Senior Teaching Assistant (Class Coordinator) - Fixed Term until July 2026

Valence School, Westerham, Kent, TN16 1QN

23 days remaining to apply

• Start date details

  As soon as possible

• Closing date

  4 January 2026 at 10:59pm

• Date listed

  12 December 2025

Job details

• Job role:
  • Teaching assistant
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Working pattern: Part time
• Contract type: Fixed term
• Full-time equivalent salary: £20,828.00 Annually (Actual) 33.5 hours per week term time (£13.69 per hour) : Term Time only

Senior Teaching Assistant (Class Coordinator) - Fixed Term until July 2026 job summary

FIXED TERM UNTIL JULY 2026

We are looking for a compassionate, proactive Class Coordinator to lead a dedicated team in delivering high-quality support for students within a dedicated pathway class. This is a key role within our school, combining strong class support with confident guidance and a commitment to creating an inclusive, nurturing learning environment for our students to flourish. It is an exciting opportunity for someone passionate about making a real difference in the lives of children and young people with disabilities.

What you will do:

• Lead and coordinate the work of the class team, ensuring consistent, high-quality practice across learning, communication, physical support and personal care routines.
• Work closely with teachers to support learning for a pathway class, delivering strategies and programs tailored to student needs in addition to form tutors and residential staff to ensure effective communication and preparation for student reviews.
• Promote communication, independence, and engagement for students with physical disabilities, complex health needs, sensory needs, and learning difficulties.
• Support medical and personal care needs in line with student care plans (full training provided).
• Liaise effectively with therapy, nursing, residential and multidisciplinary teams to ensure seamless, holistic support.
• Model best practice in behaviour support and contribute to positive professional relationships.
• Ensure high standards of record keeping, safeguarding and professional conduct within the class.

What we are looking for:

• Good general education (GCSEs 5+ or equivalent in English & Maths).
• Excellent communication and teamwork skills.
• Confidence in coordinating and deploying staff, supporting students and using basic IT equipment.
• A genuine desire to help students with disabilities thrive.
• Knowledge of special educational needs, safeguarding and child development is desirable.

What We Offer:

• A role with real purpose and daily impact
• Fully funded qualifications and training
• Generous pension scheme & life cover
• Staff wellbeing sessions and support
• Retail discounts and subsidised meals
• Free on-site parking

If you are committed, caring and ready to make a difference every day, we would love to hear from you! Apply now and help us create a supportive, inspiring learning environment.

We are recruiting for this post on a rolling basis therefore you are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. We reserve the right to close this vacancy, interview and appoint earlier if we receive sufficient applications for this role.

Valence School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of every student and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment.  Valence School is committed to valuing diversity and promoting equality for all.

References will be taken up before interview and online checks undertaken for shortlisted candidates.  The successful applicant will require an enhanced DBS check (this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act).

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

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

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 Valence School

• School type: Special school, ages 4 to 19
• School size: 132 pupils enrolled
• Age range: 4 to 19
• Ofsted report: View Ofsted report
• School website: Valence School website
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/valence-school

We are proud to share with you the excellent work we do with children and young people who have physical disabilities and complex medical needs. Our school is unique within the maintained sector in the whole of southern England. We cater for students aged 4 to 19 and have both day and boarding places. We have a large site with high quality teaching, social care and health care facilities. A staff team of over 200 people provides specialist teaching, social care, therapies and nursing care to an exceptionally high standard.

Our overall aim is to enable every child and young person to achieve meaningful independence. Students flourish in a supportive but challenging environment, making good educational progress and achieving a range of accreditation as they get older. There is excellent support to enable students to achieve functional communication, mobility and skills for daily living.

We are a Foundation Special School and are part of the Kent SEN Trust, a cooperative trust of ten schools working together to improve outcomes for all the children and young people attending the schools. In 2008 Valence became a specialist Sports College and this status plays a significant role in raising students’ achievements and their participation in high quality physical education and sport.

The School works proactively with parents and external professionals to provide holistic support for every child and young person. It is also developing high quality outreach support services to local schools and more widely for children and young people in Kent who have physical disabilities who are attending mainstream schools.

The School always places children and young people at the centre of all decisions it takes and it has a relentless focus on achieving the best possible outcomes for every student.

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