Nursery Teaching Assistant

Shafton Primary Academy, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S72 8QA

14 days remaining to apply

• Start date details

  December 2025

• Closing date

  16 October 2025 at 12:57pm

• Date listed

  2 October 2025

Job details

• Job role:
  • Teaching assistant
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Working pattern: Part time
• Contract type: Permanent
• Full-time equivalent salary: £15866 - £16374 per annum

Nursery Teaching Assistant job summary

Lift Shafton High Street, Barnsley, S72 8QA Salary: NJC 5-7 £15,866 - £16,374 (Actual) £25,583 - £26,403 (FTE) well-being cash plan + pension scheme (LGPS) + additional Lift Schools benefits Hours: 27.5 hours per week - 38 weeks per year Contract type: Permanent Start date: December 2025 Closing date: 17th Oct Interview dates: 24th Oct Are you ready to make a positive difference at Lift Shafton's outstanding, warm and inclusive primary school setting? We are seeking a dedicated and fun early years Nursery Teaching Assistant to support children within our brand new nursery (Opening January 2026). We welcome applications from individuals who are passionate about shaping the very start of a child's learning journey, supporting them with the energy, creativity and commitment they deserve. About the role As a Nursery Teaching Assistant, you'll play a vital part in supporting our youngest children at the very start of their educational journey. Each day brings new discoveries, and your role will be to nurture curiosity, build confidence, and help every child feel secure, valued and ready to learn. You'll work closely with the Nursery class teacher and other early years practitioners to deliver engaging, play-based activities that develop children's communication, physical, social and emotional skills. From storytelling and counting games to outdoor learning and messy play, you'll help children explore the world around them in safe, structured and creative ways. Your responsibilities will include: * Supporting children one-to-one and/or in small groups * Encouraging language development through play, songs and conversation * Observing and recording progress, feeding this back to the class teacher * Supporting personal care needs with kindness and dignity * Helping to create stimulating, well-organised learning space * Building strong, trusting relationships with children, families and staff * Promoting good behaviour, emotional well-being and a sense of belonging Skills and Experience we would like to see: * Level 3 Teaching Assistant qualification (essential) * Experience supporting early years aged children (up to 5 years old) * Patience, kindness and resilience * Familiarity with phonics programmes such as Read Write Inc * Understanding of child development and how children learn * A flexible, proactive approach and a genuine passion for primary education * Paediatric first aid is advantageous UK right to work, as this role is not eligible for sponsorship We value the skills and dedication of our teaching assistants. To support the best outcomes for our students, we require applicants to hold at least a Level 2 Teaching Assistant qualification; ideally Level 3. If you're working towards a level 3 qualification, we'll support your journey through our Teaching Assistant Apprenticeship Programme, helping you develop the skills and confidence to make an even greater impact. About Lift Shafton Lift Shafton is a welcoming and inclusive school community where every child and every member of staff experiences a genuine sense of belonging. We are proud to provide a supportive, nurturing and joyful environment in which our team works collectively to deliver the outstanding education that our families deserve. Lift Shafton is a truly special place to learn and to work - a professional yet caring community where dedicated and talented staff are valued and enabled to thrive, and where all children, regardless of background or ability, are supported to flourish. We are also delighted to be extending our provision with the launch of a new nursery in January 2026. Closing date: 17th Oct Interview dates: 24th Oct Who is Lift Schools? We're a diverse and inclusive network of schools with one clear mission; to provide an excellent education to every child - in every classroom, every day. And we do this across each of our 57 schools. As with our students, we want our team to be empowered to do their best work, supported by the best leadership they've ever had. We acknowledge and appreciate the exceptional efforts of everyone here in making this an incredible organisation. We offer you: * Comprehensive training: Access a wide range of developmental training to boost your career. * Generous benefits: From your pension plan to healthcare and financial support, we've got you covered. * Lifestyle perks: Enjoy discounted gym memberships, travel deals, and even electric vehicle incentives. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early should we receive an overwhelming response. All candidates are advised to refer to the job description and person specification before making an application. Lift Schools are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our pupils, and we expect all our people and volunteers to share this commitment. We adopt a fair and consistent recruitment process which is inline with Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance. This includes online checks for shortlisted candidates. All offers of employment are subject to an Enhanced DBS check, references, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check. Lift Schools embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. Job share, part-time and flexible working opportunities will be considered. We are a Disability Confident Employer and there is a guaranteed interview scheme for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

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

Lift Schools is committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our pupils, and we expect all our colleagues and volunteers to share this commitment. We adopt a fair and consistent recruitment process which is inline with Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance. This includes online checks for shortlisted candidates. All offers of employment are subject to an Enhanced DBS check, references, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check.

