to experience & recognise success.

• Assisting in the planning and implementation of the student’s individual education plan.

• Monitoring and attend to student’s behavioural and emotional needs and to promote his well being, self-awareness and independence

• To be a key worker and named contact for the student/s.

• To liaise with staff in order to ensure that awareness of their needs remains high profile.

• To contribute to information for staff & reviews in order to inform planning & to ensure up to date information on their progress.

• Plan, prepare and deliver learning activities with individual pupils, groups, and assess, record and report on pupils' progress.

• Attend INSET sessions and meetings as necessary and appropriate.

• To support literacy interventions during form time.

• To provide support during form time registration for identified class groups.

• To work with SENCo in putting together access arrangements, evidence and folders.

Other

• To be aware of and comply with policies & procedures relating to child protection; equal opportunities; health safety and security; confidentiality and data protection and to report all concerns to an appropriate person.

• It should be noted that the above list of principal duties & responsibilities is not necessarily a complete statement. Alterations & further duties may be necessary & will be subject to consultation. The post holder is expected to accept any reasonable changes to his / her job description.

• The post holder is expected to be able to adapt his / her work to address the specific needs of the pupil.

• Be aware of and comply with policies & procedures relating to child protection; equal opportunities; health safety and security; confidentiality and data protection and to report all concerns to an appropriate person.

• The above list of principal duties & responsibilities is not necessarily a complete statement. Alterations & further duties may be necessary & will be subject to consultation. The post holder is expected to accept any reasonable changes to his / her job description.

• To be able to adapt his / her work to address the specific needs of the student.

The duties and responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present. This role will be reviewed annually as part of the performance appraisal process and the post holder is expected to accept any reasonable alterations that may from time to time be necessary.

Westfield Academy is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of Children and Young people. To meet this responsibility, we follow a rigorous selection process. All successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check.

Person specification

Attributes

Essential (or expected to train / qualify to that standard)

General

• Polite and courteous

• Confidentiality, probity & integrity

• Excellent time management

• Strong verbal and written communication skills

• Ability to be flexible in approach to work as part of a team

• Ability to understand the needs of students, staff, and professionals

• Excellent organisational skills

Qualifications & training

• Educated to Degree level including HLTA qualification or equivalent, including English and Maths GCSE (A*-C or 4+); or

• Proven on the job experience

Relevant experience

• Experience of working in a school setting

• Experience in supporting pupils in a classroom environment, with Special Educational Needs (SEN) and Additional Learning Needs (ALN)

• Appropriate experience in administration

• Proven track record of working within a team

Knowledge, skills & abilities

• Willingness to learn new skills and acquire new areas of knowledge

• Enjoy working as part of a hardworking, supportive and friendly team

• Ability to plan, organise and prioritise effectively, to meet deadlines

• Efficient, organised and meticulous

• Understanding and sensitive to others

• Keen to develop the role

• Calm in a crisis

• Uses own initiative

• Knowledge of MIS database & excellent IT skills (Google, internet, etc)

Personal qualities

• Strong people skills, fair minded and able to communicate well to a variety of audiences

• Able to interact effectively with staff, parents, students and outside agencies

• Team player, willing to share in key decision making

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

Westfield Academy and it's Trust Board fully recognise that they have a duty of care to ensure arrangements are in place for safeguarding and promoting the wellbeing of children. We recognise that all members of the school community, including volunteers and Trustees, will at all times play a full and active part in protecting our students from harm.

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 Westfield Academy

• School type: Academy, ages 11 to 18
• Education phase: Secondary school
• School size: 1335 pupils enrolled
• Age range: 11 to 18
• Ofsted report: View Ofsted report
• School website: Westfield Academy website
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/westfield-academy

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to Westfield Academy. We are an over-subscribed, high-performing, non-selective Academy. We have been a consistently "Good" OFSTED school since 2012, with our most recent inspection being December 2019. During my time as Headteacher, our students have consistently achieved some of the best exam results in South West Herts.

School location

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