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 Shafton Primary Academy

• School type: Academy, ages 4 to 11
• Education phase: Primary
• School size: 243 pupils enrolled
• Age range: 4 to 11
• Ofsted report: View Ofsted report
• School website: Shafton Primary Academy website
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/shafton-primary-academy

Welcome to Lift Shafton and thank you for your interest in our school. Shafton village is a small rural community easily reached from Wakefield, Barnsley, Rotherham and Sheffield.

Here at Lift Shafton, we are a proud member of Lift Schools and have just been judged as a good school with outstanding leadership and outstanding Early Years.

Our very creative staff have a real love of teaching and we are looking for a future member of our team who can develop that sense of awe and wonder in children. The children at our school are happy, confident, fun-loving and energetic. They are passionate about their learning, be it in the traditional classroom or through drama, music, dance and painting. We are looking for someone who can embrace these aspects of the curriculum as well as literacy and numeracy.

Leadership at our school is forward thinking - and the well-being and work-life balance of our teachers is very important. We give autonomy to teachers and will not dictate planning, marking or teaching styles. We want you to give us your best and our non-negotiables are outstanding attainment and progress for every child, coupled with kindness and warm-heartedness, not what colour pen you use to mark books!

Our school has been recently refurbished and is a modern, bright and attractive place for us all to work. We have a new Early Years classroom and outdoor learning environment.

We welcome visitors and hope that you will come and see for yourself what a happy place Lift Shafton and what makes us the school of choice in our local area.

Thank you for your interest in our school and we look forward to meeting you.

Our aims and expectations

We have a high expectations for all children and a commitment to ensuring all children achieve high standards. We will achieve this by -

Supporting the development of children who –

Feel safe and know that if they have concerns they are listened to and are supported so that they thrive
Who can create, reflect, persevere, are resilient and aspire
Are able to work independently, collaboratively, as part of a team and to lead
Are thoughtful, have the ability to listen, are responsible and supportive of each other and have a strong work ethic
Are creative, analytical, critical and innovative
Have high expectations of themselves and each other
Respect themselves and others
Have endless curiosity, enthusiasm – who want to experience as much as possible and find out all they can
Creating a staff team who –

Are an expert workforce with shared determination to do their best for every child
Question practice and continually try to better meet the needs of all children and are supported in this by a detailed professional development programme
Equip children with the life skills they will need to be independent, reflective, resilient and resourceful learners as well as continuing to raise standards in literacy and numeracy
Provide exciting opportunities for children to use and apply their learning to enquiry and problem solving so they develop their understanding of the world
Plan, monitor and evaluate teaching, learning, the curriculum and progress in the school to ensure the development of the whole child
Are proactive and highly skilled at identifying vulnerable children and collaborating with other agencies so that barriers to learning are removed and all children succeed
Help children acquire a range of personal, social and emotional attributes essential to their health and well-being and to life as a responsible citizen
Develop children so they can actively participate in and contribute to the school where they feel respected, safe and supported
In a school which –

Provides a caring, stimulating and enjoyable learning environment in which all children feel respected, safe and supported
Provides a flexible, challenging and purposeful curriculum that is relevant to our children and prepares them for the responsibilities and experiences of life
Offers opportunities to engage with a wide range of cultural experiences
Provides a broad rich curriculum that excites them about learning and the world, is rich in IT to help children participate fully in a constantly changing world
Equips children with the life skills they will need to be independent, reflective, resilient and resourceful learners as well as continuing to raise standards in literacy and numeracy
Values and develops a supportive partnership between home, school and the community
Provides opportunities to engage in a wide range of activities – social, the arts, sports and cultural, that will enrich their lives and develop their confidence, social and moral skills and self-belief
So that the local community has pride and confidence in our school and trusts that their children will succeed and do well here.

Who is Lift Schools?

Lift Schools is made up of 57 primary, secondary and special schools, educating more than 33,000 pupils across the country. We believe education can transform lives – and we want every child in our schools to achieve their full potential.

Our mission:

We will provide an excellent education to every child, in every classroom, every day.
With excellent leadership and teaching in every school, we will help children go on to lead successful and happy lives.
We will work with others beyond our network to benefit more children and communities.

School location

